I’ve won some awards!
That’s right! Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or, alternatively, just don’t follow me on social media) you’ll know that this year I’ve picked up some photography awards. It’s such a fantastic feeling to have your work recognised and acknowledged, even if it is a very scary experience submitting the images.
Champagne Taittinger Wedding Food Photographer
My first award came from the Pink Lady Foot Photography Awards. I won second place in the Champagne Taittinger Wedding Food Photographer category and nearly dropped my coffee when I watched the announcement on the livestream! All finalists have their work displayed in an exhibition at the Royal Photographic Society in Bristol which just added to the magic of winning.
The Pink Lady Awards are the world’s leading celebration of food photography. It was founded in 2011 and since then well over 100,000 entries have been received from almost 100 countries - so it’s a tough competition and one I’m delighted to have won in!
This photo is titled ‘The Saloon’ and it was taken at Jessie and Kane’s wedding in November 2022. During lockdown they had built a bar in their backyard (the eponymous saloon) and we couldn’t resist getting photos of Kane and his brother calming their nerves on the morning of the wedding with a stiff drink!
The NZIPP Iris Awards
Now, this was a scary one! The Iris awards are the biggest photography awards in New Zealand. They’re also live judged which means you hear scores and feedback (good and bad) in real time, along with anyone else who might be watching.
I’d watched the live judging in 2022 and had marveled at some of the incredible entires. The Iris awards happen prior to the NZIPP Photo Show, and all winners are displayed in an exhibition that just dazzled me with it’s brilliance. Looking wistfully at the amazing entries last year I wondered…”Will I ever be good enough to have my photo up there, too?”
Spoiler alert to 2022 me: yes!
I entered four photographs this year, and won awards with 3 of them. One photograph was awarded a silver distinction and I could not stop crying with happiness! Good job I was watching the livestream in the car rather than sitting in the judging audience…! My silver distinction was awarded to my photograph ‘Between’, which tries to show the strange mediate space you occupy when pregnant: both a mother, and yet not-quite a mother. I was very pleased that one judge noticed that my model’s eyes are open above the water and closed below it. I was worried that detail may have been too subtle!
It was so fun to plan, shoot, and edit this photo, and I think it shows that maternity photography can be about so much more than standing on a beach in a flowly dress!
My two bronze images are also two favourites!
The first is a photograph I took at a beautiful home birth. I found there was a huge range of emotions captured in one photograph which made it a powerful image. Capturing births is an incredible priviledge for me, you are with someone during their absolute most vulnerable moments, and I’m so glad I could be there to freeze these moments in time.
The second is a photo I love from a gorgeous engagement shoot last summer. It’s now only a year until Jack and Iona’s wedding and I cannot WAIT to capture their day!
Out from the Mist
Out from the Mist is a photography, short movie and music competition. The competition is about mental illness, hoping to capture the breadth of the diversity of living with a mental illness. Submissions can range from the experiences of pain and suffering, caring and empathy for loved ones, through to the elation of conquering obstacles.
I entered a deeply personal photo (which I haven’t quite found the courage to share - yet!) and was gobsmacked to be a finalist in the awards. This competition really pushed me creatively, as it is so much more about evoking feelings and being unique than others I entered. Needless to say, I’m already planning my entries for next year!