OUR pool of talented photographers has again proved itself amongst the State’s best with a triple triumph at the WA Press Photographer of the Year Awards.
Leading the charge at Friday night’s ceremony was Community Newspaper Group’s reigning Photographer of the Year Andrew Ritchie, who collected gongs in two of the nine categories – Best Portrait Photograph and Best Suburban Newspaper Photographer.
Ritchie’s winning portrait photo was a striking, reflective image of WA Ballet principal dancer Sergey Pevnev.
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READ NOWVeteran colleague Martin Kennealey claimed the Best News Feature Photograph for his image of a veteran taken at Fremantle’s Anzac Day dawn service.
Community photographers filled all three places in the suburban category won by Ritchie, with Jon Hewson placed second and Will Russell third.
Ritchie’s portfolio included a shot taken from the roof of Perth Arena during a West Coast Fever home game, a playful shot at Cottesloe’s Sculptures By The Sea and one of his best taken during The Giants reign over Perth during last year’s Perth International Arts Festival.
Former Community photographer Elle Borgward also placed second in the Best Feature Photograph category.
Photographic Manager David Baylis praised his team of professionals, whose collective work continues to be held in high acclaim by readers and peers alike.
“We take a lot of pride in the craft of news photography and all of our photographers strike a balance of talent and empathy, which is so important when working with such a variety of people in the local community,” he said.
All winning and finalist images are on display at the WA Museum until April 24.