Page 5 - APH Sep 2020 Mono Award

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XIAOLIAN ZHANG
ADORABLE BABIES
Sydney’s Xiaolian Zhang describes her photographic interests as “humanist” photography, and tribal life, and is especially passion- ate about documenting disappearing cultures and customs. Dur- ing the years, the retired pharmacist has won numerous awards in a number of international competitions for her work.
She took this particular image in 2018. “It is from the Guere- wol, which is an annual courtship ritual competition among the Wodaabe of Niger,” she explains. “The men would decorate their faces and dance for hours to impress the females who may (or may not) accept them as their lovers.”
The mother figures in this image were carrying their babies while attending the ritual.
“As I was observing them, the two babies turned suddenly at the same time to look at me and I was able to capture this adorable moment on camera.”
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JUDGES’ COMMENTS
NATALIE GRONO
The dynamic contrast and the tear rolling down the baby’s cheek set a dramatic tone to this image which, alongside the composition, entices the viewer’s curiosity as to what is happening at the gathering.
MATT PALMER
Adorable Babies stands out as a different kind of environmental portrait. Its subjects are passengers who are trying to find out more about the scene just as we, the viewers, are. The lower angle chosen by the photographer allows us to engage with the children, which is so important given the strong emotional expression on the left. The clothing, jewellery, patterns, haircuts and even the pierced ear tell us more about this place, but the shallow depth of field allows the scene to retain some mystery.