Jamberoo photographer Ignacio Palacios has scored three awards at Australia’s largest state awards for professional print photography.
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Mr Palacios won the 2017 AIPP NSW Travel Professional Photographer of the Year, 2017 AIPP NSW Science, Wildlife and Wild Places Professional Photographer of the Year, as well as the 2017 AIPP NSW Epson Signature Worthy Award.
More than 70 of the best professional photographers from across the state gathered at Sydney’s Darling Harbour last Tuesday night for the awards presentation dinner.
Mr Palacios, who is originally from Spain, works as a freelance travel and nature photographer. He said above all he considered himself a traveler “and then a photographer”.
“I enjoy simply spending time at a beautiful location among the local people,” he said.
“I believe there are many different ways of experiencing a place and photography is one of them. Every time I travel, in every single moment, I look for possible picture opportunities.
“This passion to photograph the world makes me focus on details that I was not aware of before.”
The national president of the AIPP, Vittorio Natoli, said the awards represent the best of the best of professional photography in Australia.
“These awards are a celebration of photographic excellence and represent the pinnacle of professional photography,” he said.
Innovation, content, creativity, technical excellence and impact were the key criteria when the images were assessed.
There were 118 entrants with 680 images submitted for judging, which were peer-judged by some of Australia’s most recognised photographers including Tony Hewitt, Steve Wise and Shireen Hammond.
Mr Palacios said he also hoped to make a difference in the world through his travel photography.
“I want to raise awareness about the environment and human right issues in some of the countries I have visited,” he said.
“It is my hope that people realise that we have a beautiful world and we should protect it.”
The state awards also act as a stepping stone to the country’s largest national awards for professional print photography called the APPAs (the Australian Professional Photography Awards). State awards entrants must receive 80 points or more for at least two of their images to be eligible for the APPAs.
