Meet Samuel Chapman: the Canberra photographer making international headlines
Posted on
Canberra man Samuel Chapman is having his moment in front of the lens.
The 24-year-old has been named as a finalist in the My Perspective international photography competition, run by the Down Syndrome Alliance. The competition celebrates photographers from across the globe, enabling people who have Down Syndrome to show us how they see the world.
Samuel’s love affair with photography started when he was 10 years old after a friend gifted him a small camera. He started taking photos of friends and family, parts of nature that sparked his creativity and conveyed parts of his life that were most important to him.
“Photos are a record of what I see and do,” Samuel says.
“I take photos in my science class because it is an important record of our experiments. I also like taking close-up photos of things that most people don’t see – like the inside of flowers.”
Samuel’s passion for nature is reflected in the photo he submitted for the competition, propelling him to the finals – the shortlisted image aptly named Light on a Spider Lily.
Light on a Spider Lily.
“I like taking photos of nature. Flowers are really lovely because I can look closely at the details and get the light and angles right,” Samuel says.
“I like taking photos of birds, but it is hard to take a good shot because they move so fast.”
Entries for the annual competition came from all corners of the globe – Guatemala, India, South Africa, and the United States. The finalists for the competition are invited to attend a special awards ceremony in London at the historic Normansfield Theatre in the Langdon Down Centre on 7 November where the winners will be announced.
When asked how he’s feeling ahead of the finals Sam says “I’m very happy and proud when other people like my photos.”
As Samuel grows his international following, we’re hoping to see an exhibition showcasing his work back home – right here in Canberra – soon.
We’ll be in line to buy a ticket.
Images supplied.
