Sydney-based professional photographer, Gavin Jowitt, was named Australian Commercial Photographer of the Year at the 2019 Australian Professional Photography Awards (APPA) this week.

Organised by the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP), APPA is the most prestigious competition for professional photographers. This year saw 1647 entries judged over three days with the results announced at a gala dinner on Tuesday night.

Jowitt submitted four architectural images, each of which was assessed anony­mously and given a score out of 100.

“Three of my images were shot as part of architecture case studies of building developments in Shanghai. The fourth image is of the unique award-winning National Aquarium in Copenhagen,” says Jowitt.

Jowitt switched careers to photography 12 years ago following a successful career as a creative director running a branding agency.

“The awards form an important part of my professional development,” Jowitt explains. “Each image is judged by a panel of five photographers who are considered to be experts in the category’s field of photography. It’s this peer-review process that makes the awards so relevant for me.

“As a photographer, you often work in isolation; that’s why it’s great to get the validation that comes from having your work judged by your peers.”

Along with architecture, Jowitt shoots for a broad range of corporate, industrial and public sector clients. “What I love about the work I do is that I’m always visiting great locations and get to meet some fascinating people. Over the past couple of months, I have been commissioned to take photographs at hospitals, mine sites, container ports and technology start-ups” Jowitt says. “At the moment I’m working with Transport for NSW creating an image library for the new Sydney Metro.”

Facade detail, shot as part of an architectural case study of the National Aquarium Denmark in Copenhagen.