The Illawarra arts scene has been thrust into the spotlight again with three photographers nominated for Australian Geographic’s Nature Photographer of the Year.
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Seascape snapper Warren Keelan, his cousin and Instagram sensation William Patino, along with UK expatriate Matty Smith have all been recognised by the prestigious magazine.
Patino is currently in Canada running photography workshops so will miss the awards night at the South Australian Museum in Adelaide on Thursday.
However he’s told the Illawarra Mercury he is honoured to be counted among the finalists of what is known as the Oscar’s of Australasian wildlife photography.
“With the abundance of photography competitions out there these days, I haven't really bothered to enter many in the past,” he said.
“Being nominated as a finalist and exhibited in this reputable competition is a real honour and great opportunity to showcase my work and passion.”
Patino has shot to fame on social media with more than 150,000 followers, mesmerised by his travel and landscape shots.
His image titled “Transcendence” of Mount Avalanche in New Zealand was a favourite with competition judges.
He described the ghostly picture as depicting “a fleeting moment of light and the relentless forces of nature one is exposed to in these wild places”.
Keelan said he was overwhelmed to find out his underwater vortex image of a wave breaking at North Beach was shortlisted, despite the image previously receiving several nominations and awards.
“The level of photography in this event is incredible,” Keelan said.
“I look forward to heading to Adelaide to meet some of the artists behind them next week.
“It's also crazy to know that three photographers out of the finalists hail from the area - go the Illawarra!”
Meantime underwater photographer Smith should already be familiar with some of the faces at the awards night, having picked up the Grand Prize in 2014 and runner up last year.
“Every year the bar rises on the standard of entries and there are some incredible images in the finalist collection,” he said.
The competition has nine different categories including Landscape, Botanical, and Animal Behaviour.
The overall winner, crowned Nature Photographer of the Year, will receive a cash price and a trip to the subantarctic islands.
Winning photos will appear in the September-October 2016 issue of Australian Geographic and will be on exhibition at the Australian Museum in Sydney from August 19 to October 9.