Recently, the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) revealed the winners of their annual competition, the Australian Professional Photography Awards(APPA). The awards presentation is a culmination of three days of intense photography judging by some of Australia’s leaders in the photographic industry.
A total of 1814 entries were submitted into the awards with 692 awarded silvers, 290 awarded silver distinction, 63 awarded a gold, and 19 awarded a gold distinction.
Perth photographer Chris Saunders won the prestigious title of Australian Professional Photographer of the year for his abstract landscape images. Saunders, an engineer for an oil and gas company, spends his spare time photographing landscapes. “What I really enjoy about aerial landscapes is it allows you to see things from new perspectives and explore new areas”, he said. Saunders said aerial images challenged the viewer to look at our landscape and see what is going on around us. “To see the scale of what people can do to our landscape, you can either be in awe of it or mortified by it.” Of the win, Saunders said that he’s never really seen himself as being equal to some of the established AIPP photographers, and that the recognition of his work at that standard is incredible.
2018 AIPP Australian Professional Photography Awards winners
• 2018 AIPP Australian Professional Photographer of the Year – Chris Saunders (Perth)
• 2018 AIPP Australian Commercial Photographer of the Year – Lisa Saad (Melbourne)
• 2018 Australian Documentary Photographer of the Year – Lacey Barratt (Melbourne)
• 2018 AIPP Australian Family Photographer of the Year – Kelly Champion (Adelaide)
• 2018 AIPP Australian Illustrative Photographer of the Year – Suellen Cook (Hobart)
• 2018 AIPP Australian Landscape Photographer of the Year – Chris Saunders (Perth)
• 2018 AIPP Australian Nature Photographer of the Year – Darren Jew (Brisbane)
• 2018 AIPP Australian Newborn Photographer of the Year – Jodie Andrews (NSW Central Coast)
• 2018 AIPP Australian Pet/Animal Photographer of the Year – Karen Alsop (Melbourne)
• 2018 AIPP Australian Portrait Photographer of the Year – Steve Wise (Perth)
• 2018 AIPP Australian Travel Photographer of the Year – Lesley Downie (Noosaville)
• 2018 AIPP Australian Wedding Photographer of the Year – Dan O’Day (Canberra)
• 2018 AIPP Australian Creative Photographer of the Year – Rebecca Croft
• 2018 AIPP Australian Emerging Photographer of the Year – Belinda Richards (Melbourne)
• 2018 AIPP Australian Student Photographer of the Year – Callan Shiel (Perth)
• 2018 AIPP Australian Album of the Year – Eric Ronald (Footscray, VIC)
• 2018 AIPP Australian Photographic Book of the Year – Peter Eastway (Collaroy Beach, New South Wales)
• 2018 AIPP Australian Overseas Award – Tony Carter
• 2018 AIPP Highest Scoring Image – Darren Jew (Brisbane)
• 2018 AIPP Epson Signatureworthy Award – Barbara Brown (Perth)
• 2018 AIPP Australian Tertiary Institution of the Year – North Metropolitan Tafe, Western Australia
• 2018 Agregate Grand Master Award – Geoff Comfort (Canberra)
