Exciting times for PSC 2017 graduate Sam Forsyth-Gray with the opening of his first solo exhibition at the Perth Centre for Photography on the 31st May 2018. The exhibition titled 'On the Sea Stands a Rock'evolved from Sam's final year folio while undertaking his Bachelor of Photography degree.

Sam says of his work "My own photographs respond to found imagery, running throughout the series, creating a varied and experimental flow of works that seek to address and define my interpretation of the photographic object. Unravelling stories from these collections has allowed me to not only explore my own family history, but to look at ideas of lost memory and the lack of identity that comes with these abandoned family albums."

Photo: Louise Kennerley for The Sydney Morning Herald

It is with great pride that PSC announces our 2017 final year student James Bugg has been awarded the $50,000 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize for 2018 for his portrait titled Zach.

Final Year Advanced Diploma of Photography student Nish Paranavitana had a chance to kick some of his own goals recently. Nish is majoring in commercial photography, with a keen interest in sports photography. Recently he met up with renowned sports photojournalist and PSC Tutor, David Callow. Here Nish shares his photographic journey and the value of a mentor relationship.

 Photo of Nish by David Callow

What got you started in photography?

I loved sport as a kid and was always flicking through sports magazines, mainly to look at the photographs, rather than reading the articles. I’d always thought how cool it would be to be a sports photographer and to capture great sporting moments. I was lucky enough that my Dad bought me an SLR when I was 15, but then when I finished school and wanted to do a photography course, he said it wasn’t the kind of career that I should be aiming for. At that stage I didn’t have the courage to chase my dream and so I took another road. There is a long story that follows from here but it took me another 27 years before I finally enrolled myself into a course and followed my passion for photography.

Congratulations Agata Mayes!

Last night the prestigious Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) Victorian Professional Photography Awards sponsored by Epson, was held at Eleven40 Studio and Gallery in Melbourne.

Over 900 entries were received in 16 categories with the standards exceptionally high this year and the awards fiercely coveted. In presenting the awards last night, the Victorian President of the AIPP, Vanessa Macauley, herself a graduate of PSC, said how encouraged the Institute was to see that almost half of the entrants were students.

Agata Mayes, a final year Advanced Diploma student swept up the AIPP 2018 Emerging Photographer of the Year category with a series of emotive and surreal images. Agata’s photography explores the fragility of the human condition with sensitivity and she draws inspiration from classical painting and music to create her mystical and inspiring images.

As part of the 40 years Sister City Relationship between Melbourne City Council and Osaka City Council an Australian delegation visited Osaka last week. One of the highlights organized by Osaka City Council was the Osaka Food and Tourism seminar which explored opportunities for Osaka based on Melbourne’s great success in this area.

Photography Studies College's Osaka-based Japan- Australia Educational Liaison Officer, Steph Doran was one of four guest presenters at the seminar. Her presentation, delivered in Japanese, featured photographs of Osaka and Melbourne, including her own and a number shot by PSC students. She highlighted the food and coffee culture of both cities, their similarities and differences. Her lively presentation was enthusiastically received by a predominantly Japanese audience drawing on her knowledge of the great food culture of both cities.

Other presenters included Professor Shinya Hashizume from Osaka Prefecture University, Councillor Philip Le Liu from Melbourne City Council and Mr David Lawson, Australia’s Consul General in Japan.

http://www.michaelcoyne.com.au

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Waiting is a big part of my working life as a photojournalist. Waiting to be contacted, waiting for permission, waiting for the light and waiting for the right moment to happen. Recently, I was waiting at a Timor Leste prison for permission to photograph the inmates. I sat behind the metal bars watching the sun going down hoping we could start taking pictures before it got too dark. Getting into a prison as a photographer is not always easy. Permission has to come from the guards, warden and often politicians, all of which takes time. Everyone has a vested interest in what I see and photograph except regrettably the prisoners themselves. Waiting was uncomfortable, the buckled chair wobbled and threatened to collapse each time I moved. Across the compound I could see men with the word prisoner, emblazoned in bold letters on their shirts. I’ve photographed prisons in other countries. Sometimes it’s easy to get in and on other occasions I’ve waited days, weeks, even months to be told no, I can’t come in. Once when I was at a prison in the Philippines a guard with a gun strapped across his chest, performed karaoke for me as I waited to meet the prisoners. On this occasion I was lucky. I got permission, passed security, went through the gates and then I waited for the prisoners, also the captive audience of the guard’s karaoke via loudspeakers. A poorly performed Elvis Presley numbers doesn’t make waiting any easier!

Photography Studies College celebrates International Women’s Day, 8 March with a Photography Exhibition titled ‘reverie’ featuring work by female students and graduates. For the 6^th year in a row the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre has invited PSC to exhibit in the foyer of their building, ground floor 210 Queen street Melbourne.This year marks the 107th INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY.

 Mandarine Montgomery is a Melbourne based photographic artist and Master Photographer with the Australian Institute of Professional Photography. She joined the PSC team in December 2017 in the role of Communications and Future Students Co Ordinator. She has worked in many genres of photography, but her passion lies in conceptual fine art portraits and live music photography. Here she gives her top ten tips for nailing a gig shoot.