Miko in Nikko Tosho-Gu

January 23, 2018

Photographer of the Year and the Kentia Prize


671-1-David-Luke

Photographer of the Year 2017

I entered a number of shots taken in 2017 to the Australian Photography magazine's Photographer of the Year 2017 competition and I made it to the top 20 in two categories!

My series on Hong Kong was place 9th in the travel photography category, and my Capoeira Moves shot made it to 19th place in the Photo of the Year category! I'm so happy with these results and it makes me even more determined to learn as much as I can and develop both my technical skills and artistic sensibility in 2018 :)

For my Hong Kong series I was trying to capture a sense of real life Hong Kong, away from the gleaming sky scrapers and shopping malls.


My Capoeira Moves shot was more of a technical challenge. I saw great light coming through the windows at training, so I knew I *had* to do something with it. I asked the guys to give me one great move each as I moved from left to right across the room. I then merged elements of four shots together to make it appear as if it was one.

If I took this as one image there may have been some broken bones, which also could have made for a great shot ;)

  • Afternoon Markets - A market district in Hong Kong. Ten story apartment blocks are lined with stores and street stalls selling all kinds of products. Each...
  • SLOW! - For those who know, Aberdeen St in Hong Kong is LONG and STEEP. This is a great image that captures pedestrians toiling up the hill ... SLOW!
  • Uncle's Store - A beautiful image showing the old Hong Kong living in the shadows of gleaming office towers and air-conditioned boutiques. This uncle is...
  • HK Butchers of Distinction - A local butcher in the Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong. The city's street and electronic market area. I happened to catch...
  • Temple St Night Market - Temple Street Night Market is famous in Hong Kong. Full of trinkets, clothes, electronics and household goods, it's a riot of...
  • Close Quarters - Quarry Bay in Hong Kong is one of the last places you can see apartments that are packed close together, and are reminiscent of the now...


Capoeira Afternoon Moves - Shortlisted to the finals of the NSW Health Your Health Link National Photo Competition (https://www.yourhealthlinkphotocomp.com.au)....


Miko in Nikko Tosho-Gu

Kentia Prize 2018

I entered "Miko in Niko" to the Kentia Prize Photography Competition. This is a fundraiser held on Lord Howe Island and is a fundraiser for the school. Entries are limited to a maximum of 800.

This image was chosen as the winner of the travel photography section!

This is one of my all time favourite images, I just love the mood of the misty trees, wet grey rocks and moss lit by a patch of sunlight. The Miko *just* turned around as I released the shutter. This is a case of right time, right place, being ready, and serendipity.