And the winners are:
Under 18
First place: Billy Gibney, Hosier Lane
Second place: Liam Sieker, MCG from the air
Third place: Anna Leonedas, Degraves Street
18+
First place: Susan Hunt, MCG
Second place: Nick Stephenson, Morshead Overpass
Third place: Hans Sieker, to the MCG
Finalists
Finalists: under 18 years
Finalists: over 18 years
Judging panel
Supporters
In July 2010 we ran a photography competition to capture our city's changes. The brief was to find an old Melbourne photograph, capturing a place, an event or a time, and take a new photograph of the same place revealing the changes – or similarities – of Melbourne past and present.
This is the shortlist selected by our judging panel from over one hundred and fifty entrants. The finalists in each category will be announced Friday 12 November.
All shortlisted photographs are currently being exhibited at the Gallery @ City Library.
Finalists: under 18 years
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Hosier Lane past. |
Hosier Lane present, Billy Gibney.
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Judges’ Comments: Hosier Lane
It's a gritty place, Hosier Lane. A perspective from the gutter. Blue stone, still wet after the rain. Lights burning in the windows - who knows what life beyond. Stark graffiti shining with assertive pride. On the footpath, a Vespa, that symbol of smart chic. A Vespa and a Mini-Minor, connecting over fifty years.
Billy's comments:
I first became interested in photography about two years ago; I would look through my mum's Gregory Crewdson book over and over. I was drawn in by the way people could make a single photograph tell a whole story. About a year ago my parents bought me a Nikon D40. My mum had been interested in photography for a while and so we would go to the city regularly searching through the unknown alleys and shadow-filled parks.
I was informed about the Melbourne Library Service Snapped: Melbourne Past and Present photography competition by a half-torn flyer I found on the ground while in the city. So I did my research on it and next time I went to the city I had intentions to come home with a photograph to enter.
I always knew I would do an alley way because of how much they have changed over the years, with bursts of colour and quaint shops. I walked past Hosier and saw the way the light bounced off the graffiti and then reflected on the wet blue stones, how vibrant the first restaurant looked and the Vespa in place of the mini-minor from the original. I didn't want to take a straight-on photograph; I wanted it to have a different perspective, so instead I focused on the dominant coarse gutter.
I wanted my photo to say what words could not. I wanted it to be different to the original and interpreted according to what each viewer sees in it.
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Degraves Street past. |
Degraves Street present, Anna Leonedas. |
Judges’ Comments: Degraves Street
In this ‘present’ image, the young artist has focussed on this exciting Melbourne location, via perspective and light and everyday people, showing that this is a lived in and loved space. Via the image, we can see that Degraves classic architecture remains much the same after some 50 years, and all that changes are the signs adorning the shops below. This is a successful photojournalistic rendering of what was and what is.
Anna's comments:
What was once a quiet alley with few shops has now become a bustling street that represents Melbourne's laneway and coffee culture. I chose to photograph Degraves Street because it is where I like to spend the occasional afternoon with my friends amongst the many people chatting over a nice lunch or a latte. I found it impossible to capture the street without any people in view, whereas as in the ‘past’ image there is not a soul in sight; this goes to show that Degraves Street has become a unique and popular corner of the city.
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MCG aerial view, past. |
MCG aerial view present, Liam Sieker. |
Judges’ Comments: MCG aerial view
The ‘present’ image is an aerial photo of the Hawthorn vs Collingwood match of 28 August 2010 (Hawthorn beat the future Premiership winners!) The picture is well composed and successfully overcomes the many challenges of aerial photography. Both pictures show the pack of people worshipping the sacred turf and the plague of cars in Yarra Park.
Liam's comments:
After convincing my dad - a private pilot - we managed to take a flight around Melbourne from which I took this stunning photo.
My picture was taken during a Collingwood-Hawthorn football match.
It was great to capture the huge crowd, and swarm of cars surrounding the stadium. I used a repeat setting to take 381 shots from every angle and more of the MCG. After much analysis I was able to choose the shot I loved the most. I took it because I wanted to achieve the hard but amazing qualities of aerial photography.
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Finalists: over 18 years
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MCG. |
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MCG, Susan Hunt. |
Judges’ Comments: MCG
The photographer captures the changes in the MCG, the changes of fashion, the change of season, even the change of sport. By closely following the wide format of the old picture and the view just over the heads of the spectators, the photographer draws us into the unchanging Mecca of sporting arenas, the tension of the game and the absorption of the crowd. With them, we are perched in anticipation on the edge of our seat, ready to leap up with a roar as our team seals another goal, or cracks another six!
Susan's comments:
The main impetus for entering Snapped was the opportunity to exhibit one of my grandfather’s panoramic photographs. I had recently purchased a digital camera with a panoramic facility, enabling a photo which would match Grandfather’s format.
My grandfather William Hunt (1873 -1940) was a prolific amateur photographer, with his own dark room. Some of his photos were bought and published by newspapers of the day.
Grandfather had a number of cameras, one being a Kodak panoramic camera, which we still have. It is a simple box with a lens which rotates through 180 degrees exposing an 11 inch-wide negative. His panoramic photos are of significant sites and events in Melbourne and Sorrento in the 1930s. However, with this MCG photo, we have only an original print – the photo was published, and the negative kept by the newspaper. Grandfather’s handwriting on the back states:
Melbourne Cricket Ground 19 Nov 32
England v Australia
Australia batting
Larwood bowling to Woodfall
The football game (Collingwood v Essendon on Friday 13 August) contrasts with Grandfather’s photo, and highlights the evolution of the MCG - from the individual pavilions of the 1930’s around the oval, to its current unified colosseum-like space, with games at night under lights. The photo is taken from as close as possible to where my grandfather’s was taken.
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| Morshead Overpass. |
Morshead Overpass, Punt Road,
Nick Stephenson.
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Judges’ Comments: Morshead overpass
The artist has successfully used slow shutter speed to illustrate the traffic flow, an unrelenting blur of transports. In the background, Melbourne town sits on the horizon reminding us of where we are, as the power of the bridge above, strong enough to hold traffic jams, fills the top third of the frame. This image has a great sense of balance, perspective, texture and motion, conveying the power of the historical viaduct and the surrounding environment successfully.
Nick's comments:
With the opportunity to search through the library's photo archive, I went looking for my current subject of interest: freeways. I found some great images depicting everything from highway construction to anti-development protests but most were outside of the designated City of Melbourne limits. I became interested in just what freeways were inside the inner city and found the Morshead overpass photo that sits right on the edge of this boundary. I joked to myself that as long as I stood on the right side of the road I'd meet the entry requirements.
My shot isn't a reproduction as such. It has many of the same elements as the original image: river bank; trees; sign post; fence; but obviously the dominant form of the bridge has long been completed and encloses the image frame. I like how other aspects like the traffic in motion then help lighten the scene. Although not an iconic vista of Melbourne, perhaps just as many people have experienced this stretch of road as our more famous postcard settings.
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To the MCG. |
To the MCG, Hans Sieker.
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Judges’ Comments: To the MCG
The judges were very impressed by the number of entries which capture the atmosphere of Melbourne through its people. In this case the serious role of sport in our culture and the bonds forged across the generations are still the same 60 years later. Grandfather and grandson stride purposefully through the city's parklands, cushions and kitbag in hand, set for an afternoon at the MCG.
Hans' comments:
Two grandfathers, two grandsons but only three people.
Hans' Comments:
Cliff Imer, the grandson of the 1940 photograph, then an office boy in a shipping office is now the grandfather of student Liam Sieker in 2010.
Both photos were taken in the same area on the pathway from Jolimont Station to the MCG. The earlier photo was taken by a commercial photographer and cost two shillings, 20c or so. The re-enactment photo was taken more or less for amusement by Liam’s father.
The grandfather of 1940, Ern Harrison, was an enthusiastic cricket lover and former player and umpire who encouraged Cliff’s interest in cricket. Cliff became a MCC member for 35 years, including 14 years as a voluntary tour guide.
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Museum of Victoria. |
State Library of Victoria, Yen Wong. |
Judges’ Comments: State Library of Victoria
These images verge on the conceptual. 'Then' features a curious confection of 19th century-style natural history dioramas; the 'now' companion piece is part of the enlarged, revamped State Library of Victoria. The pair make for a highly unusual entry in that they were taken inside a building.
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| North Melbourne terrace house. |
North Melbourne terrace house,
Richard Thompson.
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Judges’ Comments: Melbourne Terrace
An excellent example of the ‘then’ and ‘now’ aspect of the Snapped competition. The loving restoration of the Victorian terrace shows the white paint stripped to reveal the original polychrome brickwork and the cast-iron lacework restored to the balconies with a removal of the ‘sleepout’ additions. The photographer has shown an awareness of the aesthetics of an architectural style and empathy with the restoration.
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Judging Panel
Melbourne Library Service is delighted and honoured to have assembled a distinguished panel of judges for the Snapped competition.
Matt Irwin
Professional Photographer
Over the last 20 years, Matt Irwin’s iconic photographic images have quietly gathered a dedicated following. Matt has been using the language of photography to convey the changing essence of Melbourne and through this two decade long endeavour has created an immense catalogue of work. Via many galleries and retail outlets scattered around Melbourne, thousands of people have embraced his authentic and meaningful images.
www.mattirwin.com
Louis Porter
Professional Photographer
Louis Porter is a Melbourne based, British photographer whose work has been widely exhibited both in Australia and overseas. He has had solo shows at The Centre for Contemporary Photography and Monash Gallery of art.
He was included in the Humble Arts Guide to Emerging Fine Art Photography (New York 2009) and Hijacked II Australian & German Photography (Big City Press 2010) the exhibition of which is touring nationally. His first monograph 100 Flowers was published by LozenUP of Paris.
www.louisporter.com
Graham Shepherd
East Melbourne Historical Society
Graham Shepherd is a professional engineer, specialising in communications and IT. He is the publisher of four web sites on local history, genealogy, botanical art and creative writing. He is vice-president of the East Melbourne Historical Society.
www.emhs.org.au
Eddie Butler-Bowdon
City of Melbourne
Eddie Butler-Bowdon is the program manager of the City of Melbourne's art and heritage collection. The collection includes diverse media, including photographs; its particular strength is mid 20th century prints and negatives. Eddie has worked with images in a range of exhibition contexts.
Dr Lyn Martin
Hotham History Project
Lyn Martin is an academic and teacher. She has travelled extensively overseas, studying in Spain and teaching in France and China. She is a member of the Hotham History Project, based in North Melbourne.
www.hothamhistory.org.au
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