So I am beginning to pick myself off the couch and realise what an AMAZING night I had at the 2019 AIPP Epson WA Professional Photographer of the Year Awards!

long story short... 

I Won the 2019 AIPP WA EPSON Documentary Photographer of the Year Award!

Long post ahead....

A massive CONGRATS to Mark Brierley who is the overall winner !!! So well deserving and I am so happy for you!!! To think we were both fretting over our entries this year....BOOYAH!

To all my friends who won categories; Simone Addison for Portrait, Julie Kerbel for Travel, Mel Cieslik for Newborn and Mark Brierley for Commercial, well done!

To my mates who made finalists, Adam Levi Browne for Wedding, Seng Mah for Travel, Bianca Turri for Commercial, Chris Saunders for Illustrative, Hilary Adamson and Channon Williamson for Newborn, Steve Wise for Portrait - you're all winners in my eyes. 

So I won 2019 AIPP WA EPSON Documentary Photographer of the Year Award

So documentary....yes baby!

I really really wanted to win this category this year and I DID IT!!!! I'm so freaking chuffed and proud to be able to say I did it. Thank you to all the judges who challenged my work (Johannes Reinhart I'm looking at you!) and to the judges who had to choose the final category winner - I'm not sure who you are but I appreciate that you saw the stories in my work because birth is beyond challenging to shoot and all of my entries were taken either in the middle of the night or in the morning after having been up ALL NIGHT. It's such an intense environment to work in however look at what I get to photograph?.... I wouldn't have it any other way.

A huge congratulations to Julie Kerbel & Sarah Lentz for being my running women in Documentary - who run the world?! 

This category couldn't be possible without the team from Olympus - thank you to Burke, Karl and Aaron for sponsoring Documentary this year. I'm sorry I forgot to say thank you on the night and I'm excited to have a go at Olympus! Watch this space. 

Thank you to Paul Jarvis from Perth Pro Lab for providing me with the goods. Seriously, you go above and beyond. You are a legend and I am so grateful that you "get" my work.

Cheers to Adam Levi Browne for not being afraid to tell me the truth - I really appreciate it. 

I wanted to publicly thank my hubby Paul and my beautiful kids, Orlando and Isabella for being my peeps. Thank you for always having my back when I'm called out at 3am and for the support when I'm a mess entering awards - LOVE YOU!

So much gratitude to my birth families. I can't even thank you enough. Thank you for letting me share your most intimate moments with the world and for backing birth photography as a genre. I couldn't win without your support. 

To my backup birth togs, Cat and Sara. Love love love you women. So many fist pumps to birth! "It would be remiss of me not to say a few words about birth...." Give me a microphone and a room full of people and I'll tell you a few things about birth. LOL always spruiking the genre. 

But that's not all.....

I heard my name called out and couldn't quite work out what was going on because I won the 2019 Print Handlers Award for this birth image. 

What an honour! So the Print Handlers select an image that they think has the most visual impact and they need to talk about why they have chosen it. I heard that there was good discussion around my photo and why they chose it and I could be wrong, but I don’t think a birth image has ever won this award.

If you want to watch the Acceptance speeches and hear me get super excited about Birth Photography as a genre

You can currently see the Silver Distinctions, Golds and Gold Distinctions up on display at AIPP EPSON WA Exhibition at the Perth Town Hall from 17th to 21st May 10am – 4pm AND there is also a public exhibition at Yagan Square Digital Tower

Thank you to the AIPP, the WA Council, all the winners and finalists, all the judges, MC’s, volunteers, print handlers and Sponsors - there wouldn’t be such an amazing awards and presentation night without you.

Love Belle x