2019 International Color Awards - Nominees
It was my first year entering the International Color Awards.
This year I entered as an amateur, as the rules for a professional stated that photography had to be their income source. As I do not focus on photography 100% at the moment and my main income is derived from my day job (outside of the industry), it made sense to enter this way.
Yesterday, I found out that two of my images were nominated. Whilst they didn’t win, it’s still an amazing honour especially considering the high calibre of work and the judging panel.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
12TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL COLOR AWARDS HONORS MICHELLE LAKE FROM AUSTRALIA
LOS ANGELES 09/03/2019 - Amateur photographer Michelle Lake of Australia was presented with the 12th Annual International Color Awards Nominee title in the category of Nature at a prestigious Nomination & Winners Photoshow streamed Saturday, March 9, 2019.
The live online gala was attended by 11,829 photography fans around the globe who logged on to watch the climax of the industry's most important event for color photography. 12th Annual Jury members included captains of the industry from Sotheby's, New York; Benetton, Ponzano Veneto; The Art Channel, London; Kolle Rebbe, Hamburg; Droga5, New York; Preus Museum, Norway; Art Beatus, Hong Kong; Forsman & Bodenfors, Gothenburg; Wieden & Kennedy, Portland; Fox Broadcasting Network, Los Angeles; Gallery Kong, Seoul; and Phillips, New York who honored Color Masters with 761 title awards and 1,032 nominees in 37 categories.
"Winning awards is an endorsement that you are doing something right in your craft. I am delighted to win Merit of Excellence in the Food category and have another 8 nominations... a huge thank you to you and your support of photography," said Hugh Johnson, 2nd Place Winner in Food. Leigh Miller, 1st Place Winner in Aerial added, "Wow, I'm over the moon with pride and joy at getting 1st place and honourable mention in the amateur Aerial category. I'm privileged to have my work showcased alongside such talented and creative people. Thank you International Color Awards for the chance to show our work on an international stage and big thanks to the judges for their time."
"It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the 7,241 entries we received this year," said Basil O'Brien, the awards Creative Director. "Michelle Lake's "Exhale" and “Underwater Garden”, exceptional images entered in the Nature category, represents contemporary color photography at its finest, and we're pleased to present her with the title of Nominee."
INTERNATIONAL COLOR AWARDS is the leading international award honoring excellence in color photography. This celebrated event shines a spotlight on the best professional and amateur photographers worldwide and honors the finest images with the highest achievements in color photography. www.colorawards.com
Rome wasn't built in a day
The last stop on our Italian adventure was Rome.
I studied Roman Architecture at University and getting the opportunity to see some of the monuments & structures discussed in theory was really exciting. The Colosseum, The Roman Forum, The Vatican, The Trevi Fountain… I was bursting with excitement at the thought of seeing all of these historic places.
Our accomodation was hidden away amongst a maze of cobbled lane ways in the Trastevere. We stayed in a little studio apartment that opened up to a variety of restaurants and bars. It was a perfect location for dining out and for walking to all the quintessential roman locations.
The first thing we did was find a quaint little restaurant for some food and wine, before exploring the area. We were spoilt for choice and in our final week, we managed to discover some great little gems.
This, the last leg of our trip, was just as jam packed as the rest of our adventure. Apart from visiting the main attractions, we walked along the streets following the river as it meandered its way through the city. Whilst the city was filled with such beauty, homelessness was also prevalent. It was especially noticeable around the river with makeshift shanty tents set up. Other things that stuck in my mind was walking through the Jewish Ghetto and seeing small humble plaques as a reminder to those who lost their lives during Nazi occupation.
For the last part of our trip, we wanted to do something a bit different. So, we took a cooking class. We had the best day with Chef Monica and Elizabetta. Being the off season, we were so fortunate that it was only the two of us in the class. Monica and Elizabetta were both lovely and helpful, they made us feel very welcome and at ease. We got to experience the sights, smells and tastes of Rome as Monica showed us around the Campo De’ Fiori market, sharing with us some of her favourite places and food stores.
From the market, we walked back to the cooking venue, during the walk Monica explained some of Rome’s customs and history. It made the day even better, as we had not seen some of these areas and local knowledge is always invaluable.
We were very much looking forward to the cooking class and we were not disappointed. We had so much fun and learnt a lot, with the menu selection being really thought out and delicious. We had the best day. We were completely stuffed when we left - after eating three pasta dishes; a veal dish; tiramisu; crostini; plus, wine and water.
A thoroughly enjoyable day and it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip!
Unfortunately, this was the beginning of the end and our Italian adventure was almost over… time to say goodbye!