Katoomba artist Marty Walker's photograph of local kids playing with a hose on a trampoline in the afternoon sun has been selected as a finalist for this year's Australian Life exhibition currently on display in Hyde Park in Sydney.
The annual photography competition with a first prize of $10,000, looks for engaging and intriguing photos that depict Australia "beyond the icons".
Taken in North Katoomba last summer, Walker's dreamlike image is a captivating play of light, texture and movement.
"We were at a friend's place for a barbeque, and there would have been about eight kids there, including my own. It was a really warm day by Katoomba standards, and a trampoline and a hose are all kids really need for a fun time," he said.
"I don't typically go looking for a photograph as opportunities are always presenting themselves on the peripheries of daily life. A unique gesture, an arrangement of shapes, or an interesting fall of light is what drives my work."
In 2018, the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre commissioned Walker to produce a series of photographs based on the urban landscape of the Blue Mountains for the centre's permanent collection. Three of these images are currently on display in the Cultural Centre Cafe in Katoomba.
The Australian Life photographic exhibition is on display in Hyde Park until Sunday, October 13.
