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Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
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National Photographic Portrait Prize 2012 Finalist
Narayani Palmer had asked me to photograph her and her son, Sean Palmer, the night before he left Australia for England for five years. Narayani is a single mother and Sean is her only child. They arrived a few minutes apart to be photographed. Narayani was upset and had been crying, Sean was aloof and not talking. They had been arguing. They stood before me, silent for several minutes, tears glistening in Narayani's eyes. Then Sean slowly stepped towards his mother, gently put an arm around her shoulders and said, "I'm sorry Mum". Narayani sobbed gently. This was Sean's final farewell.
The National Photographic Portrait Prize exhibition is selected from a national field of entries that reflect the distinctive vision of Australia's aspiring and professional portrait photographers and the unique nature of their subjects.
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