I love images with beautiful vibrant colours (no washed-out beige here!), but there’s something magical about black-and-white photography. It removes distractions and can be a powerful way of telling a story.
Telling a story in our images helps us connect with them. It gives us something we can relate to and stirs an emotional response. Along with other elements like composition, it’s also a key factor judges look for in photography competitions.
I like to enter photography competitions to test myself and my skills as a storyteller and see how I can improve year-on-year. I’m pleased to say one of my images was awarded a Highly Commended in the People category in this year’s Mono Awards, a national competition for black and white photography.
Telling a story – Highly Commended
My image is of a friend’s young daughter peering out of one of the bushfire-scarred observatory windows at Mt Stromlo, 20 years after the bushfires tore through the site. Mikaela wasn’t even born when this disaster struck in 2003, destroying valuable astronomy equipment. The building is now just a shell. The window still bears the scorch marks and bubbled paint from the inferno that ravaged the site.
This was the 5th year of the Mono Awards competition. In 2023, there were more than 4,000 entries from photographers across Australia and New Zealand. The competition has consistently grown in strength, and the quality of the entries is always outstanding. Photographers who tell stories through their images generally tend to do well. You can check out this year’s winners in Australian Photography Magazine here.
I’m really pleased with this placing, as it’s one of my best entries to date.
Commended placings
I also took out two Commended places in this year’s awards. The first image is inside a dark elevator in New Acton, where a thin strip-light illuminates the occupant. The second is from Floriade a few years ago. In a bed of dark purple tulips, one white tulip stood out. It spoke to me – a reminder of our power as individuals and the importance of standing out from the crowd.
Competitions are a great way to test yourself against Australia’s top photography talent. The other amazing artists are also a source of inspiration. This is my third year of the Mono Awards, and I’ve been consistently awarded Highly Commended placings each time. It encourages me to be creative and keep pushing myself. And that’s making me a better photographer. I’m regularly building my skills and refreshing the images in my website gallery to reflect my growth during my photography journey. I appreciate you sharing the journey with me.
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