Innholdsfortegnelse for February-March 2024 i Australian Photography

What does creativity mean for you? For some photographers, creativity starts and ends with the camera itself, while for others it only occurs later in the editing suite. Creativity can come from pre-visualising a shot before you capture it, or being inspired by something you see and putting your own spin on it. For each of us its different, and we all express it in different ways. And yet creativity is also something we as a culture have a habit of commodifying – reducing it to a list of activities or a series of tips to simplify the process of reaching the end point. As the great photographer and writer Guy Tal writes in his book The Interior Land-scape (2022), the easier something is to accomplish, the less creative it…

TWO Australian photographers have been shortlisted in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice vote, selected from more than 49,000 entries. Recognised in the shortlist are Cooma, NSW photographer Charles Davis, for his image Duckling Huddle, and Sydney photographer Ofer Levy, for his image Neighbourhood dispute. The photographs were chosen by the Natural History Museum, London, and an international judging panel. The public can vote for their favourite image either online or in the flagship Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London. Voting closes on 31 January. The winner and top four images will be announced in February and displayed online, joining the winners of the fifty-ninth competition announced earlier this year. LEICA ANNOUNCES SUMMICRON-M 28MM F2 ASPH LENS LEICA has announced the…

UPCOMING COMPETITION THEMES APRIL 2024 FLIGHT 31 January 2024 JUNE 2024 FRAMING 31 March 2024 AUGUST 2024 WATER 31 MAY 2024 OCTOBER 2024 RURAL 31 JULY 2024 DECEMBER 2024 SPORT 30 SEPTEMBER 2024 YOUR ENTRY 1. Email your entry to yourbestshot@australianphotography.com with the name of the competition theme in the email subject line, for example: Weather, Abstract, Landscape, etc. 2. The image file must be the same as your name, for example Jane Smith.jpg. If you enter multiple images, each new image file name should be appended with a unique number, eg Jane Smith2.jpg 3. A maximum of three images can be entered per person. 4. Images must be in JPEG format. 5. Email file size must not exceed 7MB. 6. Please include the following information about your entry in…

These days drones are very much a part of every-day life, and it’s amazing to think that it was only a little over 10 years ago that Chinese company DJI launched their first consumer flying camera drone – the Phantom. Up until that point, aerial photography was something for the elite, usually involving expensive helicopters or small plane flights, and so when a highly affordable flying camera came on the market it was truly a game-changer. Seeing the world from above offers an extraordinary opportunity for photographers, even if we are now somewhat blasé about aerial images that would have had our jaws dropping a decade ago - such is progress! Drones and their cameras have evolved at a rapid pace, and what’s more they are now highly compact and…

The latest release from Panasonic’s Lumix camera division is its new flagship Micro Four Thirds (M43) mirrorless camera, the Lumix G9 Mark II. Remarkably, it has been six years since the original G9 was released, and it’s exciting to see just how many technical advancements have taken place in that time. Today, our expectations for our cameras have never been higher. I was an early adopter of the G9, and as much as I loved it, it had begun to feel like a bit of a dinosaur when compared to other cameras on the market, especially so with the release of OM System’s flagship OM-1, which really pushed the M43 format forward. So with a new body design, a new autofocus system, and a new sensor, on paper at least,…

My love of travel and photography has taken me to many beautiful and captivating locations around the work, many not on regular tourist trails. My favourites would have to be Namibia, Iceland, Norway, Canada, and Cuba. Landscape and aerial photography are my passions. More and more I am enjoying getting a bird’s eye view from my drone; however I still get a thrill from a good old camera shot. This image is from one of my last trips before Covid hit and overseas travel was not on my horizon for the next few years. It was captured on an autumn workshop in the Canadian Rocky Mountains in early October 2018 and I was one of the lucky participants. On the first day of our workshop the seasons changed. What was…

Congratulations to Gavin Kellett who has won a 12-month subscription to either Australian Photography or Capture magazine for taking out Image Doctor this month! AP has been celebrating the work of Australian photographers for more than 70 years. Published quarterly, Capture is Australia’s leading journal for emerging and professional photographers. Find out more about AP at australianphotography.com, and Capture at capturemag.com.au HOW TO SUBMIT AN IMAGE • Email entries to: imagedoctor@australianphotography.com with “Image Doctor” in the subject line. • Include your name, image title and up to 150 words about how you created it. • Only one image per person per month. • Images must be saved in JPEG format. Maximum file size is 5MB. Include your name in the filename of the image. • An Australian address is required…

PAULA HEELAN Paula is an outback photographer, photojournalist and author based in south east Queensland, Australia. See more of her work at paulaheelanphotojournalism.com STEVE THOMAS Steve been pedalling, paddling, and trekking his way around the globe for 35 years, and makes his living from capturing images and words from his travels. See more at stevethomasimages.com SHREYAS YADAV Shreyas is a nature and wildlife photographer from India, and a specialist in digital post processing. See more at shreyas-yadav.com TIM ROBINSON Tim is the producer of Snap Happy TV and a keen bird photographer. Find out more at worldviewproductions.com.au…

Wright’s shot of climber Angela VanWiemeersch illuminated in a crack, deep within Long Canyon, Utah, United States convinced the judging panel of more than 50 photographers. It also won the Innovation by MPB category. Originally from Queensland, Wright is an adventure photographer, cinematographer, and director, who has specialised in adventure sports for many years. She was previously a category finalist in 2013 and has made the top 25 in 2013 and 2019. Wright described the win as 'incredible'. "I wanted to earn my place in this industry and my work to get recognised. Red Bull Illume is the only platform that truly recognises what we do," she said. In addition to Wright, Melbourne photographer Ted Grambeau also won the 'Energy' category of the competition, with his image of James 'Jimmy'…

I’m guessing many of you are (by default) the photographer in your family, which means you and your camera are trotted out at every milestone to capture all those important moments. And while this can be a drag when you’ve got the Christmas turkey to stuff, it’s also a real honour – and something I enjoy more and more as I’ve become comfortable behind the camera. These days, I’ve been photographing my own family for many years, and nowadays I’m often asked to capture other people’s families as well. In this feature, I wanted to share a few tips I’ve picked up along the way for dealing with the trickiest of subjects – kids who don’t like their photo being taken, as well as sharing a few tips for how…

Camera backpacks are dime-a-dozen these days, and yet Nikon has seen fit to lend its name to a new bag developed by relatively obscure Swedish brand Gaston Luga. THE BAG Out of the box, the GL X is a nicely made bag, manufactured from a 'premium', water-resistant material, described on the tag as 100% recycled polyester with a TPU coating. It feels and looks a bit like PU leather. Gaston Luga’s website does mention that its bags are not made from animal-based materials, which means no leathers, no adhesives, and no colourings sourced from animals. In addition, the company’s materials meet PETA’s requirements and are approved as PETA-approved vegan materials - all good things. Moving to the look of the thing it doesn't scream 'camera bag', and seems more of…

For many photographers like me, aging arrives too soon in their learning curve. When I was young, I was busy earning a living, paying off a mortgage, and raising my family. ‘Serious’ photography was put on the backburner until after I retired. But now with plenty of time to improve my photography, I find myself needing to find ways around my age-related limitations. For my favoured genre of animal photography, I have moved to mirrorless in a search for lighter gear and sought out lighter tripods and gimbals. Unfortunately, my sherpa (aka my husband) is not getting any younger either. I have tried a multitude of harnesses that allow me to take the weight off my neck while hobbling along. The best puts the camera front and centre and allows…

For the first time in the history of the tournament, last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup was to be hosted by Australia and New Zealand. As you might expect, the Matildas performance in the tournament captured the attention of the nation. When I captured this image, Australia and England were facing off in the semi-final. It was the furthest any Australian team, male or female, had ever reached in a FIFA World Cup. I was high up in the catwalk for this match in a position that was only allowed for two photographers. Safety briefings were required in advance for access, and my equipment had to be tethered to me. Only a small backpack which I also had tethered to the catwalk structure, carrying spare batteries and cards, was allowed.…

PORTRAIT THIS MONTH’S WINNER OWEN JENKINS Marie EDITOR’S COMMENT What makes a great portrait can often be the feeling it evokes in the viewer – in fact we’d argue an image that raises questions is oftentimes more interesting than a technically perfect shot. Case in point this month’s winning image captured by Owen Jenkins during covid. He tells us that visits to his mother Marie were through a window with a table providing a couple of metres of separation. At first glance this is just a traditional portrait, but Marie’s expression of puzzlement and the details in her face makes the viewer question the context of the image – is she unhappy being photographed, or just unsure of what’s happening? It’s a portrait that makes you think, and for that…

From choosing a gallery to the nerves of an opening night, holding a solo photography exhibition is rewarding, and daunting, in all kinds of ways. It’s not only a chance to share your creativity and get discovered – it can lead to new opportunities including invitations to exhibit elsewhere, a higher profile, openings to shoot for other projects, media interviews, great sales and most of all, an enjoyable experience. So, how do you do it? FIND AN AFFORDABLE GALLERY Unless you have a gallery in mind, the first place to look for a suitable venue is usually in your community, especially if you are exhibiting images taken locally. You could approach a café, a restaurant, a public space, a library, a private gallery or, as I did for my most…

A new update to Adobe Lightroom introduced in October 2023, Lens Blur (which is currently in ‘Early Access’ status as we go to print) can blur the background or foreground in your image by making a depth map of the image using Adobe’s AI Sensei technology. The tool also lets you add bokeh to out of focus areas in your images. And while the Lens Blur tool does automate the process considerably, you still have control over the final result. So far, despite being only in Early Access, I’ve been impressed by the results and have found it’s saved me time in post processing, which means more time for the fun bit – photography! It’s worth noting that this kind of editing will likely fall foul of many photo competition rules…

One afternoon back in 1994 a sales rep dropped by the newspaper, told me to sell all my other lenses, and promptly handed me a new Tamron Adaptable-II 28-200mm f3.8-5.6 lens. It was a compact lens, weighing just 508-grams, and it did cover most of my working range, but it was two stops slower than my usual lenses and its minimum focus distance was only 2.1 metres! To amateur photographers, the new Tamron 28-200mm was a superzoom but for professional photographers the lens had too many design compromises, from distortion and chromatic aberration through to a lack of overall sharpness. I didn’t swap my lens kit, however, superzooms have improved a lot in recent years and Tamron’s latest offering could actually deliver what most serious photographers want from one of…

THIS MONTH’S WINNER A LITTLE CROP “I shot this image while wandering around Senso-ji temple in Asakusa, Tokyo. Three ladies in traditional kimono were being photographed and I joined in. The light was being diffused through the open parasol, and her bowing head added to the coyness. Photographing in public is difficult as many people walked through the shot.” ANTHONY’S TIP: Hi Peter, isn’t Japan a wonderful place for making photos!? I do enjoy this image, but the first thing I notice as I look at it is the bright pavement across the bottom of the frame. If I was shooting this I would have just crouched down just enough to lose that bright pavement from my frame, or simply zoom a little bit more. As we are dealing with…