Grocott’s Mail intern photojournalist Roxanne van Winsen was judged the runner-up in this year’s prestigious Commonwealth Young Photographer awards. van Winsen received a cash prize and her work will be exhibited in London on a show that runs until the end of October.
Grocott’s Mail intern photojournalist Roxanne van Winsen was judged the runner-up in this year’s prestigious Commonwealth Young Photographer awards. van Winsen received a cash prize and her work will be exhibited in London on a show that runs until the end of October.
After outshooting competitors from Commonwealth nations like Australia, Botswana, Cameroon, Canada, Ghana and Kenya, Van Winsen said: “It was a great surprise to me, I did not really expect what has happened.” This time last year she was still in the classroom, studying photojournalism at Rhodes.
Harold Gess, her fourth year lecturer, expressed pride when he spoke of van Winsen’s achievement. “What was special about Roxanne as a student was that, unlike most of the students in her class who were interested in magazine photography, she had a special interest in newspaper photography. I personally recommended her to take the internship at Grocott’s,” said Gess.
van Winsen, who hails from Johannesburg, was advised by a friend to study journalism at Rhodes because she has had a special interest in photography ever since high school. She says studying at Rhodes has improved her confidence. Van Winsen attributes most of her photo skills to her training with Gess.
“I think that the reason Roxanne is doing so well is that she’s doing something which she really enjoys, she has a passion for photojournalism,” he said.
van Winsen works as a Mappp-Seta intern on Grocott’s Mail, a job which requires her to take pictures and to write stories. She also operates as a photo editor, and frequently mentors student reporters taking pictures.
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