• Fremantle (below) and a curious swan is on-show at this year’s Perth Amateur Photographers Photo Exhibition. Photo by Jeremy Peck.

EVERYTHING from Christmas Island to a moody shot of the Gage Roads Brewery in Fremantle is in this year’s Perth Amateur Photographers Photo Exhibition.

Featuring 50 WA photographers from all walks of life, the exhibition has 150 stunning photos of buildings, people and landscapes across Australia.

Despite sophsticated camera phones and a resurgence in the use of negative film and instant cameras, exhibition organiser Travis Satur says 90 per cent of entries were taken using digital cameras.

“Where we are seeing the main growth, is the amount of photographers moving towards traditional digital cameras from their normal ‘smart phone’ photography,” he says. 

“While the technology has improved significantly on phone cameras, as photographers make that step to becoming more serious about their photography we find them moving to the digital cameras where there is more control over the camera settings to capture the shot they want.”

Exhibition highlights include Jeremy Peck’s beautiful close-up of a black swan – its vivid red bill contrasting with its black plumage and the pale CBD light in the background (see front page).

“A swan became very intrigued with my camera lens while I was shooting the cityscape from the South Perth foreshore,” Peck says.

“I’ve recently renewed my love for photography and art after taking a 10-year hiatus from being creative. There isn’t any specific style or subject I prefer shooting…. I just always enjoy the feeling of permanently capturing a moment in time on camera.”

Tracey Killen.

If you like black-and-white photos then check out Roxy Cabrera-Isa’s candid snap of a young woman using her wing mirror to help put on lipstick.

The photo has a slightly mysterious and forlorn quality, prompting us to consider what events preceded it and what drama might unfold later.

Another beautiful black-and-white entry is Lee Garces’s snap of a young Indigenous girl dancing – we see her through a flurry of hands as she gracefully raises her arm and prepares for her next move. The shot was taken at the WA Museum Boola Bardip earlier this year.

“I like to capture what people are feeling in a given moment, photographing a piece in time that will trigger a memory or emotion for those receiving the image,” Garces says.

There’s plenty of landscapes including the obligatory shot of the Perth CBD buildings at dusk, and a far more interesting shot of four people sitting on a bench overlooking the beach at sunset, their silhouettes pitched against the tangerine glow on the horizon.

Now in its third year, the exhibition has gone from strength-to-strength and this year’s opening night will feature live music from up-and-coming WA band Midnight Rose Music, with catering provided by Fremantle food stall Tibet Stove. 

The exhibition also includes a People’s Choice Award where the public can use a QR code to vote for their favourite snap.

“The standard of our exhibitors is consistently stronger as we progress. We have a number of exhibitors this year who have been in all three exhibitions and seeing their work evolve as they find their style and develop their skill has been fantastic,” Satur says.

The Perth Amateur Photographers photo exhibition is at the Kidogo Art House in Fremantle from November 22-28. For more info and tickets for the opening night see perthamateurphotographers.wordpress.com/exhibition-2022/

by STEPHEN POLLOCK