Aussie Photographer Dominates Awards

Australian wedding and portrait photographer Jerry Ghionis was recently honoured at the 2009 Societies Convention Awards in London, picking up no less than eight awards, including the Photographer of the Year Title.

According the British Journal of Photography, Ghionis managed to dominate a field of 23, 000 images over 33 categories, taking out the fashion and photojournalism categories.

The photographer picked up over $17,000 worth of photographic equipment, including a sparkling new Nikon D3s.

The Melbourne-based photographer began shooting professionally in 1994 at the age of 20, Ghoinis has regularly been listed among the top ten wedding photographers in the world.

‘The trophies I have won are just glass but if they show I have been in some way helpful to other photographers through my images and my workshops then that is praise indeed,’ the photographer told the BJP.

Image by Jerry Ghionis

Walter Cleans Up Sports Photography Awards

New Zealand sports photographer Phil Walter recently picked up three prizes at the 30th annual SPARC Sir Terry McLean National Sports Journalism Awards, which celebrates the best sports journalism in the country.

Walter, chief photographer for Getty Images, not only picked up the SPARC Sports Photography Portfolio of the year for his collection of sports imagery, but took out the SPARC Best Single Photo of the year and the acclaimed SPARC Sports Journalist of the Year.

“I’ve been working towards achieving awards of this stature my entire career and feel incredibly honoured at being rewarded for something I love doing – capturing sport’s national and regional voice,” said Walter. “It’s particularly satisfying that even though my job takes me around the world, all five of these winning images were shot in New Zealand.”