Two Ballarat initiatives that focus on social awareness and activity have joined forces this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Food is Free Laneway and With Camera In Hand are linking to create a project focusing on asking people to photograph produce and food, concentrating on the homegrown.
Following on from the last With Camera In Hand project that highlighted water in aid of the Ballarat Shower Bus, photographer Michelle Dunn said the energy and vision of Food is Free founder Lou Ridsdale made her an obvious person to collaborate with.
“Lou is everywhere. She’s really good at getting the word out about what she’s doing,” said Ms Dunn.
Ballarat’s love of gardening was another reason to make this month’s challenge about submitting a photograph of something homegrown, said Ms Dunn.
“People are really passionate about growing and it’s accessible,” she says.
“It’s not something you need to be an expert at. It’s something that is really all about just trying, which is exactly what I wanted these challenges to be about. You don’t have to be a professional photographer.”
The premise of With Camera In Hand is about maintaining an awareness in photography, of taking photographs with consciousness, says Ms Dunn.
“It’s like a DIY project – which is exactly what gardening is,” says Ms Ridsdale.
“You start with an idea in mind, the same as the photography challenge, and then you just go where your creativity leads you.”
Ms Dunn says the astonishing thing about the monthly With Camera In Hand challenge is a person may be anywhere in the world and thinking about the topic, and be inspired.
“Last month, a woman sent a photo of a tap in an old gas station in Queensland. She said she thought of the challenge, and of the shower bus in Ballarat, and how this tap could be someone’s shower.”
Anyone can enter the challenge, and there are photographic prizes to be won, including tuition.
Learn more about the challenge at www.withcamerinhand.com.au