Professional Kogarah photographer Linda Warlond has been named top pet and animal photographer in NSW.
Linda, who last year won the portrait division of the NSW AIPP awards, says her photography varies from portraits and weddings to birthing, commercial and art .
Setting herself a challenge this year she has pocketed the 2017 AIPP NSW Pet/Animal Professional Photographer of the Year title.
More than 70 of the state’s best professional photographers gathered at Sydney’s Darling Harbour last week for the awards presentation dinner at Blackbird Café.
The AIPP NSW Epson Professional Photography Awards are run annually in every state by the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) – the country’s largest photographic membership body – and sponsored by Epson.
When she doesn’t have a camera in her hands working, she likes putting her training in veterinary nursing to use.
“I enjoy my volunteer role of being a professional photographer at the Pets in the Park charity, which aims to support homeless people in society who live with animal companions,” Linda said.
“Experimenting with new and old techniques and processes is what keeps my passion for photography alive.”
The national president of the AIPP, Vittorio Natoli, says the awards represent “the best of the best” of professional photography in Australia.
“These awards are a celebration of photographic excellence and represent the pinnacle of professional photography,” he says.
Innovation, content, creativity, technical excellence and impact are the key criteria when the awards’ entries are assessed.
There were 118 entries and a collective of 680 of images submitted for judging.
This year, the awards were peer-judged anonymously over the course of two days by some of Australia’s most recognised photographers including Tony Hewitt, Steve Wise and Shireen Hammond.
The state awards also act as a stepping stone to the country’s largest national awards for professional print photography called the APPAs (the Australian Professional Photography Awards).
State awards entrants must receive 80 points and above for at least two of their images to be eligible for the APPAs.
In 2015, the AIPP’s accreditation standards were awarded landmark certification from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which allows its members to benefit from the first official certification status for accredited professional photographers.