Exhibition showcases moments frozen in time
A collection of stunning images capturing major news events and everyday Australian life – from the ice epidemic to sporting triumphs and the struggles of a remote Aboriginal community – will go on display in Adelaide next week.
"Unaware of the problem" - part of a portfolio of photos taken at a remote Aboriginal community by Feature / Photographic Essay Award winner Ingetje Tadros.
The exhibition, opening at the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Artspace Gallery on December 16, features the work of finalists in this year’s Nikon-Walkley Awards for Excellence in Photojournalism, the winners of which were announced last week.
They include Fairfax photographer Ingetje Tadros, who won the Feature / Photographic Essay award for a series titled Kennedy Hill, which illustrates the struggles faced by some remote Aboriginal communities.
The judges said Tadros’s images demonstrated “both the community trust she earned and her empathy for individuals living far from the public eye”.
“Homeless”. Photo: Ingetje Tadros, Sydney Morning Herald
Gary Ramage’s portfolio shows a struggle of a different sort – against the rising use of the drug ice. The News Corp photographer won Photo of the Year for Ice Nation, below, which shows the force required to restrain one young screaming and spitting, HIV-positive ice user at the Royal Perth Hospital Emergency Department.
“Ice Nation”. Photo: Gary Ramage, News Corp Australia
Ramage was also named Press Photographer of the Year for a selection of images, including one of 888,264 poppies which filled the Tower of London moat between July and November last year to represent the number of British military deaths during World War I.
The Tower of London marks the 100th anniversary of the start of Britain’s involvement in World War I. Photo: Gary Ramage, News Corp
One of the most striking and intimate photos in the exhibition is of 37-year-old Carrie Jewell Dugo, who found out she had breast cancer the same day she discovered she was three months’ pregnant. She underwent a double mastectomy and then got an elaborate corset tattoo which took some 90 hours to complete.
Carrie Jewell Dugo’s tattoo covers the scars left by her mastectomy. Photo: Sylvia Liber, Illawarra Mercury
The portrait of Jewell Dugo was taken by Sylvia Liber for the Illawarra Mercury. Her Broken Dreams portfolio also included the image below of nine-year-old surfer Oceanna Rogers.
“In order to capture that moment, I’ve had to understand my subject and ensure that in return they trust me, which isn’t always an easy thing to do,” Liber says in her entry.
“I love the challenge and I love being able to visually document and share my perspective.”
Nine-year-old surfer girl Oceanna Rogers isn’t afraid to tackle huge waves. Photo: Sylvia Liber, Illawarra Mercury
Sports Photographer of the Year Phil Hillyard’s One Moment in Time portfolio features photos that captured news-making moments, such as the bowl that caused cricketer Phillip Hughes’ fatal injury at a Sheffield Shield match in Sydney. Hillyard, who will speak at the official opening of the Press Photography Exhibition at Artspace next Wednesday, also captured a steaming close-up (below) of Canterbury Bulldogs Rugby League player David Klemmer.
Smoking Hot Klemmer. Photo: Phil Hillyard, Daily Telegraph
Other sports photos in the exhibition include Daily Telegraph photographer Brett Costello’s unusual perspective of Sydney to Hobart yacht race winner Wild Oats XI.
“Photographing the race from the air presented many challenges, from budget restrictions and constant weather changes to managing flight times and distances for fuel,” Costello says.
“After strategic positioning together with the pilot, I was able to capture Cape Raoul, Tasmania, in the foreground.”
“Wild Oats Record”. Photo: Brett Costello, Daily Telegraph
The News Photography Award was won by Rob Griffith, of Associated Press, for his image of staff member Jieun ”April” Bae running into the arms of a police officer after escaping the hostage situation at the Lindt Café in Sydney.
That photo, which was republished in many Australian newspapers, captured the terror of the situation, while another awards finalist – Sydney’s Heart, by Toby Zerna – showed the outpouring of grief and sympathy after the tragedy.
Sydney’s Heart: A solitary office worker walking down the stairs at Martin Place, which is surrounded by floral tributes following the Lindt Café siege. Photo: Toby Zerna, Daily Telegraph
The work of all 13 awards finalists, selected from more than 2500 entries, will be shown at the free Nikon-Walkley Press Photography Exhibition at Artspace Gallery, which opens on December 16 and runs until January 24.
