A Portrait ‘Treble’ at the Australian Photography Awards …

At the risk of sounding monotonous and repetitive … my apologies for once again featuring these three of my portrait images … but …

… all three have just been selected as ‘Honourable Mention’ Finalists in the Portrait category of the 2019 ‘Australian Photography Awards’ … pretty gratified with that.

Each of the three images have been really good for me … previously and variously being ‘mentioned in dispatches’ in the ‘Portrait of Humanity 2019’, ‘Moscow International Foto Awards’, ‘Tokyo International Foto Awards’, ‘Head On Portrait Prize’, ’12th International Color Awards’ … and the soon to be officially opened ‘Fremantle International Portrait Prize’ and  ‘IRIS Portrait Prize’ in Western Australia.

Below are the three … “Generations Aurukun” featuring Aurukun elders Silas and Rebecca Wolmby with their twin great grand children … “Tomotaro on the Block’ of Japanese paralympic swimmer Tomotaro Nakamura at the 2018 Pan Pacific Para Games in Cairns … and “Victim of Sorcery – Dorcas” of ‘Sanguma’ (sorcery) victim Dorcas Numbi Nunugi recovering from a near fatal attack at a ‘safe house’ in Goroka, Papua New Guinea.

The ‘Australian Photography Awards’ exhibition opens at Sun Studios Melbourne on October 12th and runs until October 20th. Sadly, will miss the opening as have already committed to the ‘FIPP’ exhibition event in Fremantle on the same day.

Promise that I’ll soon shut up about these three pics … and concentrate on producing some new work 😉 .

Images © Brian Cassey

 

Three Honourable Mentions in Portrait Category of the Australian Photography Awards 2019 by Brian Cassey

Portrait of Humanity …

… very, very, very pleased to learn that one of my lesser known images has been selected for the ‘Shortlist’ of the massive and prestigious “Portrait of Humanity” World Wide portrait photography project and exhibition … and will be published in the hard cover book collection of the same name.

The grand stated aim of “Portrait of Humanity” … a collaboration between Magnum Photos and 1854 Media (the publishers of the ‘British Journal of Photography’) … is to “create one of the greatest collaborative photography exhibitions in history”. The 200 short listed images from all around the planet were chosen for their “expressions of individuality, community and unity”.

Photographers were initially asked to document “the universal expressions of life … laughter, courage, moments of reflection, journeys to work, first hellos, last goodbyes, and everything in between.” Tens of thousands of submissions came from every corner of the globe.

In news released this week “Portraits of Humanity” said that “Together the winning and shortlisted images create a powerful and diverse Portrait of Humanity. Fifty photographs will tour the world as part as an exhibition and 200 images will be featured soon in a 322 page volume published by Hoxton Mini Press”. (My image graces page 272.)

(Sadly there was only one other Australian based photographer amongst the two hundred selected … indigenous photographer Wayne Quilliam with his image from the Tiwi Islands.)

The selection of my work … of Aurukun indigenous elders Silas and Rebecca Wolmby with their twin great grand children Shalona and Keola and entitled “Generations” … was a very pleasant surprise.

I’ve photographed Silas and Rebecca in Aurukun many times over the decades … they have always been wonderfully polite and obliging and they were a voice of sanity in their ‘unsettled’ remote Cape York community. Sadly Silas died recently and Shalona and Keola will be unlikely to grow up with a memory of their respected great grandfather.

As a ‘short lister’ I receive a copy of the “Portrait of Humanity” book filled with truly wonderful portraiture. If you wish to invest in this great collection you can do so here at the Hoxton Mini Press web site.

Image of Silas and Rebecca (top) ©Brian Cassey … and book publication (below … mine is on the left page 🙂 ) is ©1854 Media & Hoxton Mini Press

"Portraits of Humanity" - International Portrait Photography Project 2019 - Aurukun elders Silas and Rebecca Wolmby with their great grand children Shalona and Keola Wolmby - Image by Brian Cassey, Cairns
"Portraits of Humanity" - International Portrait Photography Project 2019 - Aurukun elders Silas and Rebecca Wolmby with their great grand children Shalona and Keola Wolmby - Image by Brian Cassey, Cairns