Page 8 - Australian Photography Feb 2022

OVERALL WINNER AND WINNER
PEOPLE
ROCKET GIRL CHRONICLES
ANDY ROVENKO
@rovenko
Ukraine born and raised, and calling Australia home for more than 17 years, Creative Technologist Andy Rovenko’s gorgeous series The Rocketgirl Chronicles wowed our judges with its beautiful lighting, captivating subject, and sense of nostalgia to make it a clear winner of the 2021 Photographer of the Year. Captured with Andy’s trusty Mamiya RZ67 and Fujifilm PRO400H film, the series marks the first time a project captured on film has won the competition – proof that it’s not the gear, but the idea, that’s key for great imagery.
“Interestingly, the series was never intend- ed as a photography project,” explained Andy. “When the sixth Melbourne lockdown hit and our four-year-old was stuck at home with playgrounds closed and other entertainment options already exhausted, we needed to in- vent something new to keep her mind occu-
pied within our 5km travel radius.”
“Since Mia was always obsessed with all
things space – the theme was already de- fined for us as playing to her natural interest seemed like an easy win.
The very first thing was a family craft proj- ect, with my wife Mariya bringing back her theatre costume design skills and our 4-year- old actively helping with the creation of the space suit and papier-mâché helmet.
Then, out little astronaut started exploring the neighbourhood and bringing her imagina-
tion to otherwise mundane places on our daily walks. My old Mamiya started to make an oc- casional appearance to capture some family memories, but it was not until I started devel- oping the film that I realised how surreal the images were. Now, the camera has become a regular companion, but it’s still not the main reason for our adventures.”
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID ANTHONY MCKEE: Andy Rovenko’s series was a clear winner in this year’s People category. The idea of making photos of a child in a space helmet is as old as the space race itself, but Rovenko’s images have a wonderful poignancy to them. The making of each image was proba- bly a fun adventure for his daughter, but within each scene most grownups would also see the sadness of life in a post CO- VID world – a fire on the beach with no friends to share it with, an empty laun- dromat and two post-industrial images that remind us of the carbon economy we are struggling to leave behind. Soft light, gorgeous styling and some subtle postproduction techniques have made this a truly gorgeous series of images that this child will treasure for the rest of her life. We treasure your imagery too, Andy. Well done.
HELEN WHITTLE: This emotional portfo- lio embraces storytelling and imagina- tion. A project born out of Melbourne’s sixth lockdown, these images show how stories can be found and brought to life when we most need them. By enticing the viewer into the scene, with their moody tones and thoughtful composi- tions, we are left with a feeling of won- der and nostalgia. The result is beautiful and incredible work.
PRIZE: World Photography Adventures photography tour valued at $5,000 with up to $500 towards flights, $1000 cash, a Nokia XR20 valued at $879, a Nokia X20 valued at $599 and a $1,000 gift voucher from Camera House.
| 22 | FEBRUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM