8 September 2017

Two Canberra photographers win prestigious national awards

| Glynis Quinlan
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Black-and-white family portrait by Katie Kolenberg.

Two Canberra photographers have taken out top national titles at Australia’s largest awards for professional print photography.

Katie Kolenberg from Canberra photography studio Heartstory has been named 2017 Australian Family Photographer of the Year at the annual awards organised by the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP).

This is the second time Ms Kolenberg has won the prestigious award as she also took it out in 2015 – and was a finalist in 2016.

Family portrait by Katie Kolenberg.

Canberra-based fashion and editorial photographer Alec Morris won the award of 2017 Australian Student Photographer of the Year at the recent award ceremony in Melbourne.

In addition to his fashion photography, Mr Morris has led a number of personal documentary portraiture projects, including most recently a series on education and youth engagement in remote Australian communities.

Photo by Australian Student Photographer of the Year, Alec Morris.

More than 400 of Australia’s best professional photographers gathered in Melbourne on Monday, August 28 for the Australian Professional Photography Awards (APPA) presented at a gala dinner at The Plaza Ballroom on Collins Street.

The AAPA competition represents the only professional photography awards in Australia that require physical prints to be submitted for judging.

AIPP national president Vittorio Natoli said the awards represent the best of professional photography in Australia.

“APPA is the only awards in the country that celebrates photography in its original form by valuing the photograph, which in its printed finish displays authenticity and permanency,” Mr Natoli said.

“APPA awarded images display visual literacy with exemplary creativity, vision and craft,” he said.

“The awards process and the institute continue to deliver the highest professional recognition offered in Australia today and recipients of these awards and honours have become industry ambassadors around the world championing the cause of professional photography.”

The key criteria on which the images are judged include innovation, content, creativity, technical excellence and impact.

More than 500 entrants submitted almost 2,000 images to be judged for APPA.

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