The Australian Photography Awards is one of our favourite events on the local photography calendar, and this year our community had a strong showing. Photography graduate Angel Borg was shortlisted in the Open category, while current students Caroline Sjobeck, Jessica Tormey, and Fernando Martinez Parente de la Mora all made the shortlist for the Student category. We’re very proud of Jessica, whose photo, Mother Dearest, went on to take out joint Student category winner.
The ceremony, presented by Photo Collective in partnership with Collarts, was held earlier this month. We caught up with Angel, Jessica, and Fernando to talk about their photography journeys, the work that got them shortlisted, and where they're headed next.
Angel Borg
Image above shot by Angel Borg
Angel's shortlisted photo, Sanctuary, comes from somewhere personal. "The photo is titled Sanctuary, as it was taken right near my home." It's part of a much longer practice of returning to the same stretch of ground. "I have been taking photos in foggy mornings along the same path since I first began photography 6-7 years ago, and they're how I stay connected and grounded in my practice. The landscape has changed with time, as has my style of photography, but each photo I take on these walks feels like home and shows me memories of years past."
Photography has been part of Angel's life since she was 15. "I was always interested in landscape and portrait work, and have now found a visual style and language that feels [the] most me." These days that's translating into paid shoots, exhibitions, and a new series called Reborn, a continuation of her capstone project, Human Nature.
Angel points to a specific moment in her studies as a turning point. "Feedback during my capstone units from Christina [Simons] catapulted my confidence and really gave me the push I needed to become the photographer I am today, I keep those words replaying in my head every time I'm taking a photo or editing."
Looking ahead, she's chasing gallery representation and a solo exhibition. "No telling when it will happen but I am really looking forward to the day!"
Fernando Martinez Parente de la Mora
Fernando's path into photography started well before Collarts. "I started learning photography from a friend who's a photographer, learned with him and went photographing the streets and the raves in Mexico City for about 2-3 years before I came to Collarts."
That grounding in hands-on, street-level work shaped what he was looking for in a course. "The practical focus of the course, I wanted to learn by doing," he says of choosing to study at Collarts.
His shortlisted photo is part of a much larger project he's been developing since he started studying. "That photo is part of the series that I'm doing a photobook. The series is called: 'Raves: Rituals for a Sickened Spirit'." He's currently finishing that photobook, hand printed and self made, a skill he credits to one of his lecturers, who taught him about bookmaking.
Jessica Tormey
Images above shot by Jessica Tormey.
Jessica's win is the result of a photography journey that started decades ago and nearly didn't happen at all. "I was lucky enough to begin my photography journey in a darkroom, shooting film when it was still the main way we created photographs," she says. At 15, photography was one of the only places her mind would switch off.
But despite her passion, the career didn't seem realistic at the time. "I was told I would never make any money from it, so for a long time, it remained something I loved rather than something I believed I could pursue."
It took an Instagram message years later, pointing her toward photography at Collarts, to change that. "That was when my impulsive decision making took over and I suddenly decided that I didn't care what other people had told me. I knew that if I worked hard and made the most of every opportunity, I could build something meaningful through photography."
Her shortlisted, now award winning, photo Mother Dearest has a story behind it that starts with a challenge from a lecturer. "This portrait wouldn't have even happened if Christina Simons hadn't said the words 'you won't photograph your mother'." Jessica took that as a dare. “I messaged my mother for the first time in a long time and I asked her and surprisingly she said yes.”
“I wasn't about to waste the opportunity, so I just did it." The result is deliberately unresolved. "I didn't want to make her appear cruel, and I didn't want to soften her either. I wanted to photograph her honestly and allow the tension in the image to exist without telling the viewer exactly how they should feel about it. It isn't a portrait of nurture; it is a portrait of power, distance and everything that was never said."
Jessica points to the opening night of her exhibition The Darker Side of 10 at the Museum of Australian Photography as a moment that summed up her time studying.
"Christina, Vicki Bell, Rikki Bunder and Monique all showed up. They weren't there because they had to be, they came because they chose to support me. I looked around the room during one of the biggest moments of my photography journey and saw the people who had helped me get there."
Now finishing her degree, she's continuing editorial and event work, including contributing to GEORGE Magazine, with an eye on eventually working as a visual journalist. "That dream I had at 15 never really went away, it just took me a little longer to believe it was possible."
Where Ambition Meets Community
Congratulations to Angel, Caroline, Jessica, and Fernando on their shortlisting, and to Jessica on taking out the Student category. It's a strong result for our Photography cohort and a reminder that the work our students and graduates are making resonates well outside the classroom.
Events like the Australian Photography Awards are one of the ways our Photography students get exposure to the wider industry while they're still studying.
If you're looking to build a photography practice with that kind of support behind it, explore our Photography courses to see where they could take you.