Page 13 - APH_Feb21_Special

SPONSOR
JASMINE VINK
@jasmine_vink
RUNNER-UP
ANIMAL & NATURE
Ecologist and wildlife photographer Jasmine Vink’s work may already be familiar to you – she won the overall award of Photog- rapher of the Year back in 2018 with a series of images of frogs from Borneo and Mada- gascar. Here, the Brisbane photographer has turned her attention to flying foxes, the ‘essential workers’ of the ecosystem that keep forests healthy and even assist bush- land to recover after fire.
“Photographing wild black flying foxes was my photographic project while in lockdown,” Vink says. “I was able to visit a friend who had flying foxes regularly visit her backyard and spend time with them to gain their trust over several months.
After spending this time getting to know the regular flying foxes, I was able to ap- proach more closely and achieve the intimate portraits I was seeking. I used different com- binations of cameras on ladders, tripods, up to five speedlites and a high-speed IR trigger to produce my photographs.”
For the judges, her series perfectly demonstrates the value in knowing your
subject, combined with an impressive tech- nical knowledge to capture these beautiful low light portraits.
WHAT THE JUDGES’ SAID STEVE AND ANN TOON: Jasmine’s clearly up for a challenge in taking on some tough action photography in the dark. And she’s nailed it. This dra- matic portfolio of wild flying foxes grabbed our attention from the off for its punchy precision and the crispness of detail in her masterful study of the species; whether it’s those engaging portraits or her awesome flight shots. She who dares wins!
GEORGINA STEYTLER: This portfolio en- capsulates the nocturnal world of the flying foxes in four distinct, emotive images with a uniform narrative. The photographer has demonstrated an incredible level of photographic skill and their empathy for, and under- standing of, their subject is manifest.
ESSENTIAL WORKER
1. Ali Moughnieh
2. Jasmine Vink
3. Sarah Minall
4. Jannico Kelk
5. Harman Singh Heer 6. Rory McLeod
7. Bronwyn Ellis
8. Mark Loh
9. Harman Singh Heer 10. Deb Ford
11. Luke Alexander 12. Shane Daley 13. Bridgette Gower 14. Jari Cornelis 14. Harrison Warne 14. Daniel Towns 14. Mark Wong
18. Ste Everington 19. Louise Wolbers 20. Andrew Raguse
ANIMAL & NATURE TOP 20
| 31 | FEBRUARY 2021 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM