Miaoli County-based photographer Tzeng Chin-fa (曾進發) yesterday added a Jury Top 5 Selection prize to his haul of eight medals at this year’s Tokyo International Foto Awards.
The artist from Jhunan Township (竹南) earlier this month took home two gold, one silver and five bronze medals at the annual competition, which aims to promote photography from around the world.
One of Tzeng’s series was also chosen for the competition’s first-ever Jury Top 5 Selection prize, for which jurors select their favorites among the winners in all categories.
Tzeng’s series, Tree of Life (生命之樹), was also granted a gold medal in the Advertising category’s Travel/Tourism subcategory.
Tzeng took the photographs in 2016 while visiting Xiapu County in China’s Fujian Province.
The photographs depict women carrying fish baskets and children playing tug-of-war on a beach at low tide, with a “golden sand beach cut by the small sand river flowing through the seashore” to create abstract patterns resembling trees, Tzeng wrote in the description.
“This picture seems to be the epitome of our journey of life,” he said. “A track is full of hope, challenge and calm.”
In her comments, Susan Baraz, a juror at the competition, said that the series shows “perfect abstract images of real workers. I think this is so well done and fascinating.”
“Surprisingly, I did not know I had won until I received an e-mail and congratulations,” Tzeng said, adding that he was already thrilled from winning the medals earlier in the month.
Winning the jury prize as well “is certainly a New Year’s surprise,” he added.
It is not the first time that Tree of Life has earned critical acclaim.
The series took gold in the 2019 Moscow International Foto Awards, along with his wildlife series Seabirds on the Ice of Hokkaid.
Tzeng has also been recognized by the International Photography Awards, Prix de la Photographie Paris and Budapest International Foto Awards.
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