23 June 2009

'For you, I'd do it a thousand times over' - winner of the University of Dundee photography competition announced

The endearing, and enduring, image of a young boy playfully carrying shopping home has been chosen as the winner of ‘Picturing Dundee - The University of Dundee Photography Competition’.

‘For you, I’d do it a thousand times over’ by Bakri Hafiz Hisham was named Best Overall Photograph by the judging panel, who praised Bakri for capturing a beautiful image that was 'perfectly taken and well balanced'.

The photograph contains an element of mystique as the viewer is invited to consider the unusual way the boy carries his shopping bags, the reason why he has been sent to collect the shopping, and what he is thinking as he makes his way through the alley.

The winners of the competition were announced by world-renowned landscape photographer Colin Prior when he attended a special preview of an exhibition of competition winners and commended entries at the University’s Dalhousie Building.

Attendees at the event had the chance to view the exhibition before it opens to the public. Afterwards, they heard Colin talk about his photographs, influences and experiences before announcing the competition results and presenting the winners with their prizes.

He said he was hugely impressed with the quality of entries and that they demonstrated a blend of art and craft.

'It was obvious right away that these images were all of a very high standard and that the photographers had put a great amount of effort into their work,' he said. 'The great thing about digital photography is that it has helped to engage with so many people and generate an interest in photography.'

'It is a fantastic idea to have a competition such as this, as it gets people thinking about their local environment. It makes residents of Dundee look more closely at their own city and view it in a way they might not have done before.'

The competition received well over 400 entries, and the exhibition will take place at the Dalhousie Building between June 23rd and July 7th 2009. The University’s Director of External Relations, Joan Concannon, congratulated Bakri on his winning entry.

'This is the image I kept coming back to in my mind,' she said. 'It is endearing and shows a somewhat vulnerable quality. Bakri has certainly done exceptionally well to beat off strong competition as, while we anticipated a high standard of entry, the quality of submissions surpassed our expectations.'

'We challenged photographers to provide the image which they felt best captured the face of 21st century Dundee, and it was fascinating to see what the city means to so many different people.'

'Having an internationally renowned photographer like Colin Prior lend his support to this event was a great honour, and I’m sure he was impressed by the standard on display.'

Bakri is currently studying architecture at the University of Technology in Malaysia. As such, he was unable to attend the ceremony, and his mother accepted his prize of digital camera equipment worth £800 in his absence.

The young boy featured in the photograph is Bakri’s brother, Muhammad Irfan, and the shot was taken in a back alley near Dundee’s Perth Road. The photographer says his intention was to show how safe and peaceful it is to live and study in Dundee, where everything is a short walking distance away, even for a young child.

Runner-Up Carolyn Scott received a compact digital camera worth £200 for her entry ‘Vina’. Alan Wilson (‘Mysterious Gateway’) received the Best External Entry prize, Graeme Whaley (‘Dundee DNA’) was named Best Staff Entry and Andy Barratt (‘Tayside House’) was judged Best Student Entry. All three will receive a £20 Jessops voucher.

The University launched the competition as it sought to enhance its reputation, and that of the city, with quality images that encapsulate the spirit of Dundee to showcase across the globe. Winning photographers will now possibly see their images used in the University’s promotional material.

Both amateur and professional photographers were invited to take inspiration from their surroundings and submit images of the city and/or the University that capture exactly what it is that marks out modern Dundee.

In addition to technical merit and composition, the suitability and relevance of the images for University publications and the way in which the theme has been communicated were considered by the judging panel.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk