Have you been to Brantes? It is a quaint little village cut into the side of a mountain in Provence. Once inside the village, there are no cars, just tiny pathways all rustic and uneven to navigate. After scurrying around the village armed with my camera, we  watched the sunset caress the valley before returning to the warmth of our car for the drive home to our home in Venterol.

It was in Brantes that I captured this image which won a Silver with Distinction award at the Canon Australian Institute of Professional Photography Awards (APPA’s). Judging this print was exciting, one member of the panel was arguing for a Gold Award, at the end of judging, Silver with Distinction was the final judgement. Amen.

We stumbled on the village of Sully on our return to Beaune one afternoon.  A sign on the side of the road promised a glimpse of a Château so we made the detour. A private function underway prevented us entering, the view from the front gate was just delightful. This image of Château de Sully, au coeur de la Bourgogne ( Chateau of Sully in the heart of Burgundy) won a Silver Award at the Canon APPA’s.

Entering APPA and having your images judged by fellow Master Photographers is not for the faint hearted. The standard of judging is extremely high, the quality of images on show inspirational, all of which contributes greatly to making the standard of professional photography in Australia so high.

So APPA is over for 2011, bring on 2012!