Pete Jordan has won the September 2012 'Street Photography' competition with his image 'A Moment's Solitude'. The photo, which was shot along Newcastle's bustling Darby Street, shows a man standing with a child in a pram as a procession of blurred figures streams by.
"Amidst the hustle and bustle of the street, this young man remains calm in his own world," explained Jordan. "I went to the Darby St Twilight Festival in Newcastle specifically to sharpen my night skills and use slower shutter speeds to capture movement."
Jordan has won a Canon Academy course valued at $395. The competition was judged by professional photographer, writer and educator Anthony McKee, who picked four images out for special attention:
"Street photography, along with its parent genre, documentary photography, is all about capturing people being themselves. It can be a small moment featuring just one person or a bigger picture where there may be multiple stories occurring in the photo. Whatever the image is though, perhaps the best way of summarising what I look for in a good street photograph is 'engaging sincerity'. I want to look at the photograph and be rewarded by the honesty of the moment," said Anthony.
"With this criteria in mind there were actually four photographs that captured my attention as I worked through the 20 shortlisted images: 'Paris - Melbourne' by Joshua Reuveni; 'A Moment's Solitude' by Pete Jordan; 'Youth' by Elroy Yeap; and 'Ray' by Bryce Waters.
"I loved 'Ray'… it has a really strong engagement and you know that the subject is real. The photographer also has used fill-flash to good effect in this image.
"I also enjoyed the Cartier-Bresson feel of 'Youth' – the calm observer looking on at an oblivious younger generation.
"As they say though, there can only be one winner and the image that rattled my cage most was 'A Moment's Solitude' by Pete Jordan. I love the quiet moment the young child is having by himself as his parents discuss a purchase and the rest of the world wanders on by. The slow shutter speed along with the two blurred subjects to the left and right of the boy are framing him perfectly."
Twenty images, pictured below, were shortlisted for judging. The brief for the November 2012 competition is 'Light'. To enter an image click here.
Anthony McKee is a Melbourne based professional photographer, writer and photo-educator. Originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, he has over twenty years experience working in a range of genres including landscape and documentary photography. Over the past decade he has also been a regular judge at both the Australian and the New Zealand professional photography awards.
