Student Photographer of the Year Announced

Last night, 22nd May, saw the announcement of the winner of the Epson sponsored Association of Photographers (AOP) Student Photographer of the Year Award.

© Renhui Zhao

The winning series, entitled Animal Menagerie was created by Renhui Zhao, a 2nd year BA student from Camberwell College of the Arts. Commenting upon his thought provoking lifestyle and portraiture series of caged monkeys in zoos and the use of monkeys in circuses, judge Sarah Greenwood, Photographer’s Agent for Morgan Lockyer said, “For me, the winner had produced a series of images which showed he was capable of producing a story with more than one great shot. He made a connection with his subject and produced beautiful images.”

Renhui said of his work, “This series questions the spectatorship that zoos create. Most often when humans visit zoos or circuses, we are there to be entertained rather than to appreciate nature. To investigate/document and walk by the cages of a zoo and the tentage of a circus is to understand the society that erected them.”

As part of the award Renhui receives a package of prizes to help launch his professional career including an Epson R2400 printer and hands-on experience when he assists an AOP Photographer on a shoot.

A runners up prize of an Epson Stylus Photo R360 was awarded to Iveta Vaivode studying at the Arts Institute in Bournemouth for a haunting series of snow scene images entitled ‘Gardens of Abandonment’.

The AOP is a trade association bringing together professional photographers working in the fields of advertising, editorial, design and corporate photography with the objective of promoting photography and protecting the rights of photographers. It has been running the student awards annually since 1981. The student awards recognise the excellent standard of photography produced by individuals studying on photography related courses in the UK. This year’s awards attracted nearly 3,000 entries of which 73 have been selected for display at the AOP’s gallery, London EC2 from 22nd May until 1st June 2007. The exhibition can also be viewed on line at www.aop-newshoots.com/gallery

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