Photo festival snaps up young talent

Sydney is showcasing the next generation of photographic creativity at the Shutterbug Festival this month.
The festival is a nationwide competition based in Sydney that provides an opportunity for up-and-coming photographers to have their work displayed at a projection night on 21 July at the Chauvel cinema.
“We’re giving young photographers the opportunity to get exposure that they wouldn’t normally be able to get on their own,” said festival organiser Marc Burlace.
Mr Burlace, a photographer from Bondi, started the festival in 2007 because he felt image-makers lacked a quality outlet for their work without the expense of an exhibition.
“I had never seen photography on the big screen before, and I thought it was time to show some of the new talent in an interesting way,” said Mr Burlace.
The projection night provides an opportunity for exposing emerging photographers to the industry, with professional photographers invited and selected to judge the best work.
Entries must be more than twenty still photographs with a unifying theme.  This year themes range from rodeo, high fashion and truckers, to inner city Sydney street images.
“Each entrant this year is really unique and diverse, and it’s great to see so much new exciting work,” said Mr Burlace.
Matt Robinson, 31, a Sydney finalist from Clovelly, entered a series of Sydney street photography titled ‘Time to Pretend’.  His photos capture the bustle and movement of the city and the pressures workers face in the rat race.
“It’s about looking at the city and the people coming to and from work and how unhappy they were, and imagining where they really wanted to be,” said Mr Robinson.
“Shutterbug’s a great opportunity for photographers trying to break through and gain exposure.”
This year’s festival also has a sombre note, with the People’s Choice Award going to Mark Dundas, a Sydney photographer, who passed away last year at 35.
Dundas’s black and white images of youths in Newtown received high praise and made him a finalist for the festival in 2007.
“We’re going to run his slide show again this year as a memorial, because he was one of our favourites and his work was outstanding,” said Mr Burlace.
The winners of the festival will be announced on the night, with prizes including front-page shoots for street press and photography equipment courtesy of Olympus.

by Paul Farrell