Snap happy in Chippendale

Timothy Poulton spends eight to ten hours in front of a computer most days but next week he is hoping to win a prize for much more.

Mr Poulton spends his time running a design print agency in Chippendale but between the clicks and logs of his computer he takes award winning photographs.

Mr Poulton’s ‘Starry Starry Night’, a tribute to painter Vincent Van Gogh, has been selected as a finalist in the 2011 ANZANG Nature Photography Competition to be announced today at the South Australian Museum..

“It’s fantastic to be nominated, in previous years I had missed the entry date, but some of the work that got chosen was stunning,” Mr Poulton said.

“When I saw those works I thought I’d love to be a part of that.

As well as the nomination, Poulton’s photograph has also been chosen to appear in the Australasian Nature Photography book.

Poulton is best known for capturing the beauty of the natural world, in particular his panoramic landscapes from the east-coast of Australia.

“A photo is about capturing something that the naked eye can’t see, that what makes photography so exciting,” he said.

He gained recognition when he won the 2009 international Aperture landscape awards for his photograph ‘Shocking Bondi’.

“I was working at Ravesis in Bondi Beach at the time, on my way home I noticed a huge storm, an elderly man nearby said to me ‘that’d make a nice photo!’”

“I stopped and looked and there was a massive cloud coming in, I set up my camera and captured stunning lighting.”

Nature based photography has always appealed to Poulton when creating his works.

“I’m based in the city, I run a design print agency in Chippendale, which means I spend 8 to 10 hours a day in front of a computer” said Poulton.

“When you spend so much time with the traffic and the people that come with the built world, there is nothing better than sitting in front of a tree or a flower just waiting for the perfect moment. That’s when you can totally forget all your worries, and focus on the tranquility”