Jenny Davidson and Alf Manciagli were thrilled to be selected among the best photographers for the Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize.

”I was surprised in a way because I knew it was the biggest competition in the country as far as photography was concerned,” Mr Manciagli said.

”It’s rare to get two Orange people in it,” Ms Davidson said.

Mr Manciagli made the finals with a black and white photo of Stewart “Bennie” Caldwell in his scrap metal and second-hand goods store at Molong.

 “I thought he was a real Aussie charmer and that fits into the photograph,” Mr Manciagli said.

“I’m shooting [photos for] a book and he was in the book and I saw this. It was taken for a different thing but I thought it was fitting for the Moran prize.”

Mr Manciagli has 44 years of experience as a photographer and said he decided to enter Mr Caldwell’s photo in black and white although it had originally been taken in colour.

“It’s got a lot more character than if it was in colour,” he said. 

Ms Davidson’s finalist entry was a photo of a boy riding a bull at the Taralga Rodeo on Australia Day this year.

“It had to depict Australia, it was a boy on a bull with his teeth gritted, it’s quite a powerful image,” Ms Davidson said of her entry.

“It was a great looking photo and it depicted that contemporary Australian lifestyle.

Ms Davidson said she had won photographic prizes overseas before but this was the largest Australian photographic competition she had been successful in.

Ms Davidson has been taking photos for 15 years, is a member of Orange Camera Club, the Australian Photographic Society and teaches photoshop at TAFE Western.

The photographers were notified on Wednesday and will have their works exhibited in Sydney from October 29. They are also in the running for the $50,000 first prize, which will be announced in Sydney on October 28. 

For more information visit www.moranprizes.com.au.

tanya.marschke@fairfaxmedia.com.au