We’re only in August and this year has been such a busy one. Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Southern Highlands, Blue Mountains, Snowy Mountains, Canberra, not to mention spending the month of June overseas and it feels like this wild ride is only evolving further. I made the difficult decision to pack up stumps and move to Melbourne. Yup, the big bad city. This ol’ country boy is setting foot in the real world.
I’ve only been in this city for 3 weeks and I’m absolutely in love. There is always something happening, something to photograph and somewhere new to eat. I feel like a little kid in a candy store. It’s living up to everything I had hoped and *fingers crossed* it will only get better!
I’m not afraid to shoot the way I do, in fact I’m more excited about where I’m at and where I’m going photographically than I ever have been. For me, this is a huge step in the right direction – personally as well as professionally. Here is my most recent Melbourne wedding to show you what I mean.
While I was overseas, the Canon AIPP Australia Profressional Photography Awards (or APPA) was taking place. I chose to enter some travel images from my trip to Italy last year. Being the first time I’d entered any AIPP awards and choosing to start with the national level (as opposed to state level) I was very nervous – and very happy with the results! This particular shot of these lovely ladies in Siena was awarded a Silver with Distinction.
The next shot is of a man waiting at the underground train station in Rome and received a Silver.
I also entered the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) photography contest with this shot of Scott & Libby from their wedding in February this year. It managed to place 14th in the ceremony Category and I’m stoked with this result as tens of thousands of photos from all over the world are entered into these contests. Unfortunately I missed out on the deadline for their latest contest by 2 hours due to the time difference, bugger!
Photography awards aren’t really something I’ve ever been interested in and I thought for a long time that something as subjective as photography couldn’t really be judged and rated objectively. However the whole process of going through the images, working with other photographers, getting feedback, discussing what works and what doesn’t work has been a great learning experience and has definitely helped me continue to refine and grow my skills as a photographer. It’s definitely an interesting experience and would recommend that every pro (or aspiring) gives it a go.
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