Newcastle College talents snap up shortlisted places in the British Photography Awards
PHOTOGRAPHY degree students in Newcastle are the focus of attention after making the shortlist in a national competition.
Talented Neil Ferry and Will Aitchison have reached the final stages of the British Photography Awards 2021 and members of the public can help to decide some of the eventual winners.
Between them the Newcastle College students – both in the final year of their BA Honours degree in photography – have three striking images in with a chance of glory in a competition open to photographers across Britain as well as Brits living and working abroad.
And they said that reaching the shortlist stage of the highly contested awards is “fantastic news”.
Mature student Neil said: “Obviously we are both very proud and thrilled that we have both been shortlisted, especially as we’re both in the same class at college. My colleague Will specialises in product and fashion photography while I lean more toward portraiture and still life.”
It was a photograph of a pair of luxury Yeezy Boost 380 trainers that earned Will, who is from Alnwick, his shortlisted place in the awards’ commercial product category.
The 20-year-old, whose interest in photography was sparked when he was 16, picked up skills at school and by watching YouTube videos then switched his subject matter from landscapes to commercial after enrolling at Newcastle College.
He said: “When starting off my degree I would never have thought I would be shortlisted for such a prestigious award at this point in my life.
“I am very grateful for this and extremely happy with how I have developed over the years.”
Neil, 50, has had two images singled out: one for the awards’ portrait section and one in the category of food and drink.
The first is a modern interpretation of a coronation painting of Queen Elizabeth I, which features car parts in place of the usual royal accessories. The other is a portrait made up of fruit and vegetables, in the style of 16th century Renaissance artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo.
Neil, who works at JG Windows music store in Newcastle where he sells pianos, has enjoyed success at the British Photography Awards, where he was a runner-up last year with another royal-theme image, inspired by a portrait of Anne Boleyn.
Following the end of his course next summer, he is hoping to go on to study for a masters degree in photography.
The pair’s entries are among 20 images from which judges will draw up their finalists. They will whittle down their favourites to three in every award category ahead of a grand final where the winners will be announced alongside the recipient of each category’s People’s Choice Award, which will be decided by a round of public voting.
Will added: “I am excited to see if anything comes of that!”
Voting for the People’s Choice Award is now open and votes can be cast via the British Photography Awards website until January 3, when the general judging process also will end.