JUNIOR 2021: TOP 20

WINNER, JUNIOR (UNDER 18) CATEGORY, PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2021
MATTHEW BARRETT, 'SUPERBOY'

17-year-old Matthew Barrett is originally from Scotland and having moved to Australia in 2015 has focussed on developing his photographic knowledge and skills.

“I love the ability that photography gives me to document my experiences and adventures from around NSW and Australia,” he said. “My favourite genres are astrophotography, automobile, sports and adventure, and I gain great satisfaction from producing photographs that are visually crisp and clean with great composition.”

His junior category winning image Superboy was taken at a popular jump rock in Sydney that overlooks the Sydney CBD skyline.

“This was one of the first spots I had explored since coming out of lockdown,” he explained. “I had planned on getting photos of my friend jumping off the rock with the city skyline in the background, but at the top of the rock it was very crowded and there weren’t many compositions that worked. Instead, I decided to climb down the rocks to the water’s edge, to see if another composition would work.

I got my friend to do a variation of jumps into the water. I loved this image specifically because the composition is perfect - it showcases the surrounding environment without any other people in the frame, and the diving pose symbolises what that day was to me - spontaneous and a dive back into freedom.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Anthony McKee: There were a lot of good photographs in the Junior competition, but this capture of a boy leaping like Superman off a bluff in Sydney was one of the judging team’s favourites. Several things are working for this image, including the well-controlled exposure; the photographer is shooting into the sun and yet we still get subtle hints of city in the distance, and there are no hints of flare.

The design also works well, with the warm tones of the rocks balanced nicely against the light blue of the sky and sea. What we love most about this image though is the boy captured perfectly, mid-flight, as if he was just about to fly off towards the city. The moment is frozen, and we can see every detail of him perfectly, and most people looking at this image would probably just love to be in that moment themselves - feeling free. Well done, Matthew; it’s an awesome image.

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RUNNER UP, JUNIOR CATEGORY, PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2021
JACOB DEDMAN, 'WHERE TO NOW?'

When he’s photographing, Jacob Dedman says he knows who he is and what he can do.

“My life is full of challenges because I live with FASD, which effects everything in my life. It’s difficult to live in a world that often doesn’t allow for differences. But photography allows me to be different and I can be unique and creative, and experiment without worry of being judged,” he said.

“My photography began with an interest in birds, when my family went on a three-month trip around Eastern Australia in 2013. The Daintree Rainforest was my introduction to birds and cameras, and it’s continued from there. I’m home educated, and my curriculum revolves around things I can photograph and learn about. Now, I love to photograph just about everything, in the unique way that I see. I love making people smile or to see things differently with my passion, photography.”

Jacob’s runner-up photo was created whilst on holidays with his parents in South Australia.

“We were five days into the trip when we were plunged into a seven-day snap lockdown,” he explained. “We weren’t able to get back to Victoria in time, as we were a good 1000km from home, so we found a place we could survive a lockdown, and where there were photo opportunities for me, which was the town of Quorn, SA.

Early one morning, I set my camera up on my tripod, set the focus, set the intervalometer on, and then walked to where I sat on the step of this train car. This is what I was most likely thinking at the time, whilst taking this photo:

Many of us are thinking about what is going to happen next. Will there be another huge outbreak? What if someone I know gets it? With concerns of whether I’d see my friends and family, it got me thinking: where to now?”

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Anthony McKee: Runner-up in the Junior competition is Jacob Dedman’s study “Where to Now?”, a quiet self-portrait of a young man pondering his place in the world. This image has some strong design elements, including the converging lines into the distant sunrise, and a certain element of tension created by the imposing structure of the wagon and the surrounding textures. About the only distracting element in this image is the lens flare, but that even seems to work in this instance, shining a subtle spotlight onto the young man who we can only guess is hoping he doesn’t spend as much time on the sidings as this train might have.

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TOP 20 FINISHERS, JUNIOR CATEGORY, PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2021

3. Photo © Jarvis Smallman. Junior Category, Photographer of the Year 2021.

4. Photo © Felix Lovell. Junior Category, Photographer of the Year 2021.

5. Photo © Piper Byrnes. Junior Category, Photographer of the Year 2021.

6. Photo © Dylan Schafter. Junior Category, Photographer of the Year 2021.

7. Photo © Henry Openshaw. Junior Category, Photographer of the Year 2021.

JUNIOR 2021: TOP 20

WINNER, JUNIOR (UNDER 18) CATEGORY, PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2021MATTHEW BARRETT, 'SUPERBOY'

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

RUNNER UP, JUNIOR CATEGORY, PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2021JACOB DEDMAN, 'WHERE TO NOW?'

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

TOP 20 FINISHERS, JUNIOR CATEGORY, PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2021

WINNER, JUNIOR (UNDER 18) CATEGORY, PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2021
MATTHEW BARRETT, 'SUPERBOY'

RUNNER UP, JUNIOR CATEGORY, PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2021
JACOB DEDMAN, 'WHERE TO NOW?'