Susie
Thompson’s image ‘Two Old Pink Ladies’ has won the April photo competition. The ‘Decay’ themed competition attracted 457
entries and was judged by Sydney-based commercial photographer Charles McKean.
In explaining his decision McKean praised the simplicity of Thompson’s image.
“Decay is
everywhere. We can see it, we can find it, and we can search it out.
Often, as photographers, we merely document. In this month's challenge
many photographers chose to shoot a found object. The photo of the two apple
halves is slightly different. It has been constructed and carefully set up. The
photographer is not just documenting decay, she is commenting on it. The composition
is simple and arresting and is well served by the monochrome treatment, which
emphasises the sense of decay. A great effort, well done.”
Thompson
has won a lightweight Lowepro Photo Sport 200 AW camera bag valued at $219.
Twenty-five images (pictured below) were shortlisted in this month’s
competition: ‘Abandoned Farmhouse #1,’ by Paul Hollins; ‘Agapanthus Skeleton,’
by Dianne Galbraith; ‘Cornered,’ by Matthew Larsen; ‘Decaying Softly,’ by
Dianne Galbraith; ‘Flaky Paint,’ by Merlyn Cantwell; ‘Fly decay,’ by Janet
Storer; ‘Help,’ by Malcolm Katon; ‘Last stop #2,’ by Ingrid Hendriksen; ‘Life After Death,’
by Anthony Delaney; ‘Monster House,’ by Beck Dunn; ‘Montage of Leaves,’ by
Janet Storer; ‘Old Dodge,’ by Deb; ‘Old Factory Tasmania,’ by David Edwards; ‘Old
Silo,’ by Deb Cochrane; ‘Portrait of a Chair,’ by Tony Kearney; ‘Rabbit
Skeleton,’ by Dallas Bland; ‘Radio Active Decay,’ by Sue Black; ‘Rain on a
Rusty Shed,’ by Tim Mason; ‘Rust Buckets,’ by James Breslin; ‘Rusty Old Train,’
by Cathy Duck; ‘Shed,’ by Mark Sutton; ‘The Ageing Beauty,’ by Fran Firth; ‘Two
Old Pink Ladies,’ by Susie Thompson; ‘Untitled,’ by Nick Bird; ‘Waves Crashing
against Currumbin Rock,’ by Matt Mawson.
ABOUT THE JUDGE: Charles McKean is a Sydney-based,
commercial photographer. He is an AIPP Master of Photography and an Associate
of the Australian Photographic Society. He has exhibited widely and his work
has featured in the National Photographic Portrait Prize, The Moran
Photographic Prize, The Blake prize, the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert
Photography Award and Lonely Planet. Charles McKean also organises and curates
AddOn — a core event of the Head On Photo Festival.
WINNER: ‘Two Old Pink Ladies,’ by Susie Thompson.
‘Abandoned
Farmhouse #1,’ by Paul Hollins.
‘Agapanthus Skeleton,’ by Dianne Galbraith.
‘Cornered,’ by Matthew Larsen.
‘Decaying Softly,’ by Dianne Galbraith.
‘Flaky Paint,’ by Merlyn Cantwell.
‘Fly Decay,’ by Janet Storer.
‘Help,’ by Malcolm Katon.
‘Last stop #2,’ by Ingrid Hendriksen.
‘Life After Death,’ by Anthony Delaney.
‘Monster House,’ by Beck Dunn.
‘Montage of Leaves,’ by Janet Storer.
‘Old Dodge,’ by Deb.
‘Old Factory Tasmania,’ by David Edwards.
‘Old Silo,’ by Deb Cochrane.
‘Portrait of a Chair,’ by Tony Kearney.
‘Rabbit Skeleton,’ by Dallas Bland.
‘Radio Active Decay,’ by Sue Black.
‘Rain on a Rusty Shed,’ by Tim Mason.
‘Rust Buckets,’ by James Breslin.
‘Rusty Old Train,’ by Cathy Duck.
‘Shed,’ by Mark Sutton.
‘The Ageing Beauty,’ by Fran Firth.
‘Untitled,’ by Nick Bird.
‘Waves Crashing against Currumbin Rock,’ by Matt Mawson.