Images from two Perthshire photographers made the finals of this year’s prestigious Scottish Portrait Awards.
The work of all the shortlisted entries went on show recently at Duff House in Banff as part of an exhibition that runs until February 26.
The image submitted by Crieff agricultural student Rhona Campbell Crawford – titled ‘Farewell My Friend’ – is a particularly poignant one, for it features her late friend, Comrie’s Andrew Eadington, and her beloved horse Buddy.
Rhona (21), who was up against professional photographers and photography students, said she is not a professional and has only ever entered Young Farmers’ competitions in the past.
In fact, the photo was taken on her phone. She was prompted to enter after Andrew’s mum, Anna, shared the competition details online.
Rhona said: “My main passion in life is my beloved horse, the general outdoors, working on the farm, working with sheep – I have my own flock of 13 sheep at the moment so a lot of my inspiration for my work is my every day life and capturing that as I’m going along, completely unposed and unplanned.
“I just whip out the phone and take a picture that captures things that are unforced and are really naturally beautiful.
“Apart from Buddy being a subject in my photo for the awards, the other subject is my best friend Andrew.
“Andrew also shared a love of the outdoors. He was a full-time gamekeeper so he spent a lot of his time in the hills and working with deer ponies, so we had a lot of shared interests that way.
“When I was out with him I got to capture a lot of images of him in his element.
“Andrew was the type of person that never really wanted to be photographed so to have these images is really special for me.
“My entry for the Scottish Portrait Awards is bittersweet because it is the last time that I saw Andrew and the last time that he visited. He very tragically took his own life only a couple of weeks after the image was taken.
“So it is a truly beautiful but also a truly heartbreaking photo.”
Rhona is pleased that the wider public will be able to view the evocative image of Buddy and her dear friend Andrew .
Rhona added: “To be able to share it, I think, is an honour and to have it in the exhibition is really special.
“Andrew’s family and I support The Canmore Trust, which provides a safe space for those struggling with mental health issues.”
Also in the finals was the Strath’s Simon Jauncey, with his image titled ‘Celtic Medicine’.
Simon, who was born and brought up in Comrie, has been a photographer for 35 years.
He said: “I have lived and worked in Venezuela for 10 years, London for four years and am now based back in Perthshire.
“I have shot cars for Ford, whisky for Johnnie Walker and many other advertising campaigns. I now specialise in architecture, interiors, portraits and landscapes.
“John Black, in my portrait awards picture, was an electrical engineer at Longannet Power Station. One day he jacked it in and went to Peru to study shamanism. He is now a full-time wizard giving shamanic healing, guiding people through ceremonies and drawing on his massive knowledge of plants and animals. He also makes drums.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the difference between what people look like and what they actually do – I think it’s where our own preconceptions and prejudices kick in.
“So with John I wanted to show the perfectly normal looking bloke doing what he does – something you would never guess if you met him in the street.
“The wild coastal landscapes and weather of Sutherland provided the perfect opportunity.”
Simon added: “It was great to see Rhona being selected as a finalist in the awards.
“There’s always room for new young talent. Just because you don’t do it professionally doesn’t mean that you don’t have a natural ability with a camera.
“I know Rhona took this shot on an iPhone, but it’s not the camera that matters – it’s the moment and the resulting image, and hers was very poignant and beautifully lit.”
Simon’s is due to give a talk to the Perth Photographic Society at the AK Bell Library Theatre from 7.30pm on Wednesday, October 26, and will also be offering some workshop days over the coming weeks.
Simon’s work can be viewed via www.simonjauncey.com.
For more information on the work of the The Canmore Trust, see www.thecanmoretrust.co.uk
