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
‘Kate’ … The Good News Continues …
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.)
Image © Brian Cassey