‘Veronica’ Wins MIFA Gold …

But wait … there’s more !  Hot on the heels of the wonderful 2022 ‘International Portrait Photographer of the Year’ results … see the post on the 25th of June … has come the results from the 2022 ‘Moscow International Foto Awards’ (MIFA). (N.B – not political or warmongering in any way).

The great new news is my images picked up two gongs … a Winning shiny Gold in the ‘Editorial’ category and a Bronze in the ‘People’ category.

Really stoked to see ‘Veronica – Where Home Brew Kills’ … an image I made (top below) in Mornington Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria whilst covering the story of a dangerous home brew alcohol epidemic in the community … take out the Gold placement in Editorial & Environment. It’s the second time it’s caught the eye, winning an ‘Honourable Mention’ earlier this year in the 2022 17th Pollux Awards. (Will prepare a print for Veronica and her family and deliver to them when next I get to Mornington Island.)

Also in the MIFA mix was my portrait of the delightful African American Aurora (bottom of this post) entitled ‘Mother Africa’ which won a Bronze award in People/Culture. The aim of ‘Mother Africa’ was to represent the ill treatment of Aurora’s African forbears in the America’s over the centuries. The work is racking up a list of recognitions with previous selections in 2022 The Percival Portrait Prize, the 2022 International Color Awards and the 2022 International Portrait Photographer of the Year.

Huge Thanks to Veronica and Aurora … can’t do this stuff without wonderful subjects.

Without overdoing it … there’s a couple of more bits of good news coming … but I’m not allowed at this stage to share the details 🙂

Images © Brian Cassey

Moscow International Foto Awards (MIFA) 2022 Winning images Gold Award - Editorial Environment - "Veronica - Where Home Brew Kills", Bronze Award - People Culture - "Mother Africa" by Brian Cassey

Moscow International Foto Awards (MIFA) 2022 Winning images Gold Award - Editorial Environment - "Veronica - Where Home Brew Kills", Bronze Award - People Culture - "Mother Africa" by Brian Cassey

Silver and Bronze in Moscow International …

… yippee … at the risk of overdoing it … announced last week  … two Silver Awards and a Bronze Award in the 2021 Moscow International Foto Awards (MIFA).

‘The Yarrick Family of Kunhanhaa’ (Mornington Island) won ‘Silver’ in the People category (the images first International recognition) … whilst ‘Tears For George Floyd (8 Minutes and 46 Seconds)’ also won ‘Silver’ in Editorial (it’s third International recognition). ‘The Kids of Ali Curung’ … made in the remote township of the Northern Territory last year … was awarded the ‘Bronze’ award in the People category (it’s second International recognition).

The images will be shown at Russian and international art communities in galleries and art centres. (TBA) and can also be found in an expansive online ‘E- Book’ at … https://www.moscowfotoawards.com/2021_MIFA_eBook.pdf

The Moscow awards has been a rewarding regular over the years since 2014.

Happy Days …

Images © Brian Cassey

Moscow International Foto Awards (MIFA) - Silver Award - 'The Yarrick Family of Kunhanhaa' by Brian Cassey

Moscow International Foto Awards (MIFA) - Silver Award - '8 Minutes & 46 Seconds - Tears For George Floyd' by Brian Cassey

Moscow International Foto Awards (MIFA) - Silver Award - 'The Kids of Ali Curung' by Brian Cassey

Moscow, Moscow, Moscow …

Pleased to have three images selected to each receive an ‘Honorable Mention’ in the just announced 2020 ‘Moscow International Foto Awards’. Especially pleasing is that all three are relatively ‘new’ images … two made in February and the other made in India last October.

It is the first ‘accolade’ for the portrait of Bonn … “Bonn Marie – Asking the Question” … made at a social gathering in the studio shed of fellow Cairns photographer Marc Steiner. It was Bonn’s first real time seriously in front of the camera … she’s a talented little red head and done very good ! (it’s also the first time one of my pics has been mentioned in a ‘Fine Art’ category.)

Kate … my subject in “Kate – Waiting for Her New Breasts” … is one of the very nicest and most resilient women I’ve met. To cut a long story short … Kate had a double mastectomy eight years ago after being diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer and expected to have reconstructive surgery soon after. Thanks to the inadequacies of the hospital wait list system she is still waiting …

The image ran front page of the Queensland Sunday Mail and prompted the Queensland Health Minister to fast track her surgery … than along came covid-19. She’s still again (patiently) waiting …

This is the second mention for Kate’s image following it’s selection as a Finalist in the Percival Photographic Portrait Prize currently exhibiting at the Perc Tucker Gallery in Townsville.

“Ramnami” is a image I made in Chhattisgarh, India whilst on a day off from covering the story of Indian coal mining giant Adani’s continued destruction of the Hasdeo Arand forest and it’s tribal Gond peoples. Maherttar Ram Tandon is member of the Hindu sect Ramnami Samaj and his entire body is covered with the tattooed text of their god रामराम – Ram Ram – making him one of the only five still surviving ’Naksikh’.

This image has also just been selected on the shortlist of the global and prestigious ‘Portrait of Humanity’ 2020 collection and will be, amongst other things, projected on a screen in the stratosphere and then transmitted as a digital binary file through space on a (possibly) never ending journey. More details about the Image and it’s space journey are here … https://www.briancasseyphotographer.com/blog/stories-blog/2020/06/pics-in-space-out-of-this-world-with-portrait-of-humanity/

The Moscow International Foto Awards have become something of an annual habit and have clocked up a fair few mentions since the first win in 2014. Check through the years here if so inclined

Images © Brian Cassey

 

Moscow International Foto Awards 2020 - winning images by Brian Cassey x 3

Moscow, Moscow …

MIFA - Moscow International Foto Awards - Winner Editorial Sport - 'Tomotaro on the Block' - image by Brian Cassey

… Thanks to a congratulatory Facebook post from AP photographer and mate Mark ‘Crusty’ Baker, I learnt that my image “Tomotaro on the Block” has been announced as Second Place (Silver) Winner in the ‘Editorial Sport’ category of the 2019 Moscow International Foto Awards (MIFA) … and will be shown at the Moscow Photocenter, Gogolevsky Boulevard, 8 Moscow (119019, г.Москва, Гоголевский бульвар, д.8) from the opening event on 19th June to the 24th June. (The original notification from ‘MIFA’ ended up in my ‘Junk’ folder … Thanks Crusty!)

Sadly … as much as I’d like to … I can’t make it to Moscow to see it and the other winners on show. (unless someone out there feels inclined to donate a return airfare 😉 !  … NB … I haven’t yet visited Moscow !)

As I bit of compensation, however, it turns out that I also received a ‘Highly Commended’ for another of my images … “Victims of Sorcery – Dorcas” in the ‘Editorial Conflict’ category … a combined result that almost mirrors that of a few months ago in the 2019 Tokyo International Foto Awards (see post ‘Two Up in TIFA’ here). Gratified that both these images have so far picked up several accolades between them.

The image of Tomotaro was made whilst covering the Pan Pacific Para Swim Games in Cairns (for the Canadian swim team) … whilst the image of Dorcas was made whilst working on a story on sorcery and witchcraft in Papua New Guinea for News Ltd’s News 360.

Below … the two awarded images from the “Moscow International Foto Awards” web site (click on each to take you to the full web site page) … Images © Brian Cassey

 

MIFA - Moscow International Foto Awards - Winner Editorial Sport - 'Tomotaro on the Block' - image by Brian Cassey

MIFA - Moscow International Foto Awards - Editorial Sport - 'Tomotaro on the Block' - image by Brian Cassey

“Eyes” – a Winner in Moscow (and now Tokyo)

Update: December 2016

“Eyes – the Soul of a Photograph” was also selected as Winner and Silver medalist in the ‘Moving Image Essay’ category of the 2016 ‘Tokyo International Foto Awards (TIFA’s)‘ … and was screened at the Owada Gallery, Shibuya Cultural Center Owada, 23-21 Sakura-gaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo in February 2017.

November 2nd, 2015

In news from far flung Moscow … my short film “Eyes – the Soul of a Photograph” was selected as the inaugural Winner of the ‘Moscow International Foto Awards – Moving Image Essay’. Completely stoked … ! Originally put together for the ‘Nikon Walkley Storyology Slide Awards’ (in which it finished 2nd) the piece then went on to be selected as a Finalist in the 2015 ‘Head On Photo Festival – Moving Image Prize’ .

As the winner “Eyes” was projected onto the big screen at a presentation eve at the prestigious FotoLoft Gallery in Moscow (address 4-й Сыромятнический пер., 1/8, строение 6, Moscow, Russia, 105120 !!) on Tuesday November 3rd.

Just a pity I couldn’t get there to see it … but a nice honour to receive a win from the international award, based in Russia, that attracts a host of top photographers from around the planet.

 

Images and Presentation © Brian Cassey

Carol in Moscow … !

Real chuffed to learn overnight that my new and recent portrait of the amazin’, courageous and beautiful burns survivor Carol Mayer – entitled “The Skin I’m In” (below) – won a Second Place in the Portrait category of this years “Moscow International Foto Awards” (MIFA).

A buzz to once again be selected as a winner in the MIFA’s (last year it was a First Place in the ‘Moving Image’ category with the short film “Eyes – The Soul of a Photograph”) alongside much amazing photographic talent from around the planet. The MIFA’s this year attracted entries from a massive 85 countries. Some brilliant work listed amongst the winners this year … in particular … Mary F. Calvert and Michele Palazzo (USA), Sandra Hoyn and Tom Jacobi (Germany), Danillo Balducci (Italy), Younes Mohammad (Iraq), and Sergey Ponomarev (Russia) … and more.

I’m so, so grateful to Carol for fearlessly agreeing to pose as she did for me in this new portrait … I’ve had this image ‘in my head’ now for some time and it’s almost a relief to actually complete it and now be able to let it go. (It’s the second time that Carol has featured in the “Moscow International Foto Awards” … my portrait of Carol focused on her wonderful eyes from a few years back won an Honourable Mention in the 2014 ‘MIFA’ Portrait contest.)

“The Skin I’m In” … along with the other powerful winners work … will be shown at the Moscow Na Kashirke Gallery (Галерея “На Каширке”, Москва, ул.Ак.Миллионщикова, д.35, корп.5) from the 20th July till the 7th August.

Image © Brian Cassey 2016

"The Skin I'm In" - Carol Mayer Moscow International Foto ASwards - winner by Brian Cassey

 

“Eyes” in ‘Cairns Eye’ …

Many Thanks to Roz Pulley and the team at ‘Cairns Eye’ magazine for devoting the cover and a double page spread in this weekends issue to the recent win for my short film “Eyes – the Soul of a Photograph” in the Moscow International Foto Awards. Very grateful crew … !

Despite the challenge of portraying the essence of a short film about the ‘moving image’ (in more than just one sense of the term ‘moving image’) the piece in Cairns Eye looks great. On the cover and spread they used seven of the twenty six essentially portrait images – made in the USA (2), India (3), Indonesia (1), Thailand (1), Hong Kong China (1), Papua New Guinea (4) and Australia (14) – which featured in the film. Sadly there is no way they can play the haunting accompanying music in the film – a beautifully emotive piece by composer Robert Mann entitled ‘Rio Vista’. However, you can hear the music and see the complete project at … www.briancasseyphotographer.com/play

The rationale for the film – which also was a Finalist in the ‘Head On Moving Image Prize’ (amongst others) earlier this year – was to explore the axiom that that the eyes are the gateway to not only the soul but the still photograph.

For earlier news on the ‘Moving Image Essay’ win in the Moscow International Foto Awards  – and to play the work – please click on my recent post “Eyes” … a Winner in Moscow …” here.

Below I’ve posted screen grabs of the cover and relevant pages from the new Cairns Eye issue – images © Brian Cassey

CairnsEye1lr

CairnsEye2lr

CairnsEye3lr

“Eyes” … a Winner in Moscow …

In news from far flung Moscow … my short film “Eyes – the Soul of a Photograph” has been selected as the inaugural Winner of the ‘Moscow International Foto Awards – Moving Image Essay’. Completely stoked … ! Originally put together for the ‘Nikon Walkley Storyology Slide Awards’ (in which it finished 2nd) the piece then went on to make the finalist cut of ten in the ‘Head On Moving Image Prize’ earlier this year.

“Eyes” is to be projected onto the big screen at the prestigious FotoLoft Gallery in Moscow (address 4-й Сыромятнический пер., 1/8, строение 6, Moscow, Russia, 105120 !!) on Tuesday November 3rd.
Just a pity I can’t get there to see it … but a nice honour to receive a win from the international award, based in Russia, that attracts a host of top photographers from around the planet.

The film can be viewed right here … (Images and Presentation © Brian Cassey)

 

Moscow, Moscow …

This year has seen the birth of yet another major World wide photographic ‘award’ – the “Moscow International Foto Awards” … or “MIFA”.

Apparently MIFA’s mission is to recognize, reward and expose talented photographers from around the world and introduce them to the creative community in Russia”. No too sure how useful that may be in the big scheme of things … but, hey … will try anything once.

I frugally submitted one lone pic … my portrait of the loverly burns survivor Carol Mayer … and promptly forgot about it. Sadly so did they … up to a point! No congratulatory email at results time and I questioned, as you do, the credentials of the judges before moving on to other things.

Ten days later I DO get an email opening thus – “Congratulations once again, please find enclosed your MIFA’14 Winner Seal”. I several times checked the list of winners and honourable mentions … no Brian and no Carol … and puzzled I sent them an email. They told me to ‘look again’. Same result …
My next few emails went unanswered … until today when I at last get an email stating “Apologies! Yes, we found out there was a bug in our system which removed some of the HM winners that’s why it wasn’t showing. We have fixed it.”

So there you go … an Honourable Mention (and there was an awful lot of ’em) in the Portrait category of the inaugural  “Moscow International Foto Awards”. Sure takes the gloss off it …

Anyway … below is my Hon Mention pic from the “MIFA” website.

Image ©Brian Cassey

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