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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

Paddy Ellis - Lightning Ridge Opal Miner, 2013

by Adam Knott

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2014 Finalist

Paddy is sitting in the kitchen of the shanty hut he has called home for more than fifty years. While other miners have become millionaires, Paddy has failed to strike it rich, barely surviving on the few opals he has mined from his claim. My goal was to show the exhaustion and frustration that Paddy has suffered in the opal mining fields for most of his adult life. Paddy and his kitchen are exactly how you see them… tired and old.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2014

Other NPPP photos from Adam Knott

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, 2008 by Adam Knott
2009 Finalist
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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

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