PEOPLE 2020: TOP 20

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WINNER, PEOPLE CATEGORY, PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2020
JULIE THOMAS, 'CAMOUFLAGE'

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It's fitting that our overall winner of Photographer of the Year, and our People category winning series for 2020, happened to be a lockdown project – as personal projects are something many photographers have taken on in the last year. Bendigo-based photographer Julie Thomas says the inspiration behind Camouflage was her two daughters, with her eldest, 12-year-old Madi, the star of this colourful and creative portfolio. 

“When we went into lockdown in Victoria, we had a lot of spare time on our hands,” Thomas says. “We were keeping ourselves busy together with painting, mask making, stop-motion videos and face painting. It didn’t take long before the dining table was covered with paints, canvas, fabric and ideas that evolved into this “Camouflage” series.”

My eldest daughter loved the idea and loves having her face painted, so she was happy to be my model. The first fabric we chose was one I’ve had in my stash for many years, but just never found a use for. I thought it looked easy enough to paint (although it ended up taking a lot longer than I expected and we almost ran out of natural light to photograph it!). I was thrilled with the results and eager to turn it into a series. We have five in the series so far and have many more fabrics lined up ready to go.”

The success of this portfolio is down to a simple idea executed perfectly – and the results wowed our judges with their creativity, attention to detail and clever use of bright colour.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Tim Levy: As photographers, the level of production that goes into our work often revolves around camera gear, casting, clothes, location and maybe the odd prop. Then there is Julie’s work – where the painting by itself could be considered a work of art on it's own. In a world where we use filters to make things interesting, this series clearly stands out from the rest. They are not only intriguing images to look at and explore, but also bring a level of aesthetic detail that's truly excellent.

Helen Whittle: This wonderfully striking set of images is not only original, it is bold, colourful, and unusually serene.The painted face embedded within the fabric backdrop draws the viewer in to the subject. A fascinating and cohesive portfolio that has been expertly executed. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

RUNNER UP, PEOPLE CATEGORY, PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2020
CIHAN BEKTAS, 'HER'

Cihan Bektas' ethereal tribute to his wife was made over a period of three years, with images shot on a polaroid camera. There's no manipulation, no staging and no post-production in the series, which seeks to explore Bektas' wife's schizophrenia by documenting and trying to 'control the nervousness, irritability, self-harming and even suicidal behaviors acquired in momentary personal disorders caused by the illness.'

At first glance it's a troubling, dark and moving series, made all the more remarkable when you consider that all the moments here were captured candidly. In total, he says more than 220 polaroid films were used to capture the series.

JUDGES COMMENT

Drew Hopper: The surrealism and dream-like visuals in Cihan's series evoke a sense of undefined beauty in the purest form of the polaroid picture. When we stop and look closer, we see through the images and start to feel them, which is a powerful thing. The originality in the truthfulness of the polaroid picture makes this emotive series stand out from the rest.
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