Everyone loves a loser. Photographer R.J. Kern transformed his photo series "The Unchosen Ones" into a book highlighting 65 young people and their animals at local county fairs in Minnesota that didn't win Grand Champion ribbons. Kern found them in 2016 when he traveled the state and documented the losers on their home turf. When he returned four years later, he asked them about the lessons they learned from that initial experience of not winning. He cites empathy as a driving force for the project. "I think we all know what it's like to not be chosen for something," he told the Star Tribune. In the photographs, he presents subjects in a regal way, with photographs appearing like portraiture painting, replete with formal backdrops and lighting. Kern drove more than 10,000 miles and hit 10 county fairs. ("The Unchosen Ones: An American Pastoral" is available at rjkern.com, Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com)

The Unchosen Ones: An American Pastoral
By: R.J. Kern.
Publisher: M.W. Editions, 135 pages, $50.