| Brian Cassey Photographer Cairns Australia

Dodho Published Again … & Looking Good at the Percival’s …

July 21, 2024

Nice chunky parcel dropped into my PO box this week. Inside was the Dodho Magazines hard cover book of the works selected as Finalists in the 2024 Dodo Portrait Prize. A really nice publication and collection …

So pleased to find that my image of Kuranda based artist Peter “Potter” Thompson (top) looking great across a whole page. If anyone deserves the recognition it’s Peter and the image title … “Do Not Resuscitate – Peter ‘Potter’ Thompson” … may give a clue to why.

A Master Ceramicist, Peter ‘Potter’ Thompson has been working the kilns in the Kuranda rainforest studio that he has called home for over fifty years. Peter – amongst Australia’s most accomplished practitioners of wood-fired kiln pottery – is something of a miracle having survived three heart attacks over his career producing imaginative Asian/Taoist inspired works that have graced galleries far and wide. On his pace maker heart chest is tattooed ’N F Resuscitare’ (‘Do Not Resuscitate’) and his blood group – a testament to his dry sense of humour.

This image of Peter has also been recognised in the 2024 Tokyo International Foto Awards (TIFA), the 2023 Pollux International Awards and Australia’s Capture Awards. Thanks Peter !

Recently I also visited the Perc Tucker Gallery in Townsville where three of my other images graced the walls in the Percival Photographic Portrait Prize … “George at the Bus Stop – Dr George Skeene OAM”, “Last of the Trochus Divers – Albert ‘Boyo’ Ware” and “100 Years & 3 Weeks – Alf Neal OAM” (see the other two pics below). The Townsville council host a fabulous show of portrait photography which is accompanied by the works of artists who prefer to use paints … The Percival Portrait Prize. Both shows are worth some time exploring and are open until September 1st.

Images © Brian Cassey

Dodho Photo Books … & Bonn …

March 21, 2024March 21, 2024

… always a pleasure when a Dodho Magazine photo book drops into the old post office box (not literally … they are too big !)

Recently Dodho’s latest volume “Fine Art – Best Photographers of 2023” arrived … and therein gracing a prominent whole page was arguably one of my favourite images … “Bonn Marie – Asking the Question”. The portrait of Cairns girl Bonn Marie has been selected in the ‘Top 25’ of images in the latest Dodho Fine Art Awards … very pleased with that …

The large (12″ X 12″ – 30cm X 30cm) hardcover books are beautifully designed and produced and each contains wonderful work from photographers from around the planet. ‘Fine Art’ is now sitting on my bookshelves next to my other Dodho books ‘Portrait’ (with my image “100 Years & 3 Weeks – Alf Neal OAM” inside … also selected in Best 25) … and ‘Colors’ (with my portrait “George Craig – Crocodile Hunter” therein).

Bonn has been an absolute pleasure the other side of the camera. ‘Asking the Question’ has been recognised now in several awards … likely the most prestigious being the winner of 3rd Place in the “International Portrait Photographer of the Year” awards.

Back in December another of my Bonn portraits … “Marilyn Monroe – 60 Years On – by Bonn” … received attention with an ‘Honourable Mention’ in the Fine Art category of the “Budapest International Foto Awards” (BIFA). You can see this work and find more details of how and why that image came about here …

BIG Thanks Bonn, for your patience and professionalism !

If you are inclined … you can grab Dodho’s ‘Fine Art’ book here , ‘Colors’ here … and the ‘Portrait’ book here

Image of Bonn © Brian Cassey

Budapest, Dodho & Capture Awards … early Xmas Pressies …

January 13, 2024December 27, 2023

… 3 nice early Chrissie presents … from ‘Budapest International Foto Awards’ (BIFA), ‘Dodho Color Awards’ and Capture Magazines inaugural ‘Capture Awards’ … with four different images featuring.

Most pleasing for me was a first recognition for an image I’m rather fond of … and frankly rather different from my usual ‘stuff’ … entitled “Marilyn Monroe – 60 Years on – By Bonn” (top).

‘Marilyn’ was selected as an Honorable Mention in the Fine Art category of the Budapest International … and I’m very happy with that. I’m pretty sure that my subject Bonn Marie will be happy with that too … she did an admirable job of channeling the 50’s and early 60’s sex goddess … fabulous Bonn ! Thanks … and to Sue Kim too for her great nostalgic make up and hair magic.

I’ll try and keep it concise … but the catalyst for creating the image was the 60th anniversary of Marilyn’s (arguably the planet’s greatest ever sex symbol) untimely death in 1962 at the age of just 36. The idea was to mirror one of the works of US photographer Tom Kelley who had the enviable task of shooting Marilyn’s infamous ‘red velvet’ set in 1949 before her acting career took off (when she had red hair pre the ‘blond bombshell’ era). Strangely Tom’s image didn’t receive lavish attention until Hugh Hefner selected it for the first centrefold in the first ever edition of Playboy Magazine in 1953!

The original is a truly iconic (in the real sense of the word) photograph and played a key role in shaping 20th century history, spawning a redefinition of female sexuality and a sexual revolution.

I like to think that Bonn and I did the original work justice. (Fine Art or not … it’s a real shame that this work is unacceptable on social media and its use would lead to a ban … go figure!)

“100 Years & 3 Weeks – Alf Neal OAM” also scored an Honourable Mention in the BIFA Portrait category … to add to a growing list of recognitions. Still miss you Alf.

By the way … it would be remiss of me not to mention that Cairns colleague and Hungarian born friend Emese Gyalog also featured in the Budapest awards, winning a Bronze Award and a Honorable Mention for her work. Excellent …

My pic of Green Island croc legend “George Craig – Crocodile Hunter” featured in the second edition Dodho Magazine Color Awards … and was awarded with a whole page (third from top) in a quite beautifully produced collection of photography … the Dodho large format hard cover book of the awards best images entitled ‘Color – Best Photographers of 2023’ (third and fourth pics). Dodho really know how to produce wonderful polished photography books!

Last but certainly not least … “100 Years & 3 Weeks – Alf Neal OAM” was also selected in the ‘Top Ten Portraits’ of the inaugural Capture Magazine “Capture Awards” … and features amongst the winners in the current Summer 24 print edition of Australia’s premier pro photography magazine. A bit of cream on top was also the selection in the top twenty ‘Portraits’ list of my portrait “Do Not Resuscitate – Peter ‘Potter’ Thompson” of the Kuranda master potter (bottom image).

All have been updated to my ‘Awards’ listings page at … https://www.briancasseyphotographer.com/awards/

A very nice way to finish 2023 … Many Thanks to all involved … and have a great ’24 !