Manning River Times photographer wins Australian Community Media non-dailies Photo of the Year 2022

This won the non daily (newspaper) photo of the year at the Australian Community Media (ACM) Excellence awards in Sydney this week. ACM is the publisher of the Times.

Scott was also highly commended for best use of multi-media.

He recalls the day he took the shot.

"I was at the opening ceremony for NAIDOC Week at MidCoast Council chambers,'' he said. "It was freezing and Delisa, who comes from the deserts of Western Australia, isn't used to the cold, so other the girls were giving her a hug to keep her warm.''

Scott has a close relationship with the Biripi Dancers and has photographed them at numerous functions in the past few years. "I looked at Delisa and gave her a smile. She smiled back,'' he said. "I was zooming in with a big telephoto and compressing it with the other girls in the photo. I knew it was a good shot straight away.

"You can see from the looks of the other girls in the photo, the ceremony was a serious moment. I think she smiled because she's got to know me.''

Scott is proud of the affinity he's built with the dancers.

"I go to a lot of their events and there's mutual respect between us,'' he said. "They're doing a great job for this town.''

Scott has been with the Times for 26 years, initially part-time. He thinks he's won 'a couple of minor awards' in the past, but says this is the biggest of his career.

Best Use of Multimedia - highly commended: Scott Calvin for his videos of the aftermath of the 2019 Darawank-Tuncurry bushfires. Twelve months after the Black Summer bushfires on the NSW mid-north coast, photographer Scott Calvin went into the affected communities to hear from Rural Fire Service volunteers, locals and business owners. One of his series of short powerful documentaries was later played in the NSW Bushfires Coronial Inquiry in March 2022.

Winner of the Non-Daily Photo of the Year is Scott Calvin for his captivating image of NAIDOC Week celebrations. With this photo, Scott demonstrates his great skill in capturing the warmth at this local event. The Manning, Great Lakes and Gloucester communities proudly celebrate their Indigenous heritage and Scott's image shows that beautifully.

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