Photography Studies College - Blog

PSC's graduate Andrew Hardy is 26, owns a media company with clients including Sony Alpha and Mini Cooper – and travels across the U.S. regularly for work. He talks about moving to Melbourne at 18 from Tasmania to study at PSC, and how it helped lay the foundations for a successful career in the creative industries.  

PSC's Master of Arts - Photography Convenor Dr. Kristian Häggblom was one of 15 emerging curators from around the world invited to the In Focus Curator Forum by the Ballarat International Foto Biennale. Each participant had to present on a timely topic over the four-day event. The final day culminated in portfolio reviews given to selected photographers. Kristian gives us insights into the key issues discussed, his presentation on exhibiting photography in alternative spaces – and his own BIFB exhibit 'Aokigahara Jukai' which documents a forest at the foot of Mt. Fuji in Japan over nearly two decades.

PSC's students Susan Brunialti and Kim Nguyen scored Gold Awards (prints over 90) at The AIPP Australian Professional Photography Awards 2019. Another student Oliver Stewart achieved Silver Awards for each of his three prints. Based on the high achievements of our students, PSC was one of only two finalists for the prestigious AIPP Australian Tertiary Photography Institution of the Year. We asked Susan and Kim to tell us about how they created their highly ranked images and passion for photography.

PSC's tutor Jessica Ledwich's latest photography exhibition is a reminder that women's desire is complex, powerful and very much alive! So why are we still uncomfortable with female sexuality, and is it invisible in contemporary society? Jessica investigates this in relation to the camera in her show 'Our Desires Are Not Our Own'. It's listed in the 'Top 5 Exhibitions To See This Week' by Art Guide Australia.

Hailing from the Faroe Islands, where studying photography is literally not an option, PSC student Rani Joensen, is studying what he loves in Melbourne. Now in his second year, he's excited about experimenting with photography genres other than landscape, and feels like he really fits in among his college community of photographers. 

Mandarine Montgomery, PSC's Communications and Future Students Coordinator, took home the Ilford Trophy for Highest Scoring Print (97/100) at the 2019 Australian Professional Photography Awards last week. Her work 'Waiting for the Rain'  is a surreal and haunting landscape referencing drought in Australia. She talks about her award-winning image, the judging process, and why social media 'Likes' are not the same as having your work critiqued by professionals.

PSC student Louise Chen is using her photography skills to help save Victoria's forests. She works for the Wilderness Society and documents the damage caused by logging. Louise talks about her activist role but also night street photography, documenting our local community, and her Southbank group exhibition.

PSC graduate James Bugg at the age of 22 won last year's $50,000 Moran Contemporary Photography Prize for his image 'Zach'. Shot on photographic film in the disadvantaged suburb of Frankston North, the portrait struck a chord with the judges for offering a glimpse of modern Australian life rarely visible.  We caught up with James to see how the award has impacted his photographic journey and hear his advice to other young photographers interested in documenting contemporary Australia.