Essex photographer Claire Moir has scooped the top prize in the Envisage Photography Awards. The prize has been awarded for her portrait of 5-year-old ELissa Faith Keating (see above). The Award includes a cash prize of £1,000 which Claire splits with her client who commissioned the winning image.

Envisage Press Release

Claire Moir named Envisage photographer of the year

Essex photographer, Claire Moir has scooped the top prize in the Envisage Photography Awards, becoming the ‘Envisage Photographer of the Year’. The Award includes a cash prize of £1,000 which Claire splits with her client who commissioned the winning image.

In addition to her first prize, Claire was also named runner-up with Ian Cartwright being awarded third place.

Claire won 13 Merit awards for her stylish brand of contemporary portraiture. With the top prize being awarded for her stunning portrait of 5 year old Elissa Faith Keating. Claire explains how the image came about: “Elissa was due to start school which meant her afro was going to be braided, her family wanted a professional studio portrait that showed her lovely hair before this happened. The lighting was key to capturing the texture of her hair so I used one main light with a 100cm soft box and a second light on the back of Elissa’s fabulous hair. I’m so pleased to be able to share my prize with Elissa’s family, she was a great model who obviously loves having her picture taken!”

The monthly Merit winners were entered into the finals as 10x8 inch prints, after being initially submitted as digital images online.

Claire is over the moon with the news: “I am so delighted to be named Envisage Photographer of the Year. This is such a big personal achievement as I have been running my own business photographing children professionally for less than four years and only on a part time basis as I have two little girls of my own. I was really excited to get the Merits and I just can’t believe my images came first and second in the awards! I actually do more work in natural light and on location than in the studio but maybe I should now reconsider since my winning images were studio shots! I would like to thank photographers from the MPA and BIPP who have advised and mentored me – in particular, Hossain Mahdavi and Maria Murray who have been an inspiration to me from the start.”

Envisage recently ceased operations so Claire’s triumph marks the end of the marketing programme’s activities.

Your Comments