“Blog/Journal/News … Whatever …” | Brian Cassey Photographer Cairns Australia

Mornington Essay Wins At Clarions …

August 1, 2023October 11, 2021

Scored a nice tidy hangover … and Best Photographic Essay gong … at ‘The Clarions’ (Queensland’s media awards) presentation event at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre on Saturday eve.

A great evening honouring the best work of Queensland’s media industry over the last troubled year, it was also a brilliant opportunity to catch up with media mates and colleagues for a drink or two (honest!). To win the award for Best Photographic Essay with my work documenting the dire strait of the Mornington Island indigenous community in the Gulf of Carpentaria for The Courier Mail and The Australian was a very pleasant bonus.

The judges (for whom I have the greatest respect 😉 ) commented thus on my work ‘Mornington Island – The Queenslanders Left behind’ … “This series of images beautifully captures and communicates the plight of a forgotten community. Brian has included both dramatic candid moments and evocative portraits to tell the subjects story while seamlessly using a variety of techniques to create a moving connection to both people and place.

You will get a better look at the entire pic essay on my ‘Awards’ page at … https://www.briancasseyphotographer.com/awards/

Huge Thanks to all at the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance for once again hosting the awards and the evening … and to the wonderful people of Mornington for their hospitality.

Images © Brian Cassey (pages The Courier Mail & The Australian)

2021 Clarion Awards (Queensland Media Awards) - Winner - Best Photographic Essay - 'The Queenslanders Left Behind' by Brian Cassey (The Courier Mail and The Australian)

Veronica … Mornington Island … Where Home Brew Kills …

October 18, 2021October 1, 2021

Thrilled, but also saddened to once again travel to remote Mornington Island (Kunhanhaa) in the tropical Gulf of Carpentaria in northern Australia … the third visit in the past year.

Mornington is a delightful destination populated by delightful people … but the community are grappling with many social ills mainly caused by the tyranny of distance and basically, being ‘forgotten’.

New young Kunhanhaa Mayor Kyle Yanner is determined to raise awareness about the many issues that have beset his community … and has managed to get the attention of the Queensland Government near two thousand kilometres distant in Brisbane.

I again made many images during last weeks visit to the island … but this pic of five year old Veronica Barnes is the one I’m most fond of. I was concentrating on portraying a 16 year old who was a ‘home brew’ imbiber when I glanced Veronica and her tiny puppy. A couple of frames later and I had what I think is a ‘special’ image (sorta ‘Bill Henson style’ 😉 ). (NB … her father gave permission for the pic to be seen.)

Veronica’s community is experiencing the ravages of a wide spread ‘home brew’ alcohol epidemic … and this was the main thrust of our story. She is growing up in a community where many of her extended family members and friends are suffering the consequences of alcohol induced diabetes and untimely death. The community … ‘dry’ for twenty years … has seen a rapid rise of dangerous home brewed alcohols … and children as young as ten years old have been imbibing and adversely effected. Diabetes cases have skyrocketed and the cemetery is littered with the graves of those who have succumbed to alcohol related issues in their teens, twenties and thirties.

Mayor Yanner and the council are reaching out for urgent assistance to stem the scourge and are proposing the introduction of regulated mainstream mid strength alcohol products to the island, controlled at a Tavern. Queensland Minister for the Environment Meaghan Scanlon MP made the trek to Mornington last week to listen first hand to Yanner’s plans.

Veronica’s image was just one of the many made whilst covering the story (by journalist Domanii Cameron) in The Courier and Sunday Mail newspapers … below is a also page grab of the spread as published in Saturdays ‘Weekend’ edition.

My recent previous visits to Mornington documented severe overcrowding in the community’s housing (The Australian, December 2020) … and numerous issues in ‘The Queenslanders Left Behind’ (The Sunday Mail, May 2021)

Images ©Brian Cassey – publication © Courier Mail

'Veronica - Mornington Island - Where Home Brew Kills' - image by Brian Cassey for Courier Mail story on alcohol abuse and home brew on Mornington Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

‘Tears’ At The Perth IRIS Awards …

October 11, 2021September 25, 2021

The ‘IRIS’ awards exhibition … an International biennial art prize acknowledging outstanding contemporary portraiture … opened in Perth on Friday eve at the Perth Centre for Photography Gallery. So pleased to see my ‘Finalist’ selected image “Tears for George Floyd … 8 Minutes and 46 Seconds” (top below) make it’s ‘on the wall’ debut in the fantastic exhibition. (Image © Brian Cassey @brian_cassey)

The award prides itself for “selecting revealing portraits that are unique, original and conceptually stimulating”.

Normally I’d be there at the opening … but no way could I travel early to endure a costly 14 day quarantine on top of airfares etc etc.

The exhibition works were in the main, indeed, unique in many ways … a great exhibition to be part of.

As I couldn’t attend (thanks to covid), loverly Perth based photographer Andrea Vose very, very kindly sent me pics from the opening eve (below) illustrating my work as it sat on the exhibition walls. Thank You heaps Andrea !!

Images below … “Tears for George Floyd … 8 Minutes and 46 Seconds” © Brian Cassey … Images at Perth Centre for Photography Gallery © Andrea Vose

IRIS Award - for Contemporary Photographic Portraiture, Perth - 'Finalist' - 'Tears for George Floyd ... 8 Minutes and 46 Seconds' by Brian Cassey

The Book … International Portrait Photographer of the Year …

October 11, 2021September 25, 2021

Back in June I posted on this blog the news of the winners of ‘The 2021 International Portrait Photographer of the Year’ award and the selection of a couple of my portraits amongst them.

So now … arrived in the post this week … ‘The 2021 International Portrait Photographer of the Year’ book … and very stoked to have three page entries in this great hard cover collection.

“Bonn Marie … Asking the Question” (left below) makes two appearances, one in the award ‘Winners’ section (a 3rd Place) and one in the main body of the book alongside my second portrait “Kate Yeoman – Waiting For Her New Breasts” (right below).

‘The 2021 International Portrait Photographer of the Year’ is a classy quality book printed by Momento Pro in Sydney and contains all the award winners work and also includes the top 101 photographs. It’s a great collection of diverse portrait work from around the planet. You may order a copy if you fancy (two different sizes to choose from) by visiting the Momento wed site at … https://www.internationalportraitphotographer.com/…/awa…

Huge Thanks to my brilliant subjects Bonn Marie and Kate !

( Received a nice little trophy for Bonn’s pic too … bottom pic )

Images X 2 © Brian Cassey … book © International Portrait Photographer the Year and the artists.

2021 International Portrait Photographer of the Year ... the Book ... with works by Brian Cassey

Aus Paralympians Off to Tokyo Olympics …

August 21, 2021

… a large chunk of the Australian Paralympic team left Cairns last night for Tokyo to compete in the Olympic Games… and I had the distinct pleasure of working with these great athletes on their last training sessions on Thursday. Thanks to Delly Carr who ‘dobed’ me in and Athletics Australia for the work.

These are just a small selection of ten of those many images made at these training sessions at Barlow Park, Cairns … the evening session especially challenging as the ‘light’ can only be described as atrocious !

I can’t stress how wonderfully down to earth and receptive these athletes are … many World Champions and previous Olympics Gold winners amongst them … despite circumstances which would floor most all of us.

In these ten images we have (top to bottom… I wish space would allow me to post more) … Vanessa Low – long jump World record holder & Olympic Gold Medalist … James Turner – 800 metre World Record & Olympic Gold Medalist (left) – and Scott Reardon – 100 metre Gold Medalist (right) … Robyn Lambird – wheelchair racer … Samantha Schmidt – Discuss … Ari Gesini – long jump … Chad Perris – 100 & 200 metres … Vanessa Low – long jump World record holder & Olympic Gold Medalist … Even O’Hanlon – 100 metres (front) – and Chad Perris – 100 & 200 metres (rear) … Sarah Edmiston – discuss … Robyn Lambird – wheelchair racer.

Wish all the team the greatest success … (as long as they don’t embarrass Great Britain 😉 )

Images © Brian Cassey, Athletics Australia

Australian Paralympic team members - off the the Tokt=yo Olympics - images by Brian Cassey

Mornington … Clarion Media Awards Finalist …

July 31, 2023August 15, 2021

… it’s always a pleasure … a once a year excuse to trek to Brisbane and spend a very pleasant eve with southern media colleagues that I far too infrequently get to socialise with.

The ‘Finalists’ in the Clarion Awards … Queensland’s prestigious awards which recognise the best of the Sunshine States media for their work across the year … were announced this week … and very pleased to be selected as one of three photographers in ‘Best Photographic Essay’.

So … if the Covid virus plays nicely (i.e. elsewhere) … will be off to Brissie in October to enjoy another year of the Clarion Awards ‘presentations’ … this time at a cocktail function at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Greatly looking forward to catching up with photographers Darren England and Evan Morgan (co-finalists in ‘Essay’), David Clark, Annette Dew and Tertius Pickard (finalists In ‘News Photograph’) and ‘Regional’ finalists Rob Maccoll and Cairns colleague Brendan Radke. Big congrats guys n gal. Not forgetting the wonderful journalists, scribes, blunts (whatever you choose to call ‘em) that pen the words that fill the spaces between our photographs.

My selected work is a pic essay compiled from images made for The Sunday Mail and The Australian, documenting the plight of the indigenous residents of the remote Gulf of Carpentaria township of Mornington Island. Entitled “The Queenslanders Left Behind”, it comprises eleven images made during two journeys to the island, concentrating on the issues of housing overcrowding and other social ills.

Five of those eleven pics are here below … from top … Shaylene Yarrick and her children bed down in the lounge of their overcrowded house … Mum Cheree Loogatha and daughter Arizona outside their Gununa house … Shaylene Yarrick sheds a tear outside her tiny overcrowded home … The Loogatha family yarn around the fire outside their house … Mornington Island sisters Yvonne Wilson (17) and Corrin Wilson (13) suffer from type 2 diabetes. Corrin also has rheumatic heart disease, whilst their mother is receiving dialysis following renal failure.

Very pleased to once again have the chance (it’s now twelve years of ‘Finalists’ with a fair few ‘Wins’ over the last decade and a half) to enjoy Queensland’s media ’Night of Nights’.

Covid-19 … please don’t stuff it up !

Images © Brian Cassey

Clarion Media Awards Finalist - Photographic Essay -“Mornington Island – The Queenslanders Left Behind” by Brian Cassey

Covid Lockdown in Cairns …

July 31, 2023August 14, 2021

… seemed inevitable that it would happen sometime … and will likely happen again … a coronavirus pandemic lockdown in Cairns. Our tropical city has led a charmed life since last years initial lockdown in March and April … and we’ve watched as lockdowns have been instituted regularly around the rest of the country.

It took a mariner who had contracted the virus on an offshore ship before travelling back to Cairns and passing it on to a taxi driver to change all that and spark a (thankfully only) three day total lockdown.

These are just a few of the many images I made for Australian Associated Press (AAP) this week. More of my lockdown pics may be found on the AAP site here. (I also spent time covering the lockdown for News Ltd and you may have seen some of those in the local media.)

From top we have … 9 year old Lexie Barlow is tested by QML staff for covid-19 at a testing centre on the Cairns Esplanade … the Cairns Esplanade Lagoon empty and closed for the lockdown duration … masked indigenous children Isiah Bligh and Jakian Costello play in the rain during the Yarrabah lockdown … with occupancy down to seventeen percent a housekeeper patrols the empty corridors of the Cairns Hilton Hotel … Cairns residents queue for covid-19 testing at a QML test centre on the Esplanade … a girl exercises on the Cairns Esplanade during the lockdown.

Cairns has been fortunate since the pandemic began early in 2020 … and fingers crossed these are the last images of a local lockdown.

Images © Brian Cassey and AAP

Covid-19 Lockdown in Cairns - images by © Brian Cassey, AAP

‘On the Wall’ … (Eventually) … in Kuala Lumpur …

July 31, 2023July 25, 2021

This one I really like …

Since 2009 The Kuala Lumpur International Photoawards (KLPA) has annually selected and recognised the best in photographic portraiture from around the World. The work chosen is invariably on the cutting edge and held in the highest regard.

So … to say the least … was undeniably very happy when this years results in the Open award were announced this week … nineteen (compelling and imaginative) works selected from artists in the USA (2), Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands (2), Poland (2), India (2), UK, Italy, Serbia, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Ireland, Spain, Russia … and one selected from Australia … little old me.

Back from it’s trip ‘into space’ in 2019 my ‘Aurukun – Generations’ image was selected in the twenty strong list and will now travel to Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur for a month or so ‘on the wall’ of a prestigious gallery … dates and venue to be arranged at the whims of Covid.

’Aurukun – Generations’ has now received a raft of recognitions in awards and exhibitions … and it very nearly didn’t happen at all. The image was one of dozens made in the troubled Cape York township of Aurukun for a news story. Another was chosen for publication with the story and this pic was quietly forgotten. It was several months later when I revisited the archive, came across it again and realised it’s potential.

It was one of three of my images ‘Sent Into Space’ (literally) by ‘Portrait of Humanity’ in 2019 and it has also been exhibited and recognised widely around the planet. (You can find some of those … here … here … here … here … here … here … here … and here .)

The work portrays Aurukun Wik elders Silas and Rebecca Wolmby with their great grand children Shalona and Keola. Sadly Silas has since left us. I did present his family with a large print of the Image when I made it back to the township last year.

It’s been eight years since I last made it to a Kuala Lumpur Finalist list in 2013 … coincidentally with another image made Aurukun way … a portrait of Aak Paul Ngantam stockman Perry Ward entitled ‘Roustabout’ (bottom below).

I travelled to Kuala Lumpur that year for the exhibition opening event. ‘Roustabout’ looked magnificent in a wonderful Petronas Towers gallery setting.

Very sadly (thanks covid), I’m pretty sure that this time around I won’t get to see ‘Aurukun – Generations’ on a KL gallery wall any time soon. (Still a buzz tho’ 😉 )

Images © Brian Cassey – top ‘Aurukun – Generations’, bottom ‘Roustabout’.

Aussies Off To Tokyo Olympics …

July 18, 2021

A pleasure to have the opportunity to document … for Australian Associated Press (AAP) … the departure of just on half Australia’s Olympic squad as they left the country for the Tokyo Games at Cairns International Airport on Saturday. Sadly I wasn’t on the flight with them …

The QANTAS charter aircraft was chokers with about 280 face masked athletes and officials from the swimming, rowing, hockey, water polo, beach volleyball, table tennis, weightlifting and badminton teams on board. Amongst the masked throng was Australia’s ‘Madam Butterfly’ Gold medalist Susie O’Neill (fourth image below) … currently Deputy Chefs de Missions for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Disturbingly, shortly after the aircraft lifted off from the Cairns runway the news dropped that an official had tested positive for COVID-19 at the Tokyo Olympics athletes’ village. A worrying development for the team.

Below are just over a handful of the pics I made of the athletes departure for the (2020 or 2021 ?) Tokyo Olympic Games … the complete set of 45 images may be found on the AAP site HERE.

Images © AAP/Brian Cassey

The Australian Olympic team departs Cairns for the Tokyo 2021 Games - Images by Brian Cassey for AAP

Images of Dead People … ‘Lenin’ and ‘Charlie Chaplin’ …

August 12, 2021July 16, 2021

On two occasions over the last couple of weeks have had the pleasure to document ‘dead people’ – two infamous characters from the last century – one a political figure who changed the World … the other a silent film actor who forever changed the film industry.

Of course … I didn’t dig ’em up. Both were highly convincing re-creations by talented Cairns artists.

‘Lenin’ (Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov) survived assassination attempts before dying of a brain haemorrhage in January 1924 (a little before my time 😉).

However, a portrayal of the Marxist and father of the Soviet Union and the Soviet Communist Party by vastly experienced Cairns actor Peter Merrill brought him back from the grave. Peter plays the ’Lenin’ lead in ‘Petrograd Express’ … a new play by Ken Cotterill which opens in Cairns at the Rondo Theatre this month. The title ‘Petrograd Express’ refers to Lenin’s 1917 train journey from exile in Switzerland, across hostile Germany, back to Russia to seize power from the government and declare a ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’. The train journey by the architect of the Bolshevik Revolution set in motion events that forever changed Russia and modern history.

I made this portrait (top) of Lenin/Peter for the local Cairns Post newspaper.

A week later I found myself portraying ‘Charlie Chaplin’ … brought back to life by amazin’ Kuranda performer (and friend) Danny Simony.

Englishman Chaplin … a comic actor, filmmaker and composer during the silent film era … became a World wide icon through his screen persona. A perfectionist … Chaplin wrote, directed, produced, edited, starred in, and composed the music for most of his many films.

My portrait of Charlie/Danny (bottom) was made for the now regular Sunday Mail newspaper feature ‘Larrikins of Queensland’. Danny … also a perfectionist and an exceptional talent at comedy, mime, pick pocketing and more … told the story of how he travelled from his birth place of Paris to Australia via India and Nepal decades ago and then forged a career in Cairns as the cities favourite entertainer and ‘Queensland Larrikin’.

Images © Brian Cassey

Portraits of Dead People - Lenin (Peter Merrill) and 'Charlie Chaplin' (Danny Simony' by Brian Cassey.

Silver and Bronze in Moscow International …

July 18, 2021July 16, 2021

… 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

International Portrait Photographer of the Year … Wow !

June 25, 2021June 25, 2021

Chuffed … ! The results are just in for the inaugural ‘The International Portrait Photographer of the Year’ awards … and two of my images are represented.

‘Bonn Marie – Asking the Question’ (below) has been selected as the winner of Third Place – The Character Study … and, very nicely includes the award of some cash and … rare this days … a trophy to whack in the ‘office’. It will also be showcased TWICE in the accompanying book ‘The Top 101 International Portrait Photographs of the Year’ … firstly in the ‘winners’ section and then in the ‘Top 101’ portraits section.

Also selected in the ‘Top 101’ section of the book is my portrait of Kate Yeoman … ‘Kate – Waiting For Her New Breasts II’ (also below) … a slightly different version of the original newspaper published image. This version has Kate with her eyes closed and I now feel it evokes more emotion than the earlier pic.

‘The Top 101 International Portrait Photographs of the Year’ book will be available in hard cover and as an ebook in the very near future. Will post a link …

Both portraits (or very similar in Kate’s case) have featured in other earlier International and Australian award selections. Check ’em out on my ‘awards’ page here …

Here’s just a few of the other International sites that are featuring this award and my portrait of Bonn Marie …

https://www.diyphotography.net/this-touching-and-trippy-portrait-wins-the-international-portrait-photographer-of-the-year-2021/

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/au/news/stunning-and-evocative-images-celefutbrated-in-new-global-portrait-photo-contest

https://www.dpreview.com/news/9899566132/slideshow-winners-of-the-international-portrait-photographer-of-the-year-awards

https://www.oceanroadmagazine.com.au/winners-of-the-international-portrait-photographer-of-the-year-2021/

Images © Brian Cassey

International Portrait Photographer of the Year - 3rd Place - "Bon Marie - Asking The Question" - The Character Study - by Brian Cassey

International Portrait Photographer of the Year - "Kate - Waiting For Her New Breasts" - The Top 101 Portrait Photographs of the Year 2021 - by Brian Cassey

‘Carol’ Amongst Big Handful at 16th International Pollux Awards …

May 27, 2021May 23, 2021

… was delighted to receive the news that a handful of my images had been recognised across four categories of the International ‘16th Edition Pollux Awards’.

Great News … and wherever you are ‘up there’, Carol Mayer, you’re obviously still touching people ‘down here’ ! My portrait of Carol … “The Skin I’m In” (top below) was selected as the Winner of the ‘Portrait’ category of this years long running Pollux photography awards.

Fitting and timely that Carol’s image is still making a difference and empowering burns survivors months after her so untimely demise to cancer late last year. Also recognised in the ‘Portrait’ category was “Aurukun – Generations” (bottom left) which received an ‘Honourable Mention’.

My work also received TWO ‘Third Place’ awards … “8 Minutes and 46 Seconds” in the ‘Segregation & Human Rights’ category (middle left) … and … “Tomotaro on the Block” in the ‘People’ category (middle right).

Rounding off the five awards was “Kate – Waiting For Her New Breasts” in the ‘Editorial & Current Affairs’ category (bottom right).

All these five images are now eligible to be exhibited physically ‘on the wall’ at the 6^th edition of the Biennial of Fine Art & Documentary Photography to be held in September 2021 at the FotoNostrum Gallery in Barcelona, Spain … and appear in the ‘FotoNostrum’ print and digital magazines.

Sadly … there’s no chance of my attending and seeing the work at the grand opening event and artists ‘gala’ dinner in Barcelona in September … for an obvious variety of reasons.

Images © Brian Cassey @brian_cassey

16th Pollux Awards - International Photography Awards - Winners images by Brian Cassey

‘Paper Tigers’ … on ‘Google Arts & Culture’ …

May 14, 2021May 13, 2021

Delighted to learn that ‘Paper Tigers’ … the compilation of the work of sixty Australian photojournalists curated by myself and Head On Photo Festival director Moshe Rosenvzeig OAM … now has another great published ‘airing’ on the distinguished ‘Google Arts & Culture’ platform (including, of course, my contribution ‘Abdullatif – Beaten Asylum Seeker’ – below – from one of the GA&C pages).

It was a (lengthy) and rewarding pleasure to work with Moshe to collate this project … and wonderful to see it now showing on a new platform amongst significant works from the Worlds leading museums and archives including (but far, far from ‘not only’) MoMa in New York, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and the Tate Britain in London.

‘Paper Tigers – an Anthology of Australian Contemporary Photojournalism’ has already been exhibited to acclaim ‘on the walls’ at the ‘Twenty Twenty Six Gallery’ in Sydney (during last years Head On Photo Festival) and is also available in book form on the Head On website at … https://www.headon.com.au/product/paper-tigers-book … (if it hasn’t already sold out again).

The ‘Paper Tigers’ works can now be found on the ‘Google Arts & Culture’ platform at … https://artsandculture.google.com/search/exhibit…

Thanks to all the contributing PJ’s (some of which I nagged mercilessly) and the amazin’ Head On Photo Festival team.

#headonphotofestival #photojournalismaustralia

‘Abdullatif’ Image … ‘Nikon Walkley Portrait Prize’ Winner 2016 © Brian Cassey

'Paper Tigers' on the Google Arts and Culture site - curated by Brian Cassey and Moshe Rosenvzeig - image by Brian Cassey

‘International Color Awards’ … X Four …

July 10, 2023April 1, 2021

Great to see four of my images recognised in the 14th Edition of the ‘International Color Awards’ announced recently.

Three times ‘Honorable Mentions’ in … (from top) … ‘Photojournalism’ for “8 Minutes and 46 Seconds” … ‘Children of the World’ for “The Kids Of Ali Curung” … and ‘Portrait’ for “Kate – Waiting For Her New Breasts”. The image “Bonn Marie – Asking The Question” (bottom) had to settle for Finalist Nominee in ‘Fine Art’.

It was the first accolades for the first two pics … “8 Minutes and 46 Seconds” – during a ‘Black Lives Matter’ protest in Cairns, US citizen Hermela Bealfan sheds tears as she lies prostrate on the ground for the 8 minutes and 46 seconds that it took police officer Derek Chauvin to kill George Floyd by kneeling on his neck in Minneapolis … and “The Kids of Ali Curung” – a kids welcome to the remote Northern Territory indigenous township of Ali Curung.

The portraits of ‘Kate’ and ‘Bonn’ are better known as they have been mentioned several times in earlier awards … see the ‘Award’ page listings here … https://www.briancasseyphotographer.com/awards/

Gotta be happy with that …

Images © Brian Cassey

14th International Color Awards - Honorable Mention - Photojournalism - "8 Minutes and 46 Seconds" by Brian Cassey

14th International Color Awards - Honorable Mention - Children of the World - "The Kids of Ali Curung" by Brian Cassey

14th International Color Awards - Honorable Mention - Portrait - "Kate - Waiting For Her New Breasts" by Brian Cassey

14th International Color Awards - Finalist Nominee - Fine Art - "Bonn Marie - Asking the Question" by Brian Cassey

Covid-19 & Cairns … Economy in Freefall …

July 31, 2023March 18, 2021

Reliant for a large part on the regular influx of now non-existent International tourists, the year long pandemic has seen Cairns suffering economically disproportionately compared with other parts of Australia.

As the Australian Government initiated JobKeeper support scheme comes to an end this month, Cairns immediate future looks bleak despite a Federal attempt at assistance via subsidised airfares and loans.

It isn’t a ‘pretty’ story for my long term home town … the current situation is dire … but it did mean a nice gig for the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times.

Many of my images made last week were used to illustrate the effects and hardships of the current desperate financial situation in Cairns and district as a result of the total loss of International tourism.

A pic gallery of thirteen of my images ran online (the SMH link is here … https://www.smh.com.au/…/cairns-tourism-on-the-ropes…) … whilst the main story variously in print and online (by Brisbane Times journalist Matt Dennien) was accompanied by more of my pics … here … https://www.smh.com.au/national/queensland/trouble-in-paradise-covid-leaves-a-cloud-hanging-over-the-tropics-20210312-p57a3g

It seems it is going to be a long, long time till Cairns recovers from the body blow caused by the loss of International tourists during the current pandemic and Matt’s story is well worth a read.

Below are just a few of my images the former Fairfax (now ‘Nine’) publications used … from top … a lone swimmer at the Cairns Esplanade Lagoon once crowded with International and Australian tourists … owner of Traveller Oasis backpackers Gabriel Thallon cleans his pool as lone International ‘guest’ Rina Yamauchi takes the sun … the locked and deserted Cairns International Terminal at Cairns Airport … crew of Passions of Paradise reef vessel Phoebe and Kirsty wash the boat down after a day on the GBR with few paying customers … and one of numerous closed businesses in Cairns CBD

Images © Brian Cassey

Covid-19 and the Pandemic in Cairns, Australia ... images by Brian Cassey

The Good News … but … The Saddest News Of All …

May 29, 2021December 23, 2020

I confess … it’s hard to write this one … (but please read on … )

Two women … one young and vibrant … the other a little older but with an immense strength … two very different stories.

The link … apart from a little similarity of pose etc … is that both have just been announced as Winners of Bronze Awards in the Budapest International Foto Awards (BIFA – Hungary). images ©Brian Cassey

The saddest and must unfair news is that Carol (“The Skin I’m In” – first pic) died last weekend at the end of a far too short life full of tragedy, pain and many triumphs of will … on the very day these awards were announced. Carol was severely burnt in a house fire as a young mum. Her family was told she would not survive. Following a year of coma, countless skin grafts and care … survive she did. She made the most of it …

She dedicated the years since the accident to spreading the message to other burns survivors that there is still much to live for and celebrate. Carol’s rationale in allowing me to make personal images of her showing the extent of the burns to her body was part of that ideal. The work … and the positive reaction to the work … gave Carol added confidence to engage in speaking engagements that provided hope to many.

My images of Carol turned up in numerous awards, news articles and TV programs … and there are links to many on my blog pages. Amongst them are … “They Did It … Pics In Space X 3” which tells of Carol’s image (and two others of mine) being sent and projected in ‘Space’ and the resulting feature on the TV program “The Project” . More on the subject here at “Pics in Space’ … Out of This World with ‘Portrait of Humanity” . (The projection of Carol’s pic in ‘space’ and transmitted across the Universe … now seems very fitting.) There are many more and Carol’s images have been a regular occurrence on my ‘Awards Page’.

I spent more time talking to Carol than actually photographing her … she was my friend … myself and the community will sorely miss but never forget her.

… and then we have Bonn Marie … young, vibrant and all red hair, freckles and an innate curiosity with the World. She’s fun, deep and intelligent … and a joy to work with. Couldn’t help but name the second image “Bonn – Asking the Question”.

Somewhat strange that these two pics were recognised together with Bronze Awards … Carol’s in People Portrait and Bonn’s in Fine Art Portrait.

Images © Brian Cassey

Budapest International Foto Awards (BIFA) 2020 - Bronze Award - People Portraits - "The Skin I'm In" by Brian Cassey

Budapest International Foto Awards (BIFA) 2020 - Bronze Award - Fine Art Portraits - "Bonn - Asking The Question" by Brian Cassey

“Paper Tigers” … Being There … and Not Being There …

July 10, 2023November 20, 2020

Only TWO more days (Saturday and Sunday) to see the “Paper Tigers” exhibition … the work of sixty of Australia’s fine photojournalist contingent … on the walls of the ‘Twenty Twenty Six Gallery’ in Bondi, Sydney.

The Head On Photo Festival “Paper Tigers” featured exhibition was a year in the making … and made it’s debut strictly ‘online’ earlier in May this year. Covid postponed the physical exhibition of works … until now.

Each of the sixty contributors supplied images they seemed most appropriate … and Head On’s founder/director Moshe Rosenzveig OAM and myself curated the selections down to a single image from each. The result is a fascinating multi faceted collection of Australian photojournalism from across the decades.

To quote the Head On web site … “The exhibition celebrates photojournalism at a time when the need for truthful journalism has never been more critical and takes us back to critical moments through recent Australian and world history, and the images by which we remember them”.

These are the sixty so talented contributors that made it happen … Alex Coppel, Andrew Chapman, Angela Wylie, Ashley Crowther, Barbara McGrady, Ben Bohane, Brendan Beirne, Brian Cassey, Chris Hopkins, Craig Golding, Craig Greenhill, Darrian Traynor, Dave Tacon, David Dare Parker, David Gray, Dean Lewins, Dean Sewell, Delly Carr, Eddie Safarik, Edwina Pickles, Gerrit Fokkema, Glenn Campbell, Glenn Lockitch, Grant Wells, Helga Salwe, Ilana Rose, Jaime Murcia, Jake Nowakowski, Janie Barrett, Jessica Hromas, John Donegan, John French, Justin McManus, Louise Kennerley, Luis Ascui, Mark Crusty Baker, Martine Perret, Max Mason Hubers, Meredith O’Shea, Merv Bishop, Michael Amendolia, Michael Coyne, Moshe Rosenzveig, Nic Walker, Nick Moir, Nicola Bailey, Noel Butcher, Paul Blackmore, Penny Stephens, Peter Solness, Richard Wainwright, Rick Stevens, Rob Maccoll, Robert McFarlane, Simon O’Dwyer, Stephen Dupont, Sylvia Liber, Tim Page, Tobias Titz and Tracey Nearmy. Thank You All …

Thanks to Covid-19, many could not make it to the exhibition opening last Saturday in Bondi. However, ‘Paper Tigers’ contributor photojournalists Dean Sewell, Ben Bohane, Mark ‘Crusty’ Baker, Tracey Nearmy, Glen Lockitch, Michael Amendolia and, of course, Head On’s Moshe Rosenzveig were present to celebrate … lucky them ! The former curator of photography at The State Library of New South Wales, Alan Davies, was also on hand at the opening to cast his experienced eye over the works.

I was really gutted that I couldn’t make the journey to Bondi myself … and to visit Paddington Reservoir Gardens where my other exhibition “Me Too … Where The Boys Are … The Girls Are” was also ‘on the wall’ as part of the photo festival. Them’s the breaks … but more is in the pipeline for this significant and historic exhibition down the track.

Time is now running out … just two days to take in “Paper Tigers” at ‘Twenty Twenty Six Gallery’ in Bondi … go see it.

NB … For the many that couldn’t (or can’t) make it to the physical exhibition of works on the wall, the “Paper Tigers” book (see bottom image below) is available to order on the Head On Photo Festival web site at … https://www.headon.com.au/product/paper-tigers-book

Image © Brian Cassey … my work ‘Abdullatif’ with Alan Davies and Glen Lockitch – top © Michael Amendolia … gallery panorama © Michael Amendolia … bottom two (including “Paper Tigers” book) © Moshe and the Head On Photo Festival

'Paper Tigers' - Head On exhibition of Australian photojournalism - co-curated by Moshe Rosenzveig & Brian Cassey

'Paper Tigers' exhibition of Australian photojournalism - co-crated by Brian Cassey & Head On's Moshe Rosenzveig

'Paper Tigers' exhibition book - published by Head On Photo Festival - by Moshe Rosenzveig & Brian Cassey

Two Exhibitions in Sydney … (If Only I Could Get There !) …

July 10, 2023November 10, 2020

Moshe Rosenzveig and the crew of the 2020 Head On Photo Festival performed miracles earlier on this year as Covid-19 tightened it’s grip on Australia and the planet. They transformed a massive ‘venue’ based photography festival into the World’s first ‘On Line’ photo festival in a matter of just a few short weeks … and opened on time in the first weeks of May. The ‘On Line’ awards, artist talks, photography workshops and panel talks were aired on screens to thousands watching and listening around the planet and across Australia. An amazing effort …

With gallery spaces ‘out of bounds’ due to Covid the more traditional (and aesthetically more pleasing) ‘photographs on walls’ exhibitions reluctantly had to be put on ‘hold’.

I had two involvements in this years Head On ‘On Line’ photo festival … a personal exhibition “Me Too … Where The Boys Are … The Girls Are” (a photo essay on the performance of male strippers and their female audience) … and the co-curation (with Moshe Rosenzveig) of a project close to the heart … “Paper Tigers” … a collection of the work by sixty of Australia’s finest photojournalists. Both received large views on-line.

Now six months later, as Covid cases thankfully take a massive dive, these two exhibitions and work by many others are showing physically ‘on the walls’ (and fences) in numerous galleries and at venues around Sydney. Brilliant … and astonishing work by Head On !

Very sadly … I can’t ‘B’ well get there ! My Queensland Premier has stood fast to her decision that the borders between the Sunshine State and Sydney will remain firmly shut till (extremely annoyingly) at least the first of December … just days after these exhibitions close. The way of the World in 2020 … but I’m still gutted …

My exhibition “Me Too … Where The Boys Are … The Girls Are” opened yesterday on the wall at the fabulously atmospheric venue of the Paddington Reservoir Gardens … and runs there alongside four other great exhibits until the 29th of November. Photographer colleague, mate and gentleman Michael Amendolia went out of his way to lessen the blow of not ‘being there’ by sending me a raft of images of my exhibition in place (below). Thanks Michael !

The “Paper Tigers” exhibition (and the launch of the “Paper Tigers” book) opens at the new ‘Twenty Twenty Six Gallery’ in Bondi tomorrow … with an official opening this Saturday afternoon. Many of my Sydney based colleagues will be attending (lucky them) … whilst us interstate contributors will have to be patient until further opportunities eventuate down the track.

There will be more on ‘Paper Tigers’ … how it came about, what it contains and why it is important … a little later when I receive some images from colleagues who get to attend the gallery …

In the meantime … Paul Neeson from Sydney radio station East Side FM and I had an ‘on air’ chat about my work and both these exhibitions and the Head On Photo Festival in general. It runs for just over twenty one minutes and can be listened to here below. There is also an online text story on “Me Too … Where The Boys Are … The Girls Are” here.

Damn that bloody virus !

Images © Brian Cassey (two pics from “Me Too … “Where The Boys Are … The Girls Are” and my “Paper Tigers” image “Abdullatif” … & … Michael Amendolia (top 2 General Exhibition pics)

Head On Photofestival 2020 - Paddington Reservoir Gardens - "Me Too - Where The Boys Are ... The Girls Are" - exhibition of work by Brian Cassey

Head On Photofestival 2020 - Twenty Twenty Six Gallery - Bondi - "Paper Tigers" - exhibition of work by 60 Australian photojournalists co-curated by Brian Cassey

‘Kate’ … The Good News Continues …

November 12, 2020November 5, 2020

The best news is … Kate … who has been waiting over eight years for breast reconstruction following a double mastectomy … is now well on the way to having her ‘assets’ back.

Following the publication of my pic (below) on page 1 of the Sunday Mail with a story about insane Queensland hospital waiting lists, Kate Yeoman and dozens of other Queensland women had their long awaited surgeries ‘expedited’ at the direction of State Premier Annastacia Pałaszczuk and Health Minister Dr Steven Miles. Covid-19 caused a little hiccup and further delays … but Kate has now had several of her set of reconstructive breast surgeries.

Recently I had the pleasure of making some more images of a fit and fabulous Kate which will feature with an update to her story in this weekends The Sunday Mail (weekend of 7th-8th November).

(Stop Press -1 ! Below is a grab of the double page Sunday Mail spread featuring Kate’s story and my images published the weekend of the 7th-8th November.)

The other piece of ‘Kate’ news is that my image “Kate – Waiting For Her New Breasts” has been awarded a further accolade to add to a growing list. The pic has just been awarded an ‘Honorable Mention’ in the ‘Editorial – Contemporary Issues’ category of the 2020 ‘International Photography Awards’ (IPA). Thanks IPA ! (Image below)

Previously the work has also been recognised in … the 2020 ‘Moscow International Foto Awards’ (MIFA – Honorable Mention – Portrait) … the 2020 ‘Clarion Awards’ (Finalist – Best News Photograph) … and the 2020 ‘Percival Photographic Portrait Prize’ (Finalist).

(Stop Press -2 ! Just learnt the news the the image “Kate – Waiting For Her New Breasts” has managed another ‘gong’. It has been selected as an ‘Honorable Mention’ in the 2020 International “Black & White Spider Awards” in the ‘Portrait’ category.)

International Photography Awards (IPA) - Honorable Mention - Editorial Contemporary Issues - 'Kate - Waiting For Her New Breasts' - image by Brian Cassey

Sunday Mail - Kate Yeoman - Breast Reconstruction Story - images by Brian Cassey

Urandangi … Twelve Years On …

July 31, 2023October 26, 2020

Way back in 2008 (unbelievable !) myself and journo Peter Michael travelled ‘out west’ to the tiny little outback hamlet of Urandangi on the Queensland / Northern Territory border. It was something of an eye opener.

The Mail Online contacted me recently after seeing my Instagram post of a Urandangi image selected from my archive. Their plan was to feature my 2008 images and update the story on the ‘forgotten’ settlement. It has now been published (25th October 2020) at … https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8821909/

The article leads with my pics of Urandangi local Mark Webb, his wife and seven children, who then were existing in a battered leaky caravan with no power or ‘facilities’. One of the comments Mark made at the time was “We are out of sight, out of mind, and no one cares”. They were not on their own … most residents were living in similar circumstances in dysfunctional caravans or makeshift iron and timber ‘humpies’ with no running water, power or sanitation.

The Mail story and pics then moves to the role of Pam Forster in the community. When I visited twelve years ago Pam had just taken over as publican of the ‘Urandangi Hotel’ … the ‘Dangi Pub’. Fast forward to today and she is still there at the pub (the only substantial building) where she operates all the business in town … watering hole (literally), CentreLink office, store, petrol station, post office, flying doctor agent … and more. Now seventy years old she has become a local legend and mentor to the entire community.

Much has improved since 2008 … some things havn’t … and it is all documented in the Daily Mail article here. (My work was originally published (2008) in the Courier Mail here.)

Below I have posted six of my seventeen images that appear in the new Mail Online article … jump to the link to see more here and read the text. (n.b … six of the images were part of my portfolio that won ‘Best Photo Essay’, Queensland Media Awards 2008. Also, the pic of the small child on the road graces the cover of my book ‘To Be Indigenous’ which can be found here at … https://www.briancasseyphotographer.com/books/

Images © Brian Cassey 2008 … from top … Mark Webb’s family camp, a child at play at Urandangi, Pam Forster just after she took over the ‘Dangi Pub’, the town ‘drunk tank’, Norm and Mavis Wilde at their wrecked van home, local Sonny Mick at his ‘humpy’.

Urandangi Queensland Australia - forgotten indigenous community - pics by Brian Cassey

Urandangi Queensland Australia - forgotten indigenous community - - publican Pam Forster - pics by Brian Cassey

Urandangi Queensland Australia - forgotten indigenous community - the 'Drunk Tank' - pics by Brian Cassey

Urandangi Queensland Australia - forgotten indigenous community - the 'Drunk Tank' - pics by Brian Cassey - local Sonny Mick at his 'humpy'

… They Did It ! Pics in Space X 3 …

October 7, 2020

… PICS IN SPACE! … They did it (and included THREE of my portraits !)
Released overnight as promised by the British Journal of Photography (1854 Media) with the help of ‘Sent Into Space‘ … the film of the ‘Portrait of Humanity’ (2019 & 2020 projects) shortlisted images and their screening twenty four and a half miles ABOVE the planet in the stratosphere with the backdrop of space.

VERY pleased to have three portraits screened … ‘Aurukun – Generations’ (selected in the 2019 POH), ‘The Skin I’m In’ and ‘Ramnami’ (both selected in the 2020 POH) … as planet Earth rotates in the blackness of space. All the photographs were also transmitted out across the Universe and beyond as binary files … just in case there is anyone/anything ‘out there’ wondering about life on our little blue planet .

Here is a short video of my three portraits ‘in space’ with a few introductory pars from ‘Portraits of Humanity’ on broadcasting a message of peace and unity from humankind onto, well … infinity.
You can watch the entire 42 minute film of the exhibition of 400 images as the earth turns below … and how they did it … here … https://access.bjpsubs.com/portrait-of-humanity-sent-into-space/

Covid, Adani, Global Climate Catastrophe … CNN and Me …

September 27, 2020September 26, 2020

… great to be part of a massive Covid-19 story of global importance just published on CNN.

The story entitled ‘The One Chance We Have’ delves into the story of how … during the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent confusion and devastation of the global economy … fossil fuel producing countries are injecting taxpayer money into propping up polluting industries that are hastening an earlier climate catastrophe.

The story uses vignettes from four fossil fuel producing countries … Canada, Poland, Australia and India … to substantiate the premise that ‘The pandemic gave the world a golden opportunity to fix the climate crisis. We’re about to waste it.’

My work appears in the ‘India’ segment … and comprises six of the images I made just on a year ago in Chhattisgarh … set amongst a lengthy story (somewhat based on my original words but ‘updated’) on the destruction of the Hasdeo Arand forest and the Gond tribal population by Indian mining giant Adani hand in hand with Modi’s government.

My images and words from Chhattisgarh have previously been published in The Guardian (here and here), in Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera (here) and elsewhere. Very gratifying to see the work picked up again.

I must stress that this current story on CNN is a great and incredibly important piece of journalism and is well worth a look (at the images) and a good long read. Please do … there is far too much in the story to go into here and the implications for the future of the planet are chilling.

I’m joined pictorially in the piece (in the ‘Australian’ section of the story) by Aussie based colleagues David Maurice Smith and Matthew Abbott. Hi Guys !

Thanks CNN for the important story and for using my work to help illustrate it. Thanks yet again to my fixer/friend Srienivas Akella from Mumbai … brilliant travelling with you.

CNN story 'The One Chance We Have' on Covid-19 pandemic hastening a global climate catastrophe - images by Brian Cassey

The Portrait Photographers of Trinity Bay High School …

July 31, 2023September 14, 2020

A pleasure once again to be faced with the task of judging the work of the extraordinary visual arts students at Trinity Bay High School in their annual photographic portrait prize. This is the fifth year I’ve had the privilege of being the arbiter of their collective efforts at portraiture. Would have to say that this years overall collection well exceeds the standards of the previous four years.

Although slightly down on numbers from last year (not surprisingly during a year when their school curriculum has been adversely impacted by Covid-19) approximately fifty portrait prints lined the walls at the Trinity Bay school.

Standout ‘Best in Show’ winner was a somewhat controversial exceptional image entitled ‘Dysthymia’ by grade 12 student Kayla Allan of her sister Keira. I must confess that that I was unfamiliar with the term ‘Dysthymia’ and had to look it up.

A form of clinical depression, dysthymia is from the Greek word meaning “bad state of mind” or “ill humour”. Symptoms include depressed mood, disturbed sleep, low energy, poor concentration, poor appetite, low self-esteem, and hopelessness.

Once seen, the image (top – below) doesn’t let you go … the irresistible eyes follow you around … and it vividly tells ‘a story’ commensurate with it’s title. I won’t forget the work … or the meaning of the word ‘Dysthymia’.

Kayla deservedly received a Nikon DSLR camera for her work courtesy of sponsor Garricks Camera House.

The Seniors Prize (for grades 11 and 12) went to Kelli Baker (grade 11) for an eerie self portrait ‘A Watery Veil’ (below – second from top). The Juniors Prize (grades 7 to 10) I awarded to Sam Williams (grade 10) for his equally atmospheric portrait entitled ‘Isolation’ of his mum Kylie (third row – right). Each were awarded vouchers to spend on photo kit at Garricks.

Also handed out several well deserved ‘Highly Commended’ awards to Juniors … Shaun McIntyre (grade 10) for ‘Thoughts’ of subject Layla Johnson (pensively looking remarkably like a young actress Genna Davis – below – bottom), Imogen Toohey (grade 7) for an ‘Untitled’ work … and Seniors … Madison Robinson (grade 11) for ‘Expectations’ (below – third row left), Chantelle Nolan (grade 12) for ‘Behind’ and Hanna Browning (grade 11) for ‘Secluded Minds’. (NB – My apologies to Hanna, Chantelle and Imogen – unable to present your work here due to ‘space’ issues.)

The visual arts teachers at Trinity Bay also deserve their own award for fostering these photographic talents amongst their student numbers. Again, a distinct pleasure to be involved.

Links to previous years winners and works can be found here … 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016.

Images © the Artists … from top … Kayla Allan, Kelli Baker, Madison Robinson (left), Sam Willams (right), Shaun McIntyre.

Trinity Bay High School Photographic Portrait Prize - Winner Kayla Allan - judged by Brian Cassey

Trinity Bay High School Photographic Portrait Prize - Winner Kelli Baker - judged by Brian Cassey

Trinity Bay High School Photographic Portrait Prize - Winners Madison Robinson & Sam Williams - judged by Brian Cassey

Trinity Bay High School Photographic Portrait Prize - Winner Shaun McIntyre - judged by Brian Cassey