Image by Ian Kemp

Currently in the final year of the Advance Diploma under the Photojournalism Major, Ian Kemp was recently selected into the Fringe Program at the BIFB with his eclectic series 'Scapes' - a collection of natural and city landscapes from Victoria (Australia) and Biella, Italy.

Ian had turned to photography after a very emotionally shattering experience, as a release to tap into something interesting. Little did he know that this interest of his would yield him so much recognition only a few years after joining PSC. Ian has won awards from the DPReview, The Central Victorian Interclub Photographic competitions and Goldfields Image Makers. He has had his work exhibited at the 8th Pakhenam National Photographic Exhibition, The 40th Warrigal National Photographic Exhibition, the 46th Ballarat National Photographic Exhibition, The Market Art Winter (Castlemaine) and The Centre for Contemporary Photography (Fitzroy); the list just goes on and on!

Ian Kemp with Jeff Moorfoot and Sally Brownbill, at the BIFB 2015 Opening

Returning from Italy a few months ago, after working as a commercial photographer, Ian is involved with the BIFB in more ways than one, stepping into the busy role of the prime Volunteer Coordinator for the event. Despite his hectic schedule, he sent us his own thoughts about his experience in being selected for the prestigious festival:

"My Scapes series is a collection of landscapes and cityscapes that I have made this year. The landscapes are taken at Mt Hotham, Lake Wendouree and the Grampians and the cityscape is from Biella, Italy. Some of the images are from my semester 1 folio, some from my first exhibition in February this year. I chose the landscape genre because I do not like it very much and wanted to explore the creative possibilities that it might present. I’m not a fan of representational landscapes and so I chose to adopt a painterly technique using textures and referencing the work of Australian Impressionist painters and Fred Williams. I sold a photograph on the first day of the BIFB to someone who, ‘fell in love with [my] beautiful work,’ and that really excited me, I guess that’s the ultimate in feedback, isn’t it? My work is in the Fringe program of the BIFB and this is a part of the Festival that should interest students at PSC; artists have to organise all elements of their exhibition and it is a great way to get their work out into the public domain."

Visit Ian Kemp's website to see more of his work: http://www.iankempphotography.com