A 26 year-old woman from regional NSW has won the prestigious World Press Photo award for portrait photography. For ten years, Nimbin-born photographer Raphaela Rosella has been photographing the same families in Moree, with a focus on “inter-generational trauma, abuse and disadvantage.”
But the image that captured the award is more playful, and also slightly surreal.
The girl at the end of the driveaway was waiting for a bus to take her to Sunday school. Usually the girl – Laurinda – who had been photographed by Rosella over many years, played up to the camera by putting her hands on her hips or “being posey” but instead she was caught in a moment of stillness.
“It was a Sunday and she was wearing this beautiful purple dress. She ran for the bus and I ran after her and she stopped and threw that dress over her face.
“I was anxious that it turn out because it was shot on film – and it wasn’t anything planned.”
More than 97,000 entries were submitted for the annual awards. Rosella will be flown to Amsterdam in April to collect her prize.
