There's no doubt about it that Marc Payne is one of the best photographers to come out of Parkes.
He's an award winning artist and among his biggest achievements has been his photos featuring in the Top 101 images in the International Portrait Photographer of the Year competition.
The competition is world-wide and so prestigious Marc has also received official state and Australian government recognition for it.
And it was a delightful surprise too.
"I had no idea about it, it was a nice surprise," Marc said.
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"It went on record in October 2023 but I didn't know about it until mid last year.
"I have had a total of five images make it into the Top 100 images in the world in the last three years.
"You do get a little emotional, you put a lot of work into it and plan time around family and work.
"And it's not cheap."
Thanks to the Who Is Parkes exhibition at the end of 2023, which turned 10 of its images into outdoor public art around the shire, locals can see some of Marc's intricate work all the time.
The portrait of his daughter Nazzarine adorns the wall near the entrance of the Parkes Shire Library, while another of Kevin Dumesny hangs on the side of Wholesome Blend cafe on the corner of Clarinda and Bushman streets.
"I try to keep it with the locals, particularly those who have an interesting face," Marc said.
"I focus on traditional portrait and landscape photography with a darker feel about it."
Marc has had a love for photography his entire life, he started taking it seriously around 17 years old.
He had his first wedding to photograph at 19, one he'll never forget being a military wedding, and he's never looked back.
"I learned a lot from the late Jim Buckley who was a photographer and pharmacist Con Diamond," the now 51-year-old said.
Marc is vice president of the Parkes Camera Club and outside of his photo shoots, he helps out with judging various photography competitions.
He believes professional photographers don't always get the recognition they deserve and fears AI will have a great impact on the industry into the future.
