Lisa Saad APP M.Photog III - 2016 AIPP Australian Professional Photographer of the Year

"Not only was I blessed to win the Advertising category but to win the overall and be the 2016 AIPP Australian Professional Photographer of the Year has completely humbled and honoured me in so many ways that I am overwhelmed with pride. These awards do mean a lot to me. I have been working consistently the only way I know how to achieve this milestone and I am so glad that I have done it completely on my terms and in my own unique way. There is no other feeling than realising a goal and having it recognised in such a way. I truly believe that in order to achieve anything all you need to do is truly follow what feels right and only create when it does that way you know you are in line with your true path. Thank you AIPP, Judges and Sponsors for such an honour."

ABOUT LISA

Lisa Saad is an accomplished Advertising and Commercial Photographer as well as a shooting DOP with over 29 years experience in image development, creation and delivery and is always on the hunt for unique photographic briefs.

Lisa Saad owns and operates two photographic businesses from her studio in Melbourne. The first Lisa Saad Photographer - lisasaad.com, is aimed at high end Advertising and Corporate clients wanting remarkable new and groundbreaking imagery, whist the second, Gotham Studios - gothamstudios.net, is an online prepaid photography service that is unique and serves to be placed as a market leader in the supply of functional high-end photography to B2B clients across Australia as well as a learning and mentoring portal for those wanting to increase their skill set in photography and maintain and run a photographic business.

Lisa has always believed that good quality photography should be accessible to everyone and that no one should miss out the opportunity to work with a professional photographer. Her experience in all platforms of digital and analogue media has made her an expert in producing imagery, digital manipulation, branding and campaign requirements and old school techniques.

Lisa’s in depth knowledge of all levels of client briefs, pre & post production, casting, lighting & camera requirements, crews, locations, retouching, composites, layered effects, cinematography, video editing and delivery has been proven over and over again and without fault hitting each and every brief, everytime.

Over the years Lisa has won some 200+ awards for her commissioned and conceptual personal work, both locally and overseas which now allows her the honour of being a rare true master dedicated to the art of photography.

Lisa is the 2016 AIPP Australian and Victorian Photographer of the Year, the AIPP 2016 Australian Professional Advertising Photographer of the Year, the AIPP 2016 Victorian Professional Commercial and Illustrative Photographer of the Year. An ILFORD Master, the Australian Professional Ambassador for Manfrotto and is sponsored by Epson.

Lisa Saad APP M.Photog III - This image depicts the unyielding pressures and heaviness of urban life and what it takes to succeded. What is success anyway? Why do we place so much weight into the idea that to succeed is to sell your soul and not look at what is important? why do we place so much emphasisis on getting to the top when so many of us do so with heavy hearts? This is the only image I gave a title to in the series “heart of mine” At this point in my life I found that I was so worried about others perception of my own success that I placed so much weight into it coupled with the fact that I had a difficult up bring and the memories and tensions of past lives were being revisited each night that it clouded my creativeness and placed so much heaviness upon my own heart. My mothers death felt so strongly during those long nights that I grieved through my images and this was the turning point. This image is dedicated to my mother as she pushed and pulled me my whole life making it almost impossible for me to understand what my next step or success was. Do I stand out from the croud or do I shy away. In her death, I stepped out and now see the spotlight.

Lisa Saad APP M.Photog III - This image is what it means to me to be free and unrestrained. The man and the moon idea has always been about seperating yourself from what is conventional. Again with all my images there are escape mechanisms in place that are sometime easily found whilst others maybe a little more abstract, keep looking. I knew of this building in the ACT which is called Garangula Gallery, set in beautiful grounds and an architectural delight especially in the evening when the last rays of light sweep accross the vastness of the rusted brown facade which depicts the harsh brown earth that covers much of Australia. We traveled to the ACT and set upon finding this gallery as its address is not so forthcoming when searching Google. We came across a couple of locals after driving up and down the highway and they were very helpful in letting us know it was just around the corner about 20 minutes away. As the light was fading, I was getting anxious as I really wanted to photograph the building as this image was so prominent in my mind that it needed to be made. We drove about a kilometre and a half and voila, I spotted the drive way but to my disappointment the gates were closed but not locked. True to my nature, I raced up the hill chasing the last of the light and shot as many frames and angles as I could watching the sun set and the building change from such a masculine heavy brown to a delicate rendered dusty blue and stood still to embraced it all in. I knew I was where I should be at that moment in time.

Lisa Saad APP M.Photog III - Honestly and you probably will not believe me but I had a hard time resonating with this image when I first finished it. I looked at it for such a long time afterwards that I just was not sure. This is one a many images that I lost consciousness and was not aware of time or reality when I made it. Before I started I only remember the feeling of it. That longing. That lost feeling. That depression and I saw the colour blue, the colour you see now. I also saw the lotus building, the ladder and nothing else. It was mainly a feeling that was stronger. It is an image that I can truely say I allowed into existence and have no recollection at how I started at 6pm one night only to look up and it be 5.30am the next morning. Some would say I was in the vortex, some would say I was truely aligned all that I know is that when I finished it, I didn't recognise it and it took me a while before I truley saw what it meant. Patti came and visited me the next day and it was on my screen. I went upstairs to get her a cup of tea and when I came down she was glued to the screen staring at the image, she marvelled at all the little details and commented at how beautiful it was. I remember thinking, oh wow look at that plane...

Lisa Saad APP M.Photog III - The Flying Doctors image was realised and created within week after a brief conversation I had with the RFDS which instantly inspired me to act and gather what I needed to create it into realisation. I was taken by the term flying doctors and also by the fact that the doctors actually did not fly the planes themselves. I was inspired by the history that time seem to have forgotten and also by their city base operations which I was not fully aware of. The journey of this image took me to Shepparton where I met an incredible individual who raises and trains camels, he gave up his time and also fondly told me about each individual camel and their personality and then to Broken Hill where I absorbed and realised just how remote such a town is and why a service is needed.