HeadOn Portrait Prize

Head On Photo Festival, is Australia's largest photo festival and the world's second largest festival.  With over 200 events at 100 venues, the 2012 festival was a resounding success and this year I was determined to enter a submission for the Portrait Prize. The Portrait Prize is at the heart of the festival and is the nations major innovative showcase for Australian portrait photography.  Imagine my shock, surprise and delight when I received this email….

Thank you for entering Head On this year.

We have now finalised the selection for this year’s show. The selection process was extremely difficult as the 4 judges had to choose 40 finalists out of a huge number of excellent entries and as with every year, the entries were presented to the judges anonymously.

The Head On Portrait Prize exhibition will consist of 40 prints. Although you did not make it into the 40 Portrait Prize finalists, your entry was selected for inclusion in the slide show which consists of approximately 100 images of very high standard. It will be screened continuously for the duration of the Portrait Prize exhibition (May 17 to 23 June at the State Library).

Steven and I attend the launch of the festival which is held at the TAFE Ultimo, in the City.  There are hundreds of people milling around, snacking on the canapés and swirling their wine.  I can feel the buzz in the air as photographers with their fancy lenses enjoy the 11 exhibition on show here.  We celebrate with Con (Steven’s brother) and Chrissa who have come in to the City to meet us for dinner. 

The next day we visit the NSW State Library where the Portrait exhibition is being held.  We have brought Steve’s mum and dad with us to share in our celebration.  I find out it is my entry Laughter: The Universal Bond that has been shortlisted.  This photograph was a firm favourite with visitors during my exhibition and is also a personal favourite of mine and I am ecstatic at this result on my very first sojourn into the world of serious photography….

A Bollywood Celebration

Our friends Emma and Harvey have returned from India after attending the wedding of Harvey’s cousin to a girl of Indian Heritage.  They have had an amazing time and have decided to host an evening of all things Indian.  The guests are asked to beg, borrow or steal a saree or salvar kameez and I am amazed at the effort that everyone has gone too.

I’ve raided my suitcase of sarees and found one I liked.  Steve wears one of his Sri Lankan shirts and Em gives us both a pottu as we walk in to make sure we look the part completely.  The table is laden with samosa’s and other goodies for starters and spicy Indian curries, rice and  chutneys are the mains.  It is a wonderful evening of music, laughter and catching up with many of our neighbours who no longer live next door.

Greek Easter

Greek Easter this year has fallen in May, more than a month after the Easter celebrations in the Catholic and Protestant churches.  This is the most important event in the Greek church and the fasting over lent culminates in a feast that is looked forward to by everyone in the family. A lamb is cooked over a spit all morning and the table laden with salads, sea food and Greek delicacies.  The rain that has led up to Sunday stops and the day in bathed in sunlight.  Steve’s parents are hosting the event and extended family exchange news over brightly painted eggs and lamb, plucked straight off the spit.

As the sun sets, we finally leave laden with food that will last us for a few more days!