Posts in category: Awards

The 2017 AIPP Queensland Epson Professional Photography Awards were as exciting and amazing as always. I judged for the second year, spending time on the panel in the Landscape, Portrait and Wedding categories judging with some industry heavyweights and getting to view some really amazing images. This year I submitted four images for judging, all in the Illustrative category. The goal was to get all four over the line to a Silver award – with the high standard of entries in the Professional Practice range, four Silvers is a challenging but achievable goal. Very pleased that all four of them made it over the line!

Giant surprise #1: Two of the images managed a coveted Gold Award. A few years ago, a Gold award was something that I hoped I might get once in my life, so my mind is blown that two images would fall in to that category at one time. Print Handlers (which has made an appearance at APPA, and WPPI) just snuck over the line with a 90, thanks to a challenge from NZ judge Kaye Davis. One of the new prints managed a score of 94 after the most amazing, heartfelt challenge from Mark Rossetto – a very solid gold!

 

At the end of judging, my prints managed one Silver, one Silver with Distinction, and two Golds!

Giant surprise #2: At the presentation dinner, I was awarded the 2017 AIPP Queensland Epson Professional Illustrative Photographer of the Year award! Congratulations also to the two other finalists, Charmaine Heyer and Jan Ramsay, both of whom are incredible artists. Also a great pleasure to be given the award by Sara McKenna, the current President of AIPP Queensland, an award-winning photographer, and a good friend. Sara has been amazingly supportive since this whole crazy awards journey has started for me, and it was fantastic to have her present the award!

 

Last time I was standing amongst the category winners, I couldn’t believe I was there with such a group of rockstar photographers. Now I am chuffed to call many of them friends. Congrats to all of the category winners, including friends Andrea Thompson, Foroogh Yavari and Selena Rollason. It was also an immense pleasure to be up at the podium during the night to present the Emerging Photographer of the Year award to good friend Shane McCaffery.

Normally I like to keep images under wraps until the national awards, but… they’re out and about now, along with all of the category winners’ images, at the 2017 QEPPA Gallery. Or you can check them out below! I’m going to hold off on the normal blog entries about these until after the nationals… I do have an entry coming for Print Handlers, but I’ll leave that for another day!

[pp_gallery id=”4372″]Congratulations to all of the category finalists and winners, to the talented and very nice Ken Drake who took out the overall Photographer of the Year award, and to everyone who entered – it is very brave to put your prints out there to be judged!

The biggest of thank-yous to my family Wanda Bailey and Tara. Wanda, you support me 100% of the way, and have a hand in everything (more than you know!). I love you heaps. (#everybodyneedsawanda) But this award is for Tara; she is the most excellent assistant, she’s been there helping me with every one of these prints, probably 20+ different sessions. She’s held softboxes, prints, reflectors and flashes; she’s helped to set up and tear down gear; she’s brought her own ideas to sessions too. I’m proud that she’s held the camera and shot some client theatre work with me this year as well – it is very cool to see her developing an interest and a talent in this stuff, and I’m envious she’s starting a zillion years before I did. This is for you sweetheart.

 

We’ve been entering the AIPP state and national awards for a couple of years now, but rarely do we venture outside of that to more international competitions. We’ve seen friends achieve some great successes in the WPPI competitions (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International). In previous years I’ve watched the winners galleries go by, checking out all of that incredible work, and thought how excellent that would be to be able to produce work of that level. Wanda’s been encouraging/pushing/hounding me to enter it for a while… (Everybody needs a Wanda!)

…So, finally took the plunge and entered the 2016 WPPI Second Half members-only online competition, with a goal of not embarrassing myself, and a hope that of the eight images entered, maybe four of them would get over the line for a silver award.

Goal achieved!

Very pleased to announce that, as well as getting all eight prints over the line, The Final Voyage of Skuldelev I achieved a gold award (one of only four awarded), and was awarded First Place in the Creative Division – Illustrative category! This is huge!!! HUGE!! Yayayayayayayayayayayahhhh ahem sorry. Inside voice. Inside voice. Sssshhhhhhh. There you go.

Several of the images from the 2015 QPPA/APPA season were still eligible for entry, and it was great to be able to give them another run – particularly Sleepless, which is really close to our hearts.

Congratulations to everyone that entered – including Adam Hourigan who won Creative Division – Wedding Contemporary, and the legendary Lisa Saad who placed in not one but two categories! If you want to see some incredible imagery, take a few minutes and check out the winners and finalists gallery.

Big thank-you to the judges for the WPPI competition – see you again at the print awards in a few months 🙂   Huge thank you to everyone that collaborated on these images! And MASSIVE thank you to Wanda and the kids for being the bestest and most supportive family anyone could have.

Of all of these, I think The Final Voyage of Skuldelev I (aka “the viking picture”) is the only one I haven’t blogged about yet… I’m still writing it. Coming soon, I promise.