“I am really happy to win the award as I'm satisfied that my dedication and hard work has paid off. It's pretty exciting and it's a great stepping stone for my career as it means that my work has been recognised for its high level in the professional photography industry.” - Calista Lyon, Diploma of Arts (Applied Photography) student at NMIT

NMIT student Calista Lyon could count on one hand the times she picked up a camera to shoot serious photos before embarking on her Diploma of Arts -Applied Photography course at Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE (NMIT) in 2005.

Now, the 20-year-old Doncaster resident and second-year student has won The 2006 Australian Institute of Professional Photography Student Photographer of the Year award.

Competing against hundreds of students from around Australia and New Zealand in the Canon Australian Professional Photography awards held in Sydney recently, Calista won a gold distinction, a silver distinction and a silver award for her three photographic entries in the competion.

More than 500 people competed in the awards including working professional photographers as well as students.

Calista won $1,000 worth of Kodak photography equipment and a plaque and certificate.

Her three entries included a black and white macro(close-up) of a kangaroo paw, a native Australian plant, another macro shot of her sister, Tui's right eye and another which was a mix of nine different images in macro and micro(through a microscope) of plant materials such as leaves, stems and flowers.

'I am really happy to win the award as I'm satisfied that my dedication and hard work has paid off,' Calista said.

'It's pretty exciting and it's a great stepping stone for my career as it means that my work has been recognised for its high level in the professional photography industry.'

Moreover, Calista was the only student to achieve a gold distinction as the other seven gold distinctions were won by professional photographers.

'That feels pretty special, too,' Calista added.

Yet, Calista was not a person who walked around with a camera in her hand as a young girl and still does not own a camera.

She used to borrow her father's camera 'on the odd occasion' she wanted to take photographs.

She studied photography in Year 12 at VCE at Tallangatta High School , near Albury-Wodong in north-east Victoria .

'I just hadn't done much photography until I started at NMIT last year. But in VCE, I knew I really liked it and wanted to do what I really liked in life.

'I know I made the right decision in coming to NMIT and winning the award is a great tribute to the teachers' efforts and I've learned so much from them.'

Calista is also a serious competitor in athletics; she throws the discus and competed in the World Junior Athletics Championships in Italy in 2004 coming ninth in the world.

She trains up to 11 times a week with Gus Puopolo who was the head coach for the Commonwealth Games throws and has been seven times Australian champion in hammer throwing.

She has her sights on the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008.

She added while she hadn't settled on a particular photographic style as yet, she was still exploring the different aspects of photography.

'I want to try and do something different and in photography, it's very hard as everything's been done before. I'm not saying I'm doing something new but it's my way of showing something beautiful in a beautiful way,' she said.

I'm fascinated with parts of flowers and plants that you wouldn't normally see at a glance; the cell structures, textures and colours. They're pretty amazing when you see them and it's way I can show people beauty.'