BIOGRAPHY - NYK SYKES

Nyk Sykes is a Photographer and Poet living in Sydney.

As a Photographer:

Nyk Sykes took up photography in 2002. Since then his portrait and fashion photography has been published by Cosmopolitan, Cream, the Sun Herald and the Sydney Morning Herald.

Nyk reached the semi-finals of the 2008 International Hasselblad Masters Award (Sweden). His work has been showcased on the international photography websites Michelle7 (USA) and Musecube(USA).

Nyk was trained in photography at the Sydney Institute of TAFE (at Ultimo) and was educated at the Australian National University in the history and philosophy of art.

As a Poet,

• 1988 won the Australian Bicentennial Satiric Verse prize
• 1996 performed his poetry for the Sydney Festival at the Museum of Contemporary Art
• 2005 winner in the team event in the Sydney Poetry Slam at the State Library of NSW.

His poetry is published in both Australia and Europe and has been studied at university level.

Nyk expresses his view of photography in the following poem:

                 VAST VISION

The trick with photography, Is to find the stillness of the soul
This is our discipline 1/125th of a second, 1/60th of a second, 1/30th.
Growing from Amateur, to Professional, to Master
In the low slow light so they will see clearly.

To the curves of the catwalk, through the glamour of the game.
In the blinding noise of battle, we must be still
As we waltz through the wedding, scrum the red carpet, run with the riot.
We must move, and be still.

We hold in our hands, the site of our seeing.
We hold in our sight, the heart of our vision.

As the light fades, the stillness grows.
So still the soul takes us, out of sharp sight, into vast vision.





© 2008 Michael Gray Fine Art & Nyk Sykes RR&I. All rights reserved 1/ 10/ 2008