Inverness student captures global audience thanks to photography awards success
An Inverness College UHI art student has snapped her way to victory in an internationally renowned photography competition.
HND Contemporary Art Practice student Evija Laivina was one of five student photographers recognised in the Lens Culture Portrait Awards – which celebrates the pinnacle of professional portrait photography from all corners of the world.
Evija, who has studied at Inverness College UHI since 2014, submitted a series of quirky images titled ‘Beauty Warriors’, depicting the alternative side of female beauty preparations and treatments as part of her college Graded Unit.
Evija said: “In the past, I experimented with a wide range of art mediums, including painting, drawing and sculpture, before returning to my first love of photography.
“Prior to my time at Inverness College UHI, I was part of an artist community in Latvia where I concentrated on blending humour and surrealism to produce witty and thought-provoking photographs. It was this return to photography that prompted my entry to the Lens Culture Awards.
“To create my portraits, I purchased many bizarre beauty aids from the internet to be used by the models, before preparing different backdrops and setting up a series of studio sessions.”
Dr Valerie Beattie, programme and development manager, cultural and creative industries, Inverness College UHI, said: “Evija is a very motivated, hard-working and committed student, and her tutors speak highly of her. She is talented in all areas of art and could have chosen any medium to work in, but is now specialising in photography.
“The HND Contemporary Art Practice course supports and promotes this kind of exploration by allowing students to explore their ideas and develop them to a level that refines their critical, practical and theoretical skills.
“Mark Lomax, the course leader, explained that it enables students to move between different mediums and experiment with their ideas in distinctive ways – through sculpture, painting, drawing photography and digital media.”
Evija’s portaits were judged by a panel of industry experts, including Susan White, photography director, Vanity Fair magazine; Phillip Prodger, head of photography, National Portrait Gallery; Whitney Johnson, deputy director of photography, National Geographic; Jennifer Pastone, photography director, The Wall Street Journal Magazine and Fiona Rogers, global business development manager, Magnum Photos.
Speaking of the awards, Fiona Rogers said: “These awards succeeded in bringing together a diverse range of photographers – a rare chance to discover such an inspiring array of photographic approaches all in one place.”
Professional photographers and students are eligible to enter the Lens Culture Awards, with winning entries given global exposure from an audience of over 2.5 million.
The Contemporary Art Practice HND provides students with theoretical, conceptual and practical creative competencies within the area of contemporary art practice, including exhibition and presentation skills, as well as introducing new technologies.