It was very exciting to be featured in Ferntree Gully's local newspaper The Knox Leader in June! The newspaper decided to run a story on myself and a recent silver award I picked up at the annual Victorian Professional Photography Awards run by the AIPP. I must say that it was quite unusual to be on the other side of the camera for a change and having my own photograph taken!
The story was also published in the The Maroondah Leader newspaper, as both papers cater for Melbourne's outer eastern suburbs.
The Article
Ferntree Gully baby & family photographer Michelle Marchant of Kiddy Kats Photography was very excited to pick up a silver award last month at the 2019 AIPP Victorian Professional Photography Awards.
The annual awards hold considerable significance to professional photographers across all fields of photography. To enter, they firstly have to be a member of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) and this is an achievement in itself! Secondly, all photographs are judged on the submission of a print so photographers really need to understand the full process of capture to print, in the highest of standards. All prints are given a score out of 100 and those that score high enough receive Silver and Gold Awards.
“My interest in photography sparked over 20 years ago when I studied it in high school. I went to Boronia Heights Secondary College and my teacher Mr. McKenzie was very encouraging. At the time, I could never have imagined my career would take me to where it has and I would be achieving awards like this for my work.”
After high school, Michelle completed a Bachelor of Arts at Deakin University which led her into a career in the film industry for over 10 years. She attributes most of her skills to her time working as a freelance camera assistant. Michelle made a career change so she could spend more time at home and started photographing babies and families. She has been running her business Kiddy Kats Photography for over 5 years now (www.kiddykatsphoto.com.au).
This is the fourth silver award Michelle has won over 3 years, but this one holds most meaning to her. “I photographed baby Gabriel shortly after having my first son. The emotional rollercoaster during pregnancy and that paranoia that your baby is ok was still very raw to me. The story behind Gabriel’s safe arrival and the tragedy his parents experienced with previously losing a baby…. I felt devastated for them and wanted to create something special. With their blessing, I set out to create a piece that honoured their daughter in an elegant way. As my work is usually quite natural, this was really stepping outside the box for me.”
“It takes many hours to perfect an image to awards standard. As a new Mum, fatigued and time poor, I worked on this image just when I could… in between caring for a baby, photo shoots, and working on client orders. Hectic! So to win a silver award, it makes me very proud! Us Mums CAN raise a child and have a career - it’s definitely not easy, it just takes a lot of time management and dedication! I hope this achievement can encourage other Mums and photographers to follow their ambitions.”
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