Artworks capturing the emotion of black summer bushfires recognised on a global stage

The works she created during that time have now gone on to gain international recognition and a top place in the Open Format category at the World Press Photo Competition.

Of the 3,851 photographers who entered the competition, Ms Casey was one of two photographers who won from the Southeast Asia and Oceania region.

In her project 'A Lost Place', she aimed to connect Australia's colonial past with its precarious climate future and said she began the work to calm her anxiety watching the fires from afar.

"I watched the news of the fires from cold and grey London (where I am based for much for the year), terrified of the inevitable outcome," Ms Casey said.

"Many years earlier I had been trapped in a wildfire in the Hunter Valley region (NSW), and still remember the intense heat and the sound of the roaring flames on either side of the road as I drove through what had become a massive out-of-control inferno.

"Thoughts of this fire reverberated through my mind as I made this work."

Her submission featured 28 photographs, 13 of which were taken on the south coast including Callala Bay, Culburra Beach, and Merimbula, many were from her last visit to Australia.

The images were then manipulated, recontextualised, and altered in various ways.

"With the imagined screams of Australia's native birds, which were perishing in the fires, echoing through my mind, I painted onto the prints with red and orange inks and paints," Ms Casey said.

"On other prints I scratched into the paint on the surface of the print, revealing the fragility of the paper underneath.

"All of my earlier work on this series is an intense shade of red, which depicts both my fear of what was happening and also the violence of the flames."

As the series progressed, Ms Casey provided a contrast and aimed to depict how all living creatures have similar safety needs within the landscape.

"And so, I produced dreamlike images in blues and turquoise made using a large format camera, and again, used inks and paints to manipulate the surface of the print, and then scanned, re-printed and re-manipulated the images."

At 13-year-old, Ms Casey was confident she would pursue a career in the arts and at a young age, her parents installed a black-and-white darkroom so she could follow her passion.

"I would spend days developing my films and printing the images," she said

"My mother was probably the most inspirational and influential person in my life - she had the heart and spirit of an artist and was creative in everything she did, and so her creativity meant that she paved the way for me to live a creative life."

After the loss of her Mother Margaret last year, her Father, Paul Casey still lives in Callala Bay.

Mr Casey said he was extremely proud of his daughter and all of her life's achievements, and he knew that his late wife would be too.

"In the arts, there is so much subjectivity and luck, and you can work and work and work, and you don't get recognised," he said.

"There is this element of chance and what catches people's attention at the right moment.

"Aletheia has spent over 30 years of her life on photography and although she has had recognition before, this is a truly major one that gives the most exposure, so I am so very happy for her."

"And as she often feels terribly sad about the loss of her mother, I think this win will help her feel as if her mother is watching over her."

To view the entire collection of works for A Lost Place on the World Press Photo webpage, click here.

The pieces will be shown at the international tour of the World Press Photo Exhibition 2024, which will be shown at the State Library of New South Wales between Saturday, May 25 2024 to Sunday, July 7 2024.