CLIP, Rural Press and Head On …
A hectic but rewarding three days this week … although the majority involved sitting on various aircraft.
On Wednesday I was kindly invited to luncheon in Brisbane by the Rural Press Club of Queensland … and very pleasant it was too. At the Tattersall’s Club function Rural Press announced the winners of the their annual media awards and I was most pleased to receive three awards for best ‘People’ photograph, best ‘Production’ photograph and … most pleasing … the overall ‘Excellence in Rural Photography Award’. The two winning images involved were ‘Beef Farmers’ in the ‘People’ and ‘Overall’ categories (made of a lovely elderly cattle farming couple at the Daintree) and ‘Banana Farmer’ (of a banana farmer at his tiny road side stall at the time when Panama disease race 4 was discovered locally). Both pics are posted below.
The afternoon was made even more special when my Courier Mail wordsmith colleague Michael Madigan took out the main journalism prize on offer … and we joined in much mutual back slapping and a long celebration.
Thursday … another plane … this time to Perth for the ‘CLIP (Contemporary Landscapes in Photography) Awards’ and exhibition opening at the beautiful Perth Centre for Photography.
Was wrapped with the selection of my work ‘Number 55’ as a finalist in an award that describes itself as ‘an internationally recognised photographic prize for new perspectives in natural and urban landscape photography’. My first real ‘Landscape’ photography recognition.
The gallery space was full of charm and character, the exhibited works indeed diverse and challenging … and I was pleased as punch to see ‘Number 55’ hanging amongst such an excellent collection of images. The home of photography in Perth also boasts a beautiful garden area where the bar was doing a roaring trade. Mike Gray took out the main prize with his image ‘Backyard Bag Study ‘, with Matt Abbott awarded the second prize for his great work ‘Dogs’. An extremely pleasant evening of great landscape photography at an excellent venue. If you are in Perth the exhibition runs till April 17th.
Below is a pic of part of the CLIP exhibition featuring my piece ‘Number 55’ on the wall – very nicely printed and mounted by Perth’s Fitzgerald Photo.
The one event I couldn’t quite squeeze into the schedule was the opening in Sydney on Wednesday eve of the ‘Head On Portrait Prize In Retrospect‘ exhibition as part of Art Month Sydney. The exhibition includes my previous portrait prize Finalist work ‘Disko Meri’.
Finally … this post is being strung together Friday on the long haul from Perth back to Cairns.
Images below © Brian Cassey – Rural Press Winners “Beef Farmers’ and ‘Banana Farmer’ … and CLIP Finalist ‘Number 55’ at the Perth Centre for Photography.
‘The Mountain of Death’ … at the Moran Prize …
It wasn’t the image that I would have anticipated to make the ‘Finalist’ selection of Australia’s richest photographic prize … (‘landscape’ isn’t my usual ‘thing’) … but … Thanks Moran … a loverly surprise and I’m more than happy to accept it 🙂 .
“Rain Over Black Mountain” was last week selected (from a field of over three thousand) as one of thirty ‘Finalist’ images to be exhibited in the Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize 2019 at Juniper Hall, Paddington, Sydney … and vie for the first prize winners purse of $50K.
The image was made during a short late afternoon Cessna Caravan flight last May from Cairns to Cooktown on my way to a work assignment for Good to Great Schools in Hopevale. Black Mountain … known to Aborigines as “Kalkajaka” or loosely translated “Mountain of Death” … lies just south of the Cooktown township. (I toyed with a title for the image as “Rain Over the Mountain of Death” but that seemed somewhat overly dramatic 🙂 ).
A local aboriginal belief is that the black granite monolith is the result of the explosion when a chameleon like medicine man who had a taste for human flesh was struck by lightning leaving a massive pile of charred black rock. Aboriginals, apparently, don’t go there amid fears that those who do will not return … and there is evidence to support their apprehensions. It is said that the mountain has swallowed up prospectors, criminals on the run, policemen, native hikers, an entire Aboriginal tribe and a herd of cattle … and there are old records that seem to confirm some of those incidents. Whatever the truth Black Mountain is a dark foreboding place.
“Rain Over Black Mountain” was one of two images entered into this years Moran … and my fourth time as a Moran prize finalist. I initially thought my second entered work this year … “Tomotaro on the Block” … was more of a finals contender but it only made it as far as the semi finalist selection. However, in retrospect and despite being made in Cairns, it may be said that ‘Tomotaro on the Block” does lack some ‘Australian-ness-ness’ in an award that celebrates what it is that is ‘quintessentially Australian’. (‘Tomotaro’ has already picked up it’s fair share of accolades … here, here & here.)
The Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize exhibition runs from the 4th May to 2nd June (as part of the ‘Head On Photo Festival’) … with the winners announcement and exhibition ‘opening’ on the 7th May. Expecting a great eve and an excellent opportunity to catch up with several friends/colleagues who have also been selected in the ‘Finalist’ mix. ( #MoranPrizes )
Image © Brian Cassey