UCF press and editorial photography student scoops first prize in national competition

First-year BA(Hons) Press & Editorial Photography student, Greg Strachey, received an extra Christmas present this year when he scooped the first prize in the National Outlook Expeditions 2009 Photo Competition.

Greg, who is studying at University College Falmouth (UCF), travelled to the South American country of Ecuador and lived with an aboriginal tribe for a week.  Whilst there, he helped them build bamboo huts as part of his month-long trip organised by Outlook Expeditions, the youth expedition provider that ran the competition.

"The trip was amazing and it was really hard work building huts in the jungle," said Greg.  "We built them out of bamboo to house volunteers who are helping the tribe continue their traditional lifestyle.  I saw my friend, Ian working away and thought it made a good image, capturing everything about the trip, from the work that we were involved in to the huts and the jungle.  I was so shocked that my image won the competition, but am really pleased and hope it inspires others to go on expeditions and share their experiences through the art photography."

In a close run contest containing hundreds of entries, Outlook Expeditions created a shortlist of images, which can be viewed online at http://www.outlookexpeditions.com/.  These images encapsulate the company's vision - to offer challenging, safe, life changing and environmentally aware expeditions that provide young people with unique experiences to develop their confidence, global understanding and their ability to manage risk.  All of the entries showed artistic merit and were colourful, emotional, exciting and fun.

"Judging the photography competition is one of the hardest things I've been asked to do," said Claire Hitchins from Outlook Expeditions.  "I chose this as the winning image because I felt it really summed up what the company is about, as well as being a great photograph.  It was natural, was taken from a clever angle that portrayed an overseas destination and had wonderful colour, composition and clarity."

Greg will be awarded £100 prize money and his image will be used in the expedition brochure for Outlook Expeditions 2010.  "Greg's photo really supports our ethos and personality, and we hope it will inspire other young people to grab the opportunity of an expedition of a lifetime with us," added Claire.

Greg enrolled on UCF's Press & Editorial Photography degree course last October following his participation in a PressGang Juniors Taster Day in spring 2009.  These taster days are the brainchild of BA(Hons) Press & Editorial Photography Course Leader, Mal Stone, and are open to potential students who attend open days and express an interest in the course.

"We wanted to invite these students back to spend a day with us to show them what they could expect from us as a course and the type of commitment that would be expected from them, and Greg was one of those students," explained Mal.  "We believe in preparing our students to enter this highly competitive industry by instilling in them the skills, knowledge and professional attitude that gives them the edge in such a competitive business, and we are extremely pleased for Greg that his talent as a photographer is already being recognised."

University College Falmouth's Photography courses are located in a purpose-built Photography Centre that has been designed following consultation with the industry.  It includes digital and photographic facilities as well as specialist resources such as an electronic picture desk, all of which cement the University College's position as one of the top providers of photographic education in the UK.

For further information about BA(Hons) Press & Editorial Photography at University College Falmouth, visit www.falmouth.ac.uk/pressphotography, email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 213854.

University College Falmouth is the only independent Higher Education institution in Cornwall with the powers to award degrees in its own name.  It has two campuses in Cornwall - at Woodlane in Falmouth and Tremough in Penryn (which it owns, and jointly manages with the University of Exeter) - and a third campus at Totnes in Devon, following its merger with Dartington College of Arts in 2008.

This merger created a new institution focusing on the expansion of Falmouth's expertise in Art, Design and Media and Dartington's expertise in Choreography, Music, Theatre, Art and Writing.  The Devon-based courses will relocate to a new, high-specification Performance Centre at Tremough in 2010, paving the way for a new specialist Arts University in Cornwall by 2012/2013 that will be unique to the South West.

The College is a founding partner in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC), a unique initiative to promote regional economic regeneration through Higher Education, funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One and Convergence), the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall Council.

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For further information about University College Falmouth, please contact Jilly Easterby MCIPR, Head of Public Affairs, Telephone: 01326 213792, or email:  jilly.easterby@falmouth.ac.uk

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