THE MONO AWARDS: THE JUDGES
Our amazing judges for the 2024 edition of the Mono Awards are below.
Liz Ham
Spanning two decades, the work of Liz Ham is both broad in form and appeal, comprising a signature style of humour, nostalgia and narrative. These elements – which have defined her work across fashion photography, portraiture and documentary – are a unique attribute of one of Australia’s most prominent and recognised female photographers.
In addition to working professionally in fashion, editorial and advertising, Ham’s personal work continues to be exhibited and documented, most recently at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney and in a cover story for international art journal Art Monthly. Her work has been collected by the Australian National Library Archives, the State Library of Victoria and New South Wales and exhibited at the Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne, the Australian Centre for Photography, Stills Gallery and The Liverpool Biennale, United Kingdom.
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
Dean Sewell
Dean Sewell, born in 1971 grew up in Sydney where he began his career working as a news photographer for the Sydney Morning Herald. In 2005 Sewell was awarded 1st Prize, Spot News Stories category of the World Press Photo Awards for his work on the Tsunami aftermath in Aceh, Indonesia. In 2002 and 2000 Sewell won World Press Photo awards for his work on the Australian Bushfires and East Timor respectively. His series on "The Block" in Aboriginal Redfern and coverage of the Sydney Bushfire Crisis of 2001 were showcased at the prestigious Visa Pour L'Image Festival of Photojournalism in Perpignan, France. In 2001 Sewell co-founded the Australian Photographic Collective ‘Oculi’.
Annually from 2000-2005 Sewell's work was screened at "Reportage"- Australia's Leading Festival of Photojournalism. Sewell was awarded Australian Press Photographer of the Year in 1998 and 1994. In 1999 he covered the lead-up to the East Timor elections and its violent aftermath. In 1996 Sewell was based in Moscow where he covered the Russian federal elections, the Chechen war and other social issues. Sewell’s work is regularly exhibited in leading Australian and International Galleries and his works are held in private collections. In 2005 and 2008, Sewell was awarded an “Artist Residency” by Bathurst Regional Art Gallery in the remote historical gold-mining village of Hill End in NSW, Australia.
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
Tom Truong
Tom Truong is a dynamic, passionate, creative professional with over two decades of experience as a freelance Photographer, Cinematographer, and Colourist. His career spans both local and international productions, showcasing his versatility and commitment to excellence.
Specialising in documentary, commercial, and corporate projects, Tom also enjoys working in both narrative and non-narrative mediums. His portfolio includes award-winning projects that highlight his exceptional skills, creativity, and innovative approach.
Tom's professional credentials are a testament to his expertise. He is an accredited stills photographer and cinematographer with the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), holds Licentiate Status with the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP), and is an active member of the Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS).
For his personal works, Tom is an avid black and white photographer and enjoys photographing architecture, urban-scapes, landscapes, streets and portraits in both film and digital 35mm and medium formats.
Chris Budgeon
Chris Budgeon is a Canadian born, Australian based photographic artist seeking to present visual imagery as a unique voice of figurative language.
Early encounters with image makers like Mary Ellen Mark, Yousuf Karsh and Satyajit Ray helped shape his practice towards the acute observation of the human condition, a theme which he continues to pursue to this day.
Over 30 years of photographic practice have lead to multiple inclusions in awards, exhibitions and annuals like the Taylor Wessing Award, Moran Photographic Award, Olive Cotton Award, HeadOn, Martin Kantor Award, Ulrich and Schubert Award, Iris Award, Percival Award, Bowness Award, Graphis and ComArts Photographic Annuals.
Highlights include nine times selection into Lurzer’s Archive Top 200 Advertising Photographers Worldwide, and being an Australian National Portrait Prize Finalist seven times.
Meg Hewitt
Meg Hewitt was born in 1973 in Sydney, and formally studied sculpture, painting and temporal media. She took up photography in 2010 and since then has been selected as a finalist in the Moran Prize for Contemporary Photography, the Head On Prize, the Lensculture Street Photography Awards and the Maggie Diaz Photography Prize for Women as well as being awarded a gold medal from the Tokyo International Foto Competition 2018 and a silver medal from the Prix de la Photographie, Paris, 2016.
In 2017 she was named fringe artist of the year at the Ballarat International Foto Biennale and highly commended in the Australian Photobook of the Year awards for her monograph ‘Tokyo is Yours’. Meg was founding director of 10x8 Gallery and is currently Event Producer for Ballarat Foto Biennale, she is a member of the Australian photo collective Oculi and international street photography collective UP.
Jay Collier
Jay Collier is a renowned nature and wildlife photographer as well as educator and tour guide from Melbourne.
With a long standing career in the Australian photographic industry, Jay is well known amongst the industry’s finest photographers from his time working at Canon Australia from 2006 to 2020 both as the manger of Canon Professional Services (CPS) and also heading up the Canon Collective team in Victoria.
Jay has also managed Nikon Professional Services (NPS) as well as working for Olympus and a Kodak earlier in his career.
Jay is best known for his working as a wildlife photographer and photo safari guide having hosted guests all over Africa since 2004 as well as other destinations such as Antarctica, Patagonia and several locations across Australia through his photo tour company.
Jay also pioneered the first dedicated aerial photography tour company in Lake Eyre hosting guests on open door aerial landscape photography tours.
Aside from his work as a nature photographer, Jay also works as a photographer shooting for corporate clients both in the studio and on location and has also been a prominent photographer in the Australian music industry since 1999 working with many major artists and publications worldwide.
Alex Cearns OAM
Dogs Today Magazine in the United Kingdom called Perth-based photographer Alex Cearns “One of our greatest dog photographers in the world.” Cearns is the Creative Director of Houndstooth Studio based in Perth, Australia, and specialises in capturing portraits that convey the intrinsic character of her animal subjects.
She photographs for engaged pet lovers, corporate brands in Australia, the USA, and the UK, and for around 40 Australian and International animal charities and conservation organisations. Her images have been published extensively across international media, in books, magazines, billboards and advertising campaigns.
Cearns is the recipient of over 350 awards for photography, business, and philanthropy and in 2019 was awarded an Order Of Australia for services to animal charities through photography. Inspiring others with her joy of working with animals, her philanthropy and passionate advocacy for animal rescue has earned her high regard among Australia’s animal lovers and a strong following on social media. She is an ambassador for Tamron, Profoto, BenQ, and Spider Holster, and is considered an influencer in photography, business, and pet industry communities.
She regularly judges photography competitions and presents at events. Cearns lives with her partner, two rescue dogs, and rescue cat in Perth, Western Australia.
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
Matt Palmer – MPhotog MNZIPP (Dist.)
Matt Palmer is a specialist landscape photographer and co-owns the Alpine Light Gallery featuring photographic art in Bright, Victoria.
Starting out in live music photography almost 25 years ago, Palmer has experience in multiple genres including portraiture, wedding, sports, documentary, and landscape photography.
Passionate about storytelling through imagery, his series on Tasmanian fire impacts helped him receive 2019 Australian Professional Photographer of the Year and Landscape photography awards.
Anthony McKee
Anthony McKee is a Melbourne-based writer and social documentary photographer. In 2014, he was named AIPP Australian Documentary Photographer of the Year. He has also won awards for his landscape photography. He has judged professional and amateur photography awards on both sides of the Tasman and in 2013 was made an Honorary Fellow of the NZIPP for his services to photography. He is a regular contributor to Australian Photography magazine.
WEBSITE
Mike Langford
Mike is a New Zealand born, multi-award winning international landscape and travel photographer. He has been a professional photographer for over 35 years and an International Awards judge and lecturer for 25 years.
Mike’s passion is travel/Landscape photography and travel book publishing, with over 26 books to his name. He is a Canon Master, Grand Master and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) and a Grand Master and Honorary Fellow and Life Member of the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP). He is also an EIZO ambassador.
Formerly based in Queenstown he now lives in Twizel, near Mount Cook, South Island, New Zealand.
Mike Langford is a director of the Creative Photography Workshops and Photo Safari with his wife Jackie Ranken.
Jackie Ranken
Jackie Ranken is an Australian born, multi-award winning landscape art photographer now living in New Zealand. She has over thirty five years’ experience within the visual arts and has been an international awards judge since 2002.
She learnt her craft by working within the photographic industry as a darkroom technician, freelance and sports photographer, wedding photographer, commercial photographer and photojournalist. In 1996 after gaining her Associate Diploma in Fine Arts she began working as a teacher of ‘Fine art’ photography.
She combines her art practice with teaching and is a presenter in workshops and seminars internationally. Exhibiting and instructing nationally and internationally. Her passion is the creation of multi-layered narratives via in camera multiple exposures and intentional movement.
She is a Grand Master of both the Australian Institute of Professional Photography and the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography. A Canon Master and EIZO Global Ambassador.
Helen Whittle
Helen Whittle is a fine-art photographer specialising in child portraiture who is inspired by dramatic and natural light. With a style consisting of mainly black and white, she produces simple, emotive and authentic images.
She has many awards to her name - as well as being a National Photographic Portrait Finalist in 2022, she received the Overall Winner award in Australian Photographer of the Year in 2016 in Australian Photography magazine, and Runner up Emerging Portrait Photographer of the Year 2019 in Capture Magazine. Helen was also the overall winner in the international competition Black and White Child Photo Competition in 2019.
Helen has been a judge in many international photography competitions and has been teaching child portraiture since 2018. She regularly speaks locally and internationally on this subject. She loves to share her enthusiasm and passion and inspire others.
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