Ellie Meade has her eyes set on becoming a professional photographer and hopes winning the people's choice award for the Next Gen exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ballarat is another step toward a successful career.
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The former Loreto College student received her award last week after her photographic work received the highest number of votes during the three-month exhibition, which featured 50 inspiring works from 44 young artists who graduated from secondary school last year.
'I wanted my work to be about equality among all humans, and show it doesn't matter what you look like, you are all equal," she said.
Ellie photographed more than 25 family members, friends, families of friends, and friends of friends, to create a diverse patchwork of faces.
"I chose to present it in black and white, which represents the Michael Jackson song lyrics it doesn't matter if you're black or white, to show equality."
It took Ellie more than a month to take the portraits, and she then edited the photos, played with the layout to make it balance, then mounted them to create the finished work.
Since finishing school last year, Ellie has taken some big steps toward a professional photography career.
She is studying photography at Oxygen College in Ballarat, working at Thornton Richards Camera House and working as a freelance photographer.
"I would like to be a fashion and editorial photographer," she said. "I do freelance work with some models in Melbourne, I've got work for some brands and a Ballarat business has lined me up to do some fashion work."
Having her work exhibited in the Next Gen exhibition was a big honour, and to win the people's choice award was an early career highlight.
As part of the award she also received a $300 prize from the Ballarat Society of Artists.
"There were so many incredible pieces and to see mine get picked out of all the incredible pieces I was very happy," she said.
"It's good career-wise as well as a step in the right direction of where I want to go."
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