My entry into the 2010 National Photographic Portrait Prize run by the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra is one of 55 finalists from more than 1200 entries and is now in the running for the $25,000 prize that will be awarded in February 2011. The exhibition will be displayed at the National Portrait Gallery from 25 February to 17 April 2011 and tour to selected venues throughout 2011.
Like all of my portraiture, this image stems from my philosophy of searching out beauty in everyday life and demonstrating its presence through my photographs. I want people to appreciate that beauty is not reserved for media celebrities since beauty has little to do with the material world.
For me the beauty of the portrait, ‘Young girl in a dance class waiting to be photographed’, stems from the honesty and innocence of the young girl. She is not cloyingly sweet, she has not smiled or performed for the camera and she is not trying to be anyone other than herself. There are no material possessions in the portrait that distract the viewer from appreciating her honesty.
It is no coincidence that I specialise in funeral photography for mourners, being tender, compassionate and thoughtful are too beautiful not to be photographed.
