If there's one thing that artists Gary Grealy, Richard Morecroft and Alison Mackay have in common it's that they all don't particularly like having their photograph taken.
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Which makes it kind of ironic that the three of them have combined to produce the 2017 winner of the National Photographic Portrait Prize.
The winner was announced at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra on Friday, marking the 10th year of the prize. Grealy has been a finalist eight times.
A renowned Sydney portrait photographer, he has captured Morecroft, the former ABC news presenter and accomplished landscape photographer, and his partner Mackay, who is a highly regarded painter, in a subdued but captivating portrait.
"I don't like getting my photograph taken at all," says Grealy, working his way through the press announcement of the winners. "I spend hours telling people how to hold their face, where to set their eyes, and as soon as I'm in front of a camera I can feel my lips trembling, my hands tensing up."
While Morecroft is probably a little more comfortable, having spent the best part of 40 years on television, Mackay found it somewhat challenging being the subject.
"I'm not a big fan either," she said. "But seeing Gary's work in this series about artists and those related to the arts, the works were so striking and beautiful that I thought it would be a great opportunity to watch him work close up.
"It was fascinating watching him go about the whole process of conceiving a portrait and executing it."
Guest judge for the 2017 prize photographer George Fetting said the portrait was a great collaboration that resulted in a simple, direct but captivating image.
"For me, the contrasting facial expressions, body language and soft side lighting combine to produce a painterly quality of a time gone by," Fetting said.
"It's a meticulous work cloaked in curiosity and intrigue, with the furtive smile to seduce the viewer."
Morecroft and Mackay, who live in Jervis Bay, have been partners since 1992. They said the portrait captured both their personal and professional connections, showed their determination and the partnership between them.
"Though we probably smile at each other a little bit more than what it might suggest," Morecroft laughed.
Grealy will receive $25,000 cash from the NPG and a Profoto B1 location kit courtesy of CR Kennedy.
More than 3000 entries were received for the prize with the judges selecting 49 for the exhibition.
People's choice voting opens from today, you can vote for your favourite image at nppp.portrait.gov.au or in person at the exhibition.
The National Photographic Portrait Prize is on display at the National Portrait Gallery until Sunday June 18 and will then tour around Australia.
