Success can be measured in many ways, and for recent graduate Katy Johnson, this came in the way of high-competition finishes and gaining confidence in her work
State of Mind(Image credit: Katy Johnson)
Award-winning Arts University Plymouth graduate Katy Johnson has received special recognition for her photographic work.
Johnson secured second place in the Wex Student Photography Competition and was also named in the ‘Official Selection’ in the International Photography Awards (IPA) after winning an Honourable Mention in the 2021 Awards. Her photography series State of Mind, was submitted to both of the competitions and is the project that was made during her time at University.
The Wex Student Photography Competition is a competition open to all UK-based students where they can submit work. This year's theme was 'landscapes', and Johnson won second place with her work titled State of Mind (the same as the larger project). For coming in second place Johnson was awarded £1,500 worth of Wex vouchers.
“I found out via email that I’d won and it was a big shock, to be honest! The work I submitted was my ‘State of Mind’ series that I’d created for my final major project. As this was such a large body of work, I was really proud of what I’d achieved. Throughout the creation of my work, I’ve always had a feeling of imposter syndrome, so when I received second place, it was a pleasant surprise. It made me feel that maybe I should explore the editorial side of photography further”, Johnson said.
The farmer, the tractor and his land (Image credit: Katy Johnson)
In 2021, Katy won an IPA 2021 Honourable Mention in the International Photography Awards in the category of 'Editorial/Press - Environment’ for her image The Farmer, the Tractor and his Land which was selected out of over 13,000 entries from 120 different countries worldwide. She said, “I was pleasantly surprised to get the shortlisting at the IPA. I found out about this shortly after I won second place in the Wex Student Awards, so this was another big push and gave me a huge boost to my confidence.”
A big congratulations to Katy Johnson, for her achievements, but also for gaining confidence in her work. Imposter syndrome is something all creatives suffer from at some point in the journey, and the best way to combat it is by gaining confidence in your ability. Entering competitions can help with this as they can provide a needed confidence and career boost!
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Kalum Carter is a photographer, photo editor and writer based in the UK, and for almost a decade he has worked with brands and publications to create, edit, and sequence imagery. Having recently graduated with a Master's Degree in Photography from the University of the West of England (UWE), Kalum joined Digital Camera World as a Staff Writer, covering news, reviews, and his biggest passion – photography books!
Kalum's photography has been published and exhibited around the world, and he continues to photograph on a project-by-project basis. He is currently working on a personal project capturing the people and landscape of Gower, South Wales. Currently untitled, this body of work will be exhibited for the National Trust later this year.
