Dominic Lorrimer wins Australian Life Photography Prize
September 24, 2019
Fairfax photojournalist, Dominic Lorrimer, has won the $10,000 Australian Life Photography Prize for an image entitled Haka.
Dominic Lorrimer, the Sydney Morning Herald‘s youngest photographer at 28-years old, won the Australian Life contest for this photo, Haka.
Haka was captured outside the Lakemba Mosque a week after the Christchurch mosque shootings in March. It shows a group of Punchbowl High School students embracing in a moment of reflection before performing the ceremonial Māori dance out of respect for those affected by the shootings.
Lorrimer’s image was chosen from 28 finalists, which beat an overall pool of 1400 entrants. The contest was judged by Sydney Morning Herald managing photo editor Mags King, artist Dennis Golding, and director of photography at University of Technology Sydney, Cherine Fahd.
‘Dominic has photographed the scene from the perspective of being in the inner circle – beautifully composed and framed,’ Fahd said. ‘Emotional too, with the Lakemba mosque in the background, the image poses alternatives for viewing what is a politicised community.’
The contest is organised through City of Sydney’s Art and About, a year-round program of arts events. The 28 Australian Life finalist images are showing along the St James walkway of Hyde Park in Sydney.
The lord mayor of the city of Sydney, Clover Moore, said the Australian Life exhibition is one of the most popular events organised by the Art and About program.
Click here to see the finalist images. Here’s a selection images:
Alexandrena Parker, Unsupervised. Children at play, alone, without any adult supervision is simply not seen anymore. Do we live in an era where we are too afraid to leave our children to play by themselves? Set in the streets of Broken Hill, outback NSW, this scene explores the relationship between landscape past and present.Antoine Veling, Mark 5:28. Here Aussies display unbridled participation at Iggy Pop’s Sydney Opera House concert in April 2019. The image represents how we welcome overseas artists who travel long distances to reach us. A woman’s outstretched hand touches Iggy, who seems unaware of her as the crowd presses around him – similar to a scene depicted in Mark 5:25-34. My photo, redolent of Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro technique, went crazy on social media making 40,000 people, including Iggy, very happy.Liz Keene, Tiny Towns. This was taken in a small town called Brookton in Western Australia. I love the small towns dotted throughout the Australian outback. They all have their own charm and character, unique to Australia. I especially love the typography on this shop sign, and the brickwork.Matthew Abbott, Sheep shearing and ram parade. Spectators watch a merino sheep walking along the catwalk at Paradise Country, a theme park that introduces international tourists to Australian country culture.Joel Pratley, You make me laugh. ‘Oh you show-off!’. Tony affectionately mocks his partner, Kevin, as he poses for the camera on a hot summer day in their home in Goulburn, NSW. ‘We’ve been together for over 40 years. And we still know how to have a good laugh!’Scott Barbour, Racegoers. The aftermath of Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington racecourse. Racegoers and seagulls in a flurry.Alex Vaughan, On the Cusp. ‘The women I look up to are Nanna Annie, my mum, Nanna Rob and Mum Skinny. They are brave and strong. I grew up in a small town, Kalgoorlie. There were no tall buildings and not that many houses. Dead grass and sand. I miss being in the desert because I could explore places there. I think the cockatoos like me because I’m brave. And because I feed them. I love it when they sit on me because I feel like a pirate.’ – Beniah, 13.James Brickwood, Bookstore. In the years since Sydney’s lockout laws were introduced, we’ve seen a steady decline in live music venues. Local bands have to be more resourceful and seek out other spaces in which to perform. In this instance, a local second-hand bookshop proved a willing host.Alan Coligado, Translucent. A fishmonger about to emerge from behind the plastic curtain of a shop in Cabramatta.
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