June 29th, 2020Cows of the Apocolypse
TRENTHAM photographer Mike Rutherford was very surprised to be notified this month that he had won a gold award in the prestigious San Francisco Bay International Photography Awards.
He hadn’t known that his partner had entered the photo, Cows of the Apocalypse, without letting him know. “It was a pleasant surprise,” he said.
Fresh from a long-running exhibition at Trentham’s Cosmo Hotel, Mike saw what became his award-winning photograph while strolling through Trentham’s disused railyards.
A former UK, US, Singapore and Melbourne freelance commercial photographer turned art photographer, Mike said many of his striking images started as scenes he glimpsed while out walking.
“I often go back several times to get the image I’m after,” he said.
He likes creating works that make people look twice, stopping to think about what they think they might be seeing.
He took up art photography relatively recently and has achieved critical success, including recently being a finalist in the major Percival Prize and also being accepted as a finalist in the esteemed Chania International Photography Festival in Crete.
When not making photographs, he is fairly busy with the seemingly endless tasks involved in restoring an old Trentham cottage.
Words: Peter Young
The Local‘s artist features are supported by a grant from Hepburn Shire Council’s coronovirus community support program.
