Photographer Jodie Harris was initially disappointed after entering her photo of drag queen Stan Munro into the National Photographic Portrait Prize. 

For ages, she didn’t hear anything from the portrait prize organisers.

“They left it to the very last minute and I remember feeling disappointed thinking that my image didn’t make it again,” Jodie said.

“When I got the congratulations email, I literally screamed. Such a great moment for me.”

Her photo of Stan is a behind the scenes shot where he is putting on (or taking off) his makeup and costume. Stan is a female impersonator, drag performer and comedian and is one of the last of the Les Girls from the cabaret show popular in the 70s. Stan is in his 80s now and he has made Kyogle his home.

“I heard about Stan before I met Stan,” Jodie said. “I was intrigued to know how he came to live in the small regional town of Kyogle, it seems such an unlikely place.

“It was this juxtaposition of character and place that I wanted to explore. I loved the fact that he was still performing and when I met him formally, I asked if he would sit for me.”

That photo, taken in Kyogle went on to be one of 48 finalists across Australia in the National Photographic Portrait Prize.

The image had to be taken within the last 12 months and needed to be new work, Jodie said.

She has entered the portrait prize three times and this is her first time as a finalist. She was in Canberra for the announcement of the winner.

Hoda Afshar won $30,000 cash prize and $20,000 worth of photography equipment for first place for the photo Untitled from the series Code Black/Riot.

Jodie’s favourite in the exhibition was Michael Cooks work Individuation – Persona 2024.

“I have always loved his work and was lucky enough to meet and yarn with him as a fellow indigenous photographer, “ Jodie said.

Being a finalist means a lot.

“The portrait prize is one of the most important in Australia for photographers,” Jodie said.

“Being selected as a finalist out of over a thousand entries is an achievement that I am very proud of.

“Being recognised on a national scale and exhibiting my work within a national institution is an important leap in my career as a photographic artist.

“It’s a nod to the years of learning and refining my skill as a photographer and motivates me to continue my work.”

As a photographer, Jodie is drawn to portraiture.

“I am intensely curious about other people’s lives, the spaces they inhabit and our shared human experience,” she said.

“I find myself mostly drawn to environmental portraiture where the place and objects represented within the frame take the viewer on a journey through the image revealing aspects of the sitter.

I am usually drawn to those who sit outside of social norms and have fearlessly tread their own path, she said.

The prize giving isn’t over – there is still the People’s Choice Award with a $10,000 prize.

Voting closes Sunday, September 28. Go here to vote for Jodie’s photo of Stan.

See all the finalist portraits here.

This article appeared on indyNR.com on 20 August 2025.