Photographer scoops awards

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‘Limb’ George Taamaru by Chris Melville

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‘Look’ Stiltwalker by Chris Melville

PRESS RELEASE

Photographer scoops awards 21/11/06

From Chris Melville Photography

North Shore photographer Chris Melville has, in the same week, picked up: Third prize in the World Health Organisation Photo Contest (black and white section) and Photo of the Month on the Auckland Festival of Photography website.

At a time when Chris’s photography business is just establishing, these two awards are a big boost to his profile.

The World Health photo is an image of George Taamaru, NZ Paraolympian, holding his own artificial leg over his shoulder. The brief was to communicate health and disability in the workplace, and since George’s workplace is his training ground in the gym Chris asked to photograph him there.

The Auckland Festival photograph is an image of a stiltwalker looking to the sky.

On http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0611/S00045.htm the judges said: “for such a colourful event this image was striking for it’s great use of classic black and white”.

Chris has won $500US for his World Health photo, (which he will share with George) and a $300 philips digital photo display for his Auckland Festival photo.

‘The Agreement with George (Taamaru) was that money was not the object of the exercise, we were trying to raise my photography profile and his paraolympic profile. This award allows us publicity in our respective fields and a good image of him in front of the world. We set out with an exact goal in mind and we achieved it. So what more can we ask for?! Chris is known in Auckland for his bandleader role in The Grand Central Band, a jazz funk group who play regularly at bars, clubs, corporate xmas parties, festivals and parties.

ENDS

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