UCOL Student wins National Photography Award

9 November 2010
UCOL Student wins National Photography Award

UCOL Visual Imaging student Kevin Bone has taken first place in the national Canon EYEcon awards, after coming second last year.

Fellow UCOL student Anna Kernohan was runner up in the awards, launched last year by the giant global photographic company to showcase the talent of New Zealand's emerging photographers and give them an opportunity to gain valuable experience with mentors.

Kevin’s win caps an outstanding year for the students and staff of UCOL’s Bachelor of Applied Visual Imaging (BAVI) programme.

Earlier this year, staff, students and graduates of the programme won an impressive number of awards at the annual Epson/New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers (NZIPP) Iris Photography awards, including Tertiary Institute of the Year for the sixth year running.

Kevin won Silver and Bronze awards at the 2010 NZIPP event and was the winner of the Student category at last year’s NZIPP awards.

His first place in the Canon awards wins him an array of prizes, including $5,000 worth of Canon equipment, $1,000 cash and the opportunity to spend a day each with four of the country's prominent photographers, with flights and accommodation included.

Kevin’s winning portfolio is entitled Memories of Childhood and was inspired by the birth of his son in 2008. “I am often in conversations with other adults about the differences between childhood then and childhood now. From these discussions I have collected a series of mutual experiences to which I strongly relate. These experiences, in turn, have formed the concepts for the images in this series,” says Kevin.

“When creating the images in this series I was aware that they would invite the adult viewer to see childhood from their adult perspective."

The Canon award was open to all tertiary students currently studying photography, and apprentice photographers within New Zealand.

As second place getter, Anna receives $2,000 worth of Canon products and membership of the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers (NZIPP) for one year.

The Canon EYEcon competition was judged on the basis of creativity, originality and technical expertise, combined with a sense of vision.

Last year’s inaugural EYEcon winner and BAVI graduate, Leilani Hatch, says the highlight of her prize was undoubtedly the time she spent on location with her photographic mentors. Leilani has since secured a position as a photographer working with the Manawatu Standard.

ENDS

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