Page 43 - Australian Photography Feb 2022

CATEGORY SPONSOR
RUNNER-UP
BLACK & WHITE
WAYNE RILEY
@waynerileyimages
RODEO
Perth’s Wayne Riley bought his first DLSR 10 years ago and has been a keen amateur photographer ever since. Today, he works as a FIFO mine surveyor, a job which comes with plenty of travel and is perfect for photography.
“The mining lifestyle lets me take photo- graphs on my breaks, and with my trusty lap- top, I process all my photographs onsite after work,” he said.
His Black and White category runner-up portfolio was captured on his R&R break in early 2021.
“Rodeos provide non-stop action, and my camera was kept busy with my 70-200mm lens attached. The power of the bulls and hors- es with someone on their back is something to behold. With someone unwanted on their backs, it made for an exhilarating action shoot. Looking at the photos I took that day, there was a theme of black and white that endeared itself to a set of four photographs. Colour was not needed, but contrast was, and the busy background needed to be nullified to focus the eye on the rider and beast. I use Nik software to convert to black and white, and then final- ised the shots in Photoshop.”
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
DOUWE DIJKSTRA: Wayne’s series in- stantly struck a chord with me. These wild and dynamic scenes are beautifully captured, and he has been able to skil- fully capture a moment time. There’s a hint of power, chaos, and movement in an otherwise still image. Using mono
here is very effective. All that matters is the beautiful light, subject, composi- tion, and the decisive moment. There are no distractions, the focus is on the interaction between man and beast. Also, isolating the subject against a black background works a treat. It brings out the beautiful highlights, makes them shine, and adds striking contrast. A beautiful series!
HELEN WHITTLE: Full of energy and ac- tivity, these photos come alive with the simple black backgrounds and centrally composed subjects. The use of mono- chrome for this series of images works well by removing distractions and di- recting the viewer towards the action. A lively portfolio, which allows the viewer to step into the world of rodeo.
PRIZE: $200 Camera House voucher.
| 57 | FEBRUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
BLACK AND WHITE TOP 20
1 Janine Dawes
2 Wayne Riley
3 Kym Douglas
4 Steven Algie
5 Steve Day
8 John Twiname 9 Allan Copson 10 Joanne Baker 11 Dennis Rickard 12 Narelle Carter 13 Allison Fasken 14 Kristian Laine
15 Dennis Rickard 16 Bob Walpole
17 David Gray
18 Hyun Duck Park 19 Max Maujean 20 Sue Adorjan
20 Lisa Murray
6 John Twiname
7 Jarrod Vero