Anne gains nod for photography work

Warragul photographer Anne Morley will have works feature in an Australian photographic collection “Behind The Wheel” after being selected from 2800 submissions Australia-wide.

Also successful with his submissions was Warragul photographer Andrew Chapman. Between the pair, they have 14 photographs included in the collection of 200.

Anne Morley was “conscious of the ever present risk of starting a fire in the long grass” as she photographed Alan Stevens’ “bitzer” motorhome earlier this year.

The vehicle’s exhaust pipe was hot from driving and ran underneath the front cabin. Each time they changed locations, Anne recalls Alan was “quick-as-a-flash down on his belly under the motorhome pulling away dry grass that was in contact with the hot exhaust pipe”.

“I took the photo on a very hot summer’s day in January,” said Ms Morley. “The motorhome had very distinctive tail fins, and a map painted on the side of the van showing its journeys around Australia.”

“Electric lighting was courtesy of a petrol powered generator, which we turned on during the ‘blue hour’ – the twilight period between sunset and dark,” she added.

Ms Morley had no idea at the time that the image would later be announced as a finalist in Australia’s leading publishing industry awards, the Mumbrella Publish Awards.

It was also chosen to feature in “Behind The Wheel” which captures the essence of Australia from the road. It takes viewers through 146 locations, including four cities and 35 towns, across 11 bridges, down 35 highways and freeways, and along 29 tracks.

It winds through Australia on roads that are beautiful and bumpy, and past sights that are unusual, humorous, iconic and sometimes bizarre.

“Photography enables me to combine my love of the outdoors with my work; landscape photography was my original photography interest,” said Ms Morley. “Photography means so much to me.”

“Like so many kids that grew up in the 1960s, my first encounter with a camera was of course the family Box Brownie. Later I borrowed my mother’s little semi-automatic Minolta and took a prize-winning photo of my brother skiing in winter on the summit of Victoria’s highest mountain, Mount Bogong.”