Jill Todd Photo Award @ Whitespace

The Jill Todd Photographic Award is a new national award for emerging photographers in Scotland. Jill Todd was a talented young photographer who tragically died of cancer in her 20s, in 2010. After graduating from Edinburgh Napier, her career quickly took off. Some of her work can be seen on the JTPA website, including the photo used for the official JTPA image – her arresting self-portrait.

Set up to showcase new photography in Scotland, the award will stage its inaugural show at Edinburgh’s Whitespace. From an open submission on the theme of 'Kin,' three finalists have been selected to exhibit in the show – Caroline Alexander, Tamara and Yoshi Kametani, and Nick Paton. As well as cash prizes, the winners will receive mentoring by judges and internationally exhibited artists, Wendy McMurdo and Robin Gillanders.

Caroline Alexander approaches her work from a psychological angle, uncovering hidden meanings and stories behind her subjects. Her winning series, Belonging, considers the emotional struggles faced by young adults leaving home for the first time, emotional and physical distances created by the move and conflicts that can ultimately result.

Collaborating on various projects, wife and husband Tamara and Yoshi Kametani train two sets of well-travelled eyes on their subjects. Their series, In Search of the Crying Lady documents the tradition of professional mourners that used to be an integral part of the Slovak death ritual. The mourners were hired by the family of the deceased and would lament until the day of the funeral.

In contrast, Nick Paton extracts his subjects from their context, recording personal items of inheritance in an anthropological manner. Common to the ‘significant objects’ in his series, Inherited is their sentimental, not monetary value.

An overall winner will be announced on the show’s opening night.