National Award For Underwater Artistic Nude Portrait

Commended award in the 2022 Australian Photographic Prize

The Australian Photographic Prize was a four-day photography conference and awards event held in Melbourne. The aim was to bring professional and amateur groups together in an inclusive environment to build a stronger photographic community in Australia. The event was attended by hundreds and livestreamed to thousands.

The awards side of the event included five divisions:

• The Nikon Digital Awards for amateur photographers
• The Epsom Print Awards for working professional photographers
• The EIZO Photographic Artist Prize for digital artistry
• The Village Cinema Moving Image Award for filmmakers
• The Student Photographic Prize for primary and secondary school students

I entered the Epsom Print Awards and earned a Commended award for this artistic black-and-white underwater female portrait. Entries in the Print Awards are judged by a panel of five award winning professional photographers; they judge the technical and aesthetic merits, and also the print quality. As a photographer who delivers printed artwork to my clients, and working in a time when the printed art form seems to have lost it value to some, this award had very special meaning to me.

I made this portrait at dusk. There was a trace of daylight remaining, and it was fading fast. I set up one waterproof light on a tripod above water at the pool’s edge, pointing down and towards me. My subject was backlight, making the portrait seem like it was created under moonlight. I have a large framed print of this portrait, and it makes my heart sing every time I see it.

The smaller print that I entered into the awards was donated to Museums Victoria as part of an archival collection of Australian Professional Photography.

—Liz

Got something you’d like to ask me about underwater portrait photography? Let me know!