Robe photographer Jacqui Bateman is jumping for joy after her photo won the Australian Star Prize for Rural Photography from the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists (ACAJ).
The image of a sheep leaping over its flock was taken at Rob and Kirsty Starling’s Maroona Station at Reedy Creek during their on-property sale late in 2021.
Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists president Kalle Buchanan said the judges praised the balance, brightness, composition, and movement of the expertly captured image that clearly showed the skill of a photographer who is no stranger to the paddock or the yards.
Ms Bateman, who works as a freelance correspondent at the Stock Journal, was asked by the Starlings to photograph and document their annual lamb sale.
“I turned up early in the morning and it was such a beautiful day,” she said.
“It was very misty and still and the light was absolutely stunning, so I was pretty excited about getting some good shots.
“I put my drone up and got some aerial shots and then the mist started to lift a bit and the agents started to draft the lambs up, they were a particularly jumpy little mob.
“I had taken a few shots and then I tried to position myself to get one from front on and I just happened to nail that one shot.
“I could not quite believe what I had just seen through the lens and was really hoping it was in focus – it was like the lamb had its landing gear up, ready to fly.
“I hoped when I downloaded it, it was as good on the computer as it was on the back of the camera, and it turned out it was.”
Ms Bateman has been photographing for over 30 years with a keen love for agriculture.
“I just love anything to do with agriculture – the people, the landscape and the production side of things, I try to reflect that in my photography,” she said.
Ms Bateman won at a state level in the Production category for the 2022 Rural Media and Communicators SA/NT Photography Awards.
Rural Media and Communicators SA/NT then entered the photo on her behalf on a national level.
Ms Bateman said she was both excited and surprised to discover she had won the top prize for Rural Photography from the ACAJ.
“It was such a buzz because there were so many outstanding photos entered in the awards,” she said.
“This was such a complete surprise that I won the overall Star Prize award and a massive honour to have your work recognised by your peers.”
The prized photograph will now be entered in the worldwide International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Annual Congress hosted this year in Calgary, Canada in late June.
“To make it onto the international stage is a pretty special result, so I am absolutely stoked that it has made it this far,” Ms Bateman said.
