Crescent Head photographer Adam Williams has been named 2017 Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) NSW Epson Professional Photographer of the Year.
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Mr Williams says his passion for landscape photography comes from living with depression and anxiety for periods of his life.
“Much of the emotion within my work draws its inspiration from the highs and lows of these days,” Mr Williams said.
“For me, it’s all about communicating emotion – powerful imagery is emotional.
“This would be the reason why my work varies wildly from the given scene, because the landscape itself is the canvas for my artistic expression.”
AIIP national president Vittorio Natoli, says the awards acknowledge the elite of professional photography.
“These awards are a celebration of photographic excellence and represent the pinnacle of professional photography,” Mr Natoli said.
The AIIP runs the awards annually in each state with the winners advancing to the Australian Professional Photography Awards.
To be eligible for the title of NSW Professional Photographer of the Year, photographers must first win a category.
Mr Williams won the landscape category.
A panel of experts then anonymously assesses all category winners’ work to determine the overall state winner with innovation, content, creativity, technical excellence and impact being the key criteria.
This year, the awards were peer-judged over the course of two days by some of Australia’s most recognised photographers including Tony Hewitt, Steve Wise and Shireen Hammond.
Mr Williams, who is a supporter of beyondblue – a non-profit organisation working to address issues associated with depression, anxiety disorders and related mental disorders, says an important message he hopes to communicate to people suffering from mental health issues through his work is that “you’re not alone”.
“It's ok to have anxiety and depression – statistics suggest it's abnormal not to have experienced anxiety or depression at some point in your life,”
“Don't be afraid to talk to a friend or ask for help.”
