When photographer Tamara Dean won a prestigious trip to the US, no one was more surprised than she was. In a typical day, she snaps politicians, talks to celebrities and runs through suburban Sydney when a suspect emergtes from court. But her passion for photography continues outside her work for Fairfax media, capturing rites if passage set in the natural landscape, influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites.

The 37-year-old said a gallery where she exhibited work put her name forward for the Art Omi International Artists Residency which is open to 30 artists around the world every year. To her surprise, she was chosen as the representative for Australia.

“I'm really excited,” Dean said. “It's an amazing opportunity for wel-positioned people to see my work and I'm looking forward to getting feed-back from critics.”

She will live in the village of Omi, two hours north of New York CIty, from late June to mid-July, where she will be provided meals, critical guidance and a personal studio to fill with her photographs.

The residency is open to professional artists from each continent who have been active for at least three years and, at the end of her stay, Dean and her 29 peers will hold an exhibition for New York's art community.

Dean said she kept her news photography separate from her artistic endeavours but they influence each other.