Kaitlyn Church
Kaitlyn Church (born 1997) is a Melbourne based emerging documentary photographer and photojournalist. She utilizes her upbringing in rural Victoria as a source of inspiration for her photographic work; her current practice is largely focused on documenting the ever-changing landscape of rural and regional Australia. Her work specifically explores the relationship between family and place, and the environmental concerns affecting rural communities. She also has an interest in the history of Australia; and explores the impact of past events on the contemporary landscape. She is primarily interested in creating long-form new documentary photographic work. Where the photographer is not merely a silent observer. But is an integral part of the project, either as protagonist or narrator. She has developed a keen interest in the photobook format. Specifically exploring, how the book as a medium can be utilized to tell photographic stories in a captivating and intimate manner.
Her graduate project ‘Systems of Measurement’ is an exploration of remembering and forgetting. The project comprises of a series of three books. Each a facsimile of one of her Grandfathers original diary, with images from Kaitlyn’s family archive and her own images layered over the top of the text. The combination of text and image creates a dialogue between Kaitlyn and the Grandfather she struggles to recall. The books allow the reader to get to know Kaitlyn’s Grandfather the same way she did. In this project, Kaitlyn examines the role of photography and writing play in the formation, preservation, loss, and representation of memory.
She graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Photography from Photography Studies College in Melbourne where she majored in Photojournalism. Her work has also been exhibited throughout Melbourne and regional Victoria. Her work has been collected by various organizations including The Australian National Library, and The Asia Pacific Photobook Archive. Her 2017 photobook Steiglitz (which documented the township of Steiglitz which during the gold rush was home to an estimated 1500 residents but as of 2017 had a population of just seven) has also been collected by The Steiglitz Historical Society. In 2017 Kaitlyn participated in the Obscura Festival of Photography in Penang, Malaysia; where she developed a body of work (In Transit) under the instruction of documentary photographer Leonard Pongo. Kaitlyn has also participated in numerous workshops Martin Parr, Bryan Schutmaat, Kazuma Obara, Dan Rule, Michael Mack, and Hajime Kimura. She has also achieved a Silver Award with Distinction in the 2018 VIPP Print Award.
Kaitlyn is a skilled photo retoucher, currently processing real estate images from across Australia for ABC Photo Signs, as well as working for numerous freelance clients.
AWARDS
2019 Finalist in CLIP Award, Perth Centre for Photography
2018 Silver with Distinction AIPP Victorian State Awards, Illustrative Category
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Steiglitz
$80,00