Wrong turn, right result for Australian photographer

Taking a wrong turn has landed Victorian country photographer Nigel Hallett one of the world’s most prestigious awards for rural photography.

His photograph of a farmer cooling off while haymaking has been judged the best entry in the People category of the prestigious IFAJ Star Prize Award for Agricultural Photography.

Run by the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ), the award this year attracted more than 150 entries from the world’s leading rural photographers.

Nigel’s winning photo was actually the end result of the photographer getting lost when he was sent out on an assignment last November for The Colac Herald.

“I was sent out to take the picture and I had bad directions,” he said. “I turned through the wrong gate and saw a farmer working in the heat, so went ahead and took the picture of him.

“When I returned to work there were a few questions about where I had been. I soon found out I got the wrong farmer – it was his brother,” Nigel said.

IFAJ judges liked the image because it caught a nice moment in time on a hot day, working in the field. “It was a rather idyllic picture of what farming is - hard work and sweat. The composition was good and the photographer had compensated the harsh midday sunlight with a flash,” the judges said.

The overall prize in the IFAJ award went to veteran English photographer John Eveson for an action photo taken at a sheep dog trial in Yorkshire. One of the most awarded photographers in the history of the competition, Eveson has figured in the finals on more than 10 occasions.

Another Australian photo entered by Mark Griffin and published in The Weekly Times in June last year, received one of only three highly commended awards in the competition.

Nigel Hallett’s photo was nominated for the IFAJ awards after winning the Australian Star Prize for Rural Photography, announced in April.

The award is coordinated by the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists, which is affiliated with the IFAJ. The council is the umbrella organization for Australia’s five rural press clubs who nominate finalists for the award.
To view the winning images visit www.acaj.org.au.

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For more information and high resolution copies of the winning photo contact
ACAJ secretary and Victorian representative Emily Bogue on 03 5225 6450.