Harvest exhibition celebrates importance of family during COVID

The CBH Group today officially opens an exhibition of photographs from Western Australian growers that this year features images demonstrating the importance of family and community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CBH Chief External Relations Officer Brianna Peake said the CBH photography competition was a proud tradition that had been running for 20 years and the exhibition was a way to share the creative work of our grower communities with a city audience.

“The aim of the photo competition has always been to shine a light on what it’s like for our growers to live in the regions and work in agriculture, and this year we encouraged growers to share their experiences of life during the pandemic with the theme ‘Family Time’,” Ms Peake said.

“While the pandemic continues to have an impact on many people, the travel and social restrictions in place earlier this year were particularly challenging but meant that we were all spending much more time at home.

“We chose the theme ‘Family Time’ to encourage entries that would document how very different this year has been, and the role family and community has played in supporting regional people during this time.”

The winners

A panel of independent judges agreed deciding a winner was difficult this year as every entry was different and they congratulated everyone who submitted a photograph for the high standard of work.

Ricki Fulwood of Kalannie won Best Photograph with her image “This crop is alright, high five sis”. The image features Ricki’s daughters Elsie, 3, and Lucy, 1, in their front paddock celebrating a good crop with a high five.

Of their final choice the judges said, “The lighting in the winning image is just beautiful. It is great to see kids this young not only taking an active interest in how the crops are developing on farm but revelling in a job well done.”

The competition also included a public vote on the CBH’s Facebook page.

The winner of the ‘People’s Choice’ is duo Courtney Payne and Corey Foster of New Norcia with their image ‘Our Own Wildflower’, which was taken amongst their canola crop to celebrate their daughter reaching one month old.

The Exhibition

 A selection of the photographs submitted in the competition will be shown as part of an exhibition on the ground floor of CBH’s head office building, 240 St Georges Terrace, Perth.

“In addition to showcasing the work of our amateur regional photographers, it highlights the important work of our growers at this time of year – the traditional start of the Western Australian harvest,” Ms Peake said.

The exhibition officially opens tonight and will run until 23 October. It is open to the public during office hours.

Notes

The judging panel included Shannon Verhagen, Senior Journalist at Countryman, Shannon Beattie, Journalist at Farm Weekly, and photographer Lloyd Summers, Managing Director of CloudStoke Media.

The overall competition winner, as judged by the panel, won a DJI Mavic Air 2 camera drone valued at $1,500. The People’s Choice winner will receive a $500 voucher for a camera store.