Exploring his new neighbourhood with fresh eyes and a camera at the ready has proved a winning move for Kew’s Riley Armytage.
The 18-year-old snapped up 4 awards at the 2023 Boroondara Photograph Competition – taking Best in Competition as well as first, second and third prizes in the Young Photographers: Secondary School category for his captivating images.
'I only moved to the area in 2022 and in that short time I’d seen a lot of cool places that I thought would make good photographs,' says Riley, 'but I’d never bothered to go out and shoot them.
'So when I heard about the competition I thought that it’d be the perfect excuse to go and explore the area.'
He says the most rewarding part of winning the competition was receiving formal recognition for his art for the first time.
'All the people on the night of the award ceremony who came up to me afterwards to congratulate me and tell me about how much they enjoyed my photos – that was really powerful and what’s stuck with me,' he says.
Riley’s win earned him a one-on-one masterclass with acclaimed artist Cyrus Tang, whose solo exhibition The Memory Palace: Cyrus Tang is at Town Hall Gallery until 21 October.
All the winning photos from the competition, which drew more than 500 entries, were displayed at the Celebrate Boroondara exhibition that recently wrapped up at Town Hall Gallery. You can see them in our 'Celebrate Boroondara' — online exhibition page.