Family having a boll
Captured moment in a cotton field a winner for Gunnedah photographer
SILHOUETTED against a painterly evening sky, three generations of a Liverpool Plains cotton farming family chat and relax on an irrigation bank at one of their properties.
It’s home, and it’s kin. This informal family portrait captured the imagination of judges in Cotton Australia’s biennial photography competition, Click 2.0 in 2016, with Gunnedah-based photographer Gayle Mills awarded first place in the competition’s “Aussie Cotton Families” section.
The image and its success was as much about the connection between farmers and their land, as about the connection between family and friends.
Gayle Mills was asked to capture a family portrait by her friend Georgie Carrigan, who then urged her to enter the photographic competition.
“It was just this little family portrait that happened to be in the cotton, then Georgie was going on about this competition, and was saying: ‘You should enter! You should enter!’” Gayle said.
“It was amazing! I won a $2000 voucher for DigiDIRECT, and I won another $500, so we were able to buy a new camera.”
Gayle Mills is a professional photographer specialising in regional school photos, a job that routinely has Gayle and business partner Heather Fogarty travelling many hours across northern NSW to reach schools in areas such as Moree, Condobolin, Armidale and Coffs Harbour. She grew up on a family cattle and sorghum farm in Gunnedah, and now operates a smaller property with her husband.
Aside from her professional schools work, Gayle enjoys being able to capture images of family intimacy, which is what she felt made the image a winner.
“It’s what I’ve always been about, family, and it was just that look of the family together, having fun, I think.”
Ms Mills said she planned to enter again this time around, with entries now open for the 2018 Click 2.0 competition. Hoping for a repeat success, she returned to the same farm for a photo shoot, this time focussing specifically on Georgie Carrigan’s young grand-daughters at their home cotton property at the edge of Gunnedah. “I’ve just been out there again to take pictures of the two little girls, so I’ve got them in the cotton again, two years later. I will be entering with them again this time.”
Cotton Australia’s Click 2.0 photo competition showcases the people and moments behind the current Australian cotton season, and has three categories – Aussie cotton people (photos), Aussie cotton landscapes (photos) and the moving image (videos). Entries can be from the field, shed, gin or lab.
Competition entrants are in the running for a share of $8000 in camera equipment vouchers for use online or in-store at digiDIRECT cameras and imaging, with a major prize of a $4000 voucher, backed up with runner-up, category winner and People’s Choice prizes.
Cotton Australia General Manager Michael Murray said there was still time for photographers to snap their images and enter the competition.
“We’ve been blown away by the positive response from the hard-working people of the Aussie cotton industry who have entered so far,” Mr Murray said.
“This competition helps us give the world a glimpse into the lives of the people who are the backbone of our industry, and show off the stunning environment we have to produce this important crop.”
“Entries for this year’s competition close on June 8, and we encourage everyone to get snapping and send in their images. This is a valuable opportunity to get creative and share your story of life in our cotton industry.”
Recipients will be announced and their winning entry displayed at the 19th Australian Cotton Conference at the Gold Coast (August 7-9). Conference delegates will have a chance to vote for the People’s Choice prize, with the recipient taking home a $1000 camera equipment voucher. More information from www.cottonaustralia.com .au/click.
It was just this little family portrait that happened to be in the cotton.
— Gayle Mills