JULIEN Parrot draws inspiration from the beauty of places like Tamborine Mountain, where he lives.
The landscape photographer won Grand Champion of the Show for an image aptly named ‘King of the Forest’, depicting ancient Antarctic beech trees in Lamington National Park.
His Grand Champion gong was at the Beaudesert Show, and that same photo also earned a top 100 place in the International Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards.
Mr Parrot, an asset data analyst with the Scenic Rim Regional Council, originally hails from French Switzerland.
On Tamborine Mountain, he is surrounded by photographic inspiration while also being close to work opportunities.
“The Scenic Rim really is the best place I’ve found so far. The mountains are maybe less impressive here (than in Switzerland) and there are probably even better mountains in places like South America, but it’s harder to get a job next to those mountains.,” he said.
“Here, it’s a good work life balance and you have everything close.”
Mr Parrot was happy to win Grand Champion his first time entering the Beaudesert Show.
“It’s nice to have something more local because I only do photography locally now. I don’t see the value too much in travelling the world to take photos,” he said.
“It’s good to showcase local photos to locals instead of just on websites or on Instagram to people who don’t necessarily have a real-life connection to these places.”
Photography judge Susie Cunningham said the image, which Mr Parrot entered as a large, framed print, was evocative.
“I’d hang this on my wall. It is misty and moody but sharp in all the right places and new details emerge each time I look,” she said.
“It evokes scenes from the childhood classic, FernGully (set in an Australian rainforest inhabited by fairies). King of the Forest lends itself to the larger sized print and Julien has chosen the frame well. Opting for a simple timber frame without a border around the image creates a feeling of looking into a window.”
Photography steward Gary Moloney reported a high calibre of images across 250 entries at the 2024 Beaudesert Show.
“I’m not just running a competition, I’m putting on a show,” he said.
