415,000 Entries … 200+ countries … Sony World Photography …

Yes … you’ve likely seen this work before 🙂 (as recently as my last post here … sorry) … BUT … what IS new is that “Mother Africa – Aurora” has been selected (announced yesterday) in the ‘Shortlist’ of just fourteen images in the 2023 Sony World Photography Awards for ‘Portraiture’. When you consider that this years Sony World wide awards attracted approximately four hundred and fifteen thousand entries from over two hundred countries, you’ll maybe understand why I’m pretty ‘chuffed’ and grateful that I can now show it again here in this context !

The fourteen short listed Open works in ‘Portraiture’ emanated from photographers around the planet  …  Denmark, the Philippines, Slovakia, USA, Angola, New Zealand, Australia, Nigeria (2), Poland (2) and the UK (3) … (see complete list below). (You may notice that, unusually, Sony decided to put myself and my work in the UK column (place of birth) rather than the more common place of residence column (Aus) … very nice to be British again 😉 )

The Winners and short listed works from this years awards … arguably the Worlds largest and most prestigious … will be published as a collection in a hard cover book ‘Sony World Photography Awards 2023’, … whilst Winning and shortlisted images will be exhibited as part of the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at beautiful Somerset House in my old home town London from April 14 – May 1, 2023. (Hope my UK family can make it 😉 ).

“Mother Africa” was also short listed this month in “Portrait of Humanity” … a planet wide award and collection of photographic portraiture by the “British Journal of Photography” … and has also received major attention in several other International and Australian awards.

(NB … SO grateful to my subject, delightful African American Australian based Aurora Coulter … Thanks again ‘Rora’ !)

Image © Brian Cassey

Sony World Photography Awards 2023 - "Mother Africa - Aurora" by Brian Cassey Shortlisted in Open Portraiture ©.
Sony World Photography Awards 2023 - "Mother Africa - Aurora" by Brian Cassey Shortlisted in Open Portraiture ©.

Vol.5 … Portrait of Humanity

Very pleased with the announcement last eve … “Mother Africa” selected in the prestigious International “Portrait of Humanity 2023” awards ‘Shortlist’.   (Have known for a little while that the work “Mother Africa” featuring Aurora Coulter (below) was ‘Shortlisted’ but was sworn to secrecy till yesterdays official ‘announcement.)

Now in it’s 5th ‘edition’ and organised by the venerable highly respected British Journal of Photography 1854 … Portrait of Humanity has fast become one of the most select, yet largest, collections of contemporary portrait photography on the planet. 

“Mother Africa” will be amongst the other short listed works published in the “Portrait of Humanity 2023” hard cover book published by Hoxton Mini Press.

I was also stoked to be ’shortlisted’ in the first, second and fourth editions of POH over past years. First and second edition winning portraits … “Aurukun – Generations”, “Ramnami” and “The Skin I’m In” were exhibited ‘in space’ above the planet by Portrait of Humanity in a very creative exercise. Last year’s selected work in edition four was “Covid Vax & Ice Cream “ … a portrait of Leanna Bulmer after her Covid vaccination at Yarrabah. 

Many Thanks once again must go to my talented and delightful subject Aurora … making the picture was an emotional moment in our friend Marc’s ‘studio shed’ and Aurora really made it ‘work’.

The image is certainly racking up a nice little ‘collection’ 🙂 … check out previous recognitions for “Mother Africa” on my ‘Awards’ page at … www.briancasseyphotographer.com/awards .

 Image © Brian Cassey @brian_cassey @bjp1854 @portrait_of_humanity @1854_PoH @The British Journal of Photography

"Portrait of Humanity 2023" - Shortlisted and published in Portrait of Humanity 2023 by Hoxton Mini Press - "Mother Africa - Aurora" - Image by Brian Cassey

Portrait of Humanity … Covid, Leanne & Ice Cream …

Stoked to once again be selected on the ‘Shortlist’ of the prestigious “Portrait of Humanity”.

The 2022 edition of the “Portrait of Humanity” awards have just been announced … and I’ve been buzzing about this for some time but was sworn to secrecy until Thursdays official ‘announcement’. … so pleased to be ’Shortlisted’ again for the International POH awards with my work “Covid Vax & Ice Cream” .

Now in it’s 4th ‘edition’ and organised by the British Journal of Photography, 1854 and Magnum … “Portrait of Humanity” has fast become one of the most select collections of portrait photography on the planet. 

The image of Leanne with her ice cream was made after she received a Covid Pfizer vaccination in her home from a team of roaming ‘door to door’ doctors and medical staff … followed by a pink ice cream van (complete with musical ‘Green Sleeves’ tones) dispensing free ice cream to the newly vaxed and the communities numerous children.

The portrait will be amongst the other short listed works published in the “Portrait of Humanity 2022” hard cover book printed by Hoxton Mini Press.

I was also stoked to be ’short listed’ in the first and second editions of POH a few years back and three of my winning portraits … “Aurukun – Generations”, “Ramnami” and “The Skin I’m In” where exhibited in the stratosphere above the planet and then digitally transmitted through the unending vastness of space, as a result.

My photo of Leanne and her ice cream was published in The Australian newspaper in October 2021 and further images of the home vaccination program were used on their Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/p/CU_0dItvoAX/ .

Thanks to my (almost) unwitting subject Leanne at Yarrabah, who I’m sure will be as pleased as I am when she finds out ;-).

… and all absolutely nothin’ to do with the Easter Bunny 😉

Below – “Covid Vax & Ice Cream” © Image by Brian Cassey

… They Did It ! Pics in Space X 3 …

… 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/

Images X 3 © Brian Cassey, film © Portrait of Humanity & 1854 Media