APPA – Australian Professional Photography Awards Finalist Nature Category 2019

The 2019 APPA (Australian Professional Photography Awards) wrapped up a couple of days ago with the awards ceremony and Gala dinner in Sydney, Australia. Due to my workshop commitment in the Faroe Islands I was unable to attend this year so caught up on most of the judging and results through the live-stream (isn’t technology wonderful!). This year I again chose to enter my four prints into the Nature category and was pleased to have all four prints score extremely well – including a much coveted Gold and Gold with Distinction. I was also a finalist (for the second year in a row) in the Nature category. This year I achieved my stretch goal of 6 points and accrued more than enough overall points to achieve my 2nd Gold Bar and make the finals in the category. My individual prints scored 95 Gold with Distinction (2 Points), 90 Gold Award (2 Points), 88 Silver with Distinction (1 Point) and 85 Silver with Distinction (1 Point). Yes, that 88 was agonisingly close to a third Gold! I am now just five points away from my 3rd Gold Bar and a triple Master of Photography – M.Photog III. That honour will have to wait until APPA 2020 though (assuming I can amass the five points!).

All of the prints I entered were printed on Moab Somerset Museum Rag. As I wrote for the 2019 VPPY awards; this wonderfully sublime paper has continued to remain my stock of choice for all my fine art photography prints. If you love printing and are not familiar with this paper I urge you to check it out and get a sample pack.

To help provide some insight into the judging at APPA I captured and uploaded the live-stream video of the judging of my four prints in the Nature category. Keep in mind, you are listening to individual opinions – hence a panel of five judges. What is really interesting is to compare the scores and the comments from the state awards earlier this year.

Arctic Fox Blizzard – 95 Gold with Distinction. This print went for review at the end of the judging and was successfully elevated to a final score of 95 – a Gold with Distinction Award.

Penguin Love – 90 Gold Award. This print went for review at the end of the judging and was successfully elevated to a final score of 90 – a Gold Award.

Lost in a Blizzard – 85 Silver with Distinction

Reindeer Face Off – 88 Silver with Distinction

Those of you who kindly emailed me (thank you) asking for my thoughts on the category winning images and the level of “hyper-post production” applied to them: All I can say is I personally felt it far exceeded what should be acceptable in the Nature category. I do want to thank those of you who took the time to write to me about it – thank you.