Innholdsfortegnelse for Photographer of Year 2023 i Australian Photography

This is it - the culmination of a year’s work by many of our best and brightest photographers, and the biggest, boldest edition of the mag we put together - the annual Photographer of the Year issue of Australian Photography. Inside, you'll find the results of the richest and largest photo competition of its kind in the Southern hemisphere. Photographer of the Year is our flagship competition, and a celebration of the best creativity in the region. But most importantly it’s a platform for you, our readers and followers, to showcase your work. For many of our winners and finalists over the years, it’s also an important stepping stone in a career towards becoming a professional photographer. There’s a couple of things I’ve always loved about Photographer of the Year.…

The competition is the largest of its kind for amateur photographers in Australasia and for 2023 had a prize pool valued at more than $20,000. Slater’s series marks his early foray into 1860sera wet plate photography, an archaic, artistic process that requires immense patience from both the photographer and the sitter. But beyond the technology itself, Slater’s images revealed wonderful details about his subjects – testament to his skills behind the camera, regardless of the tool. For judge Matt Palmer, the limitations of the analog process take nothing away from the images Slater created. “Connection and soul trump perfection in portrait image-making… it’s a reminder that the subject comes first,” he says. More than 2,500 entries were received in the annual competition which, for the major categories, challenges photographers to…

6. SARA BARRITT FARMYARD FRIENDS 7. HANNE MATTHEWS RIVER BOYS 8. TRAVIS DE VALLE NIGHT CRUSADERS 9. AMY IACULLO SPEECHLESS 10. JESSICA TORMEY BEST OF MY FIRST YEAR AT COLLARTS 11. KYLE REINER WHAT HAVE I DONE? 12. NADJA AROLD PEOPLE OF MELBOURNE 13. WAYNE RILEY BULLRIDER 14. LEX LUCAS EMOTION - PHILIP 15. MARIANA ZILBERSHTEYN HOLI SAMAJ 16. ALBERT TAY OLD LADIES MAKING BASKETS 17. ROGER HYLAND STREET PORTRAITS 18. MARIANA ZILBERSHTEYN COUSINS 19. KHA DINH SUNSETS & SILHOUETTES 20. MARIANA ZILBERSHTEYN WIDOWS OF VRINDAVAN…

3. TRISH BROWN ORANGE NECTAR BATS 4. SANDRA MCCABE THE LIGHTER SIDE OF MOSS 5. EMMA PARKER A MOMENT BETWEEN TO REST 6. ROBERT SMITH GIANT AUSTRALIAN CUTTLEFISH 7. JOHN PETERS PERSONALITIES 8. EMMA PARKER SPRING INTO SUMMER 9. SHAUN ROBERTSON WHEN WORLD’S COLLIDE 10. SAMANTHA DE SOUZA MAGNIFICENT BEASTS 11. JOHN OLEWICZ MUM AND BUBS 12. ANTHONY LAWRENCE POLAR BEARS AND CUBS ROAM THE HIGH CANADIAN ARCTIC 13. ANDREW HUTCHINGS WIRRAGADARA 14. GAIL YAGER NULLABOR WEDGETAIL 15. KAREN MCNALLY GRIZZLY BEARS OF GREAT BEAR RAINFOREST 16. DONALD CHIN PINK-EARED DUCK 4321 17. STEPHEN GARTH MELBOURNE’S WINTER ROBINS 18. JANE MCMENAMIN SMALL MATTERS 19. CONRAD NITZSCHE NOT VERY JUMPY 20. HELENA KRISTEL PUFFINS - LÁTRABJARG CLIFFS, ICELAND…

3. JUNGYOOK PARK NO LIFE 4. NIALL CHANG WINTER IN YELLOWSTONE 5. DALE GRIBBLE KOSCIUSZKO: ALPINE LANDSCAPE COLLECTION 6. PAUL BRIGGS MIDNIGHT SUN 7. JACKIE WILSON DEAD FOREST 8. JULIAN COOK A GREY DAY 9. MARC PATERSON LIQUID LUMINOSITY 10. GREG CRICHTON ANTARCTICA - THE FINAL FRONTIER 11. MARK WARREN WALLS OF THE CANYON 12. JUNGYOOK PARK TEXTURE 13. GAIL MITCHELL WITHIN WITHOUT 14. KAY CYPHER LAND OF INFINITY 15. KEELEIGH SHEPHARD FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE 16. ALAN COLIGADO SETTLED LANDS 17. ROB SYKES FROM THE TRAIN - PAST BROKEN HILL 18. RAELENE PITCHER MISTY MORNING AT MULLIGAN’S FLAT 19. MARK CLIFFORD BUILDING BLOCKS 20. BRUCE MCDONALD COLOURS OF FOG…

3. DAVID LETO BRONTE’S BEACHFRONT BEAUTY 4. PAUL EVANS TERRA INCOGNITA 5. MATT FIELDES INTERGALACTIC 6. PHILIPPE GIANG MIRROR JADES 7. NATALIE ARBER THE NÃ PALI COASTLINE 8. SANGYONG KIM THE SHORELINE OF QUEENSLAND 9. GEMMA KRAPLJANOV ESPERANCE BLUES 10. CLIFF TIMPSON SNOW PEAKS, SOUTHERN ALPS NEW ZEALAND 11. SHIRLEY JOHNSON SALT LAKES FROM ABOVE 12. JACKIE WILSON MORNING LIGHT ON THE DUNES 13. JAMES FULTON CANTERBURY ABSTRACTS 14. MARK HAMILTON KITES’ EYE VIEW 15. MATT FIELDES OTHERWORLDLY MIGRATION 16. POLLY FENTON LAKE TYRRELL TEXTURES 17. HELEN CARPENTER PLANTING 18. PAUL EVANS OUTBACK 19. KIM TALENTO GEELONG AND THE BELLARINE 20. KERSTIN LEMBKE SALT LAKE SYMPHONY IN PINGRUP, WESTERN AUSTRALIA…

3. DIANNE ENGLISH THE BOTANICS 4. ROWENA ALLEN A STORY OF THESE HANDS 5. PAUL BRIGGS THE POWER OF WATER 6. JESSICA TORMEY PORTRAITS B&W 7. ALAN COLIGADO THE EYE 8. AMBER KING MAJESTY OF THE STAGHORN 9. DIANNE GALBRAITH A DELICATE BALANCE 10. BRUCE MCDONALD WYARALONG 11. MARK APPLETON LONELY 12. ALISON LEE RUBIE PORTRAITS OF THE WILD 13. THERESIA HALL THE STAIRS IN ELIZABETH BAY HOUSE 14. JUAN CARLOS OSMA GENTLE-MEN 15. CHRISTINA HU MUNGO NATIONAL PARK 16. JILL PATTERSON LIFELESS ART 17. LILY BERNAU MEGABATS 18. SUE ADORJAN NEW TOWERS 19. STEVE ALDER-GOAD EXERTION 20. ELIZABETH HARDAKER TURTLE DREAMING…

3. GIACOMO ZANELLO REFLECTIONS OF VENICE 4. LOUISE HOLLANDS THE HOUSE OF TAN TENG NIAH 5. NIGEL MALONE TOKYO KU 6. LUKE MACKENZIE SOCOTRA: YEMEN’S HIDDEN GEM 7. SARA NASH NIPPON 8. KATARINA LLOYD JONES TEA IN A WARZONE 9. FIONA BOWRING FINE TIMES AT THE ASTOR 10. KAY GIBBONS-BUCKWELL UNDER THE STREETLAMPS (POSTCARDS FROM EUROPE SERIES) 11. ALAN COLIGADO UP, UP AND AWAY 12. LUKE MACKENZIE KASHMIR UNVEILED 13. DAVID SOV IRANIAN LIFE 14. JASON AHYONG ANTARCTICA 2023…

3. STEPHANE THOMAS BEFORE THE CONCERT 4. SIM CHONG FIGHTING FOR THE CATCH 5. HARMAN SINGH HEER DUSK IN AFRICA 6. IAN PROBYN SPRING SHOWERS 7. BENIZI SANTAMARIA TIME MATTERS 8. IRMA FERREIRA THE GEISHA GIRL OF NATURE 9. ALISHIA GARLICK UNLOADING AT LIGHTING SPEED 10. NINO LO GIUDICE RIVERFIRE SUPERHORNET 11. IVAN GLASER A GOOD HUNT 12. RAELENE PITCHER WET FEET 13. HARMAN SINGH HEER TWO AFRICAN ICONS 14. BEN CHUBB FORGOTTEN FLAME 15. JULIAN FLETCHER TED 16. MARK HAMILTON SO MANY MARILYNS 17. RONALD FRITZ SUNSET AT AVALON AIRSHOW 18. MITCHELL RICKMAN TURTLE 19. LASITHA LIYANA PATABENDI SWIMMING IN THE YELLOW SEA 20. SHIRLEY JOHNSON STORMY WATERS…

3. BRAEDAN LOVETT THE MAN IN THE TREE 4. SUSI NODDING SHERRIN! 5. RUTH WOODROW GARAGE DOORS 6. WAYNE RICKARD OLD TRAIN 7. SUSAN ASTOR-SMITH ESCALATORS AT QVB 8. DAN PING LIU THE RAINBOW ROAD 9. THERESA HALEY COMING INTO LAND 10. GLENDA GORE GELATI AN URBAN LANDSCAPE 11. LILY BERNAU PRIME COLOURS 12. KYM HOUSTON CYBER GIRL 13. PAUL WESLEY MADY 14. ALLAN COPSON FLIGHT 15. CHRIS JARRETT VORTEX 16. GRAEME GORDON REIMAGINE 17. ASH WILKINSON NAUTICAL SUNSET 18. DAVID BIGNELL SKIING THE MATTERCONE 19. BEC LOWE CONFINED 20. ANDREW TAN INVESTIGATION OF TRANSIENT POOL BOILING DUE TO SUDDEN LARGE POWER SURGE…

3. LOLA KRIEF SPRING STRIPES 4. TRISTAN LYTH TOKYO ABOUNDS 5. GEORGIA GOMM THE CORPORATE LUNCH 6. ITAI LEVINGER BABY DRAGON 7. JOHN PETERS EMPTY SPACES 8. HUGO FORDHAM-MELLIN DESERT KING 9. RILEY DIERS-HAHN KEA AT MILFORD SOUND 10. SEVASTI FILERIS MUDDY GOOD TIMES 11. JOSH DENNIS A COAL AUTUMN MORNING 12. JOHN PETERS THE COMPLEXITIES OF SIMPLISTIC DESIGN 13. SOPHIE LILLIS MAN’S BEST FRIEND 14. JACK DUDLEY MY CANDLE ON THE WATER 15. LILY GUBBIN BLACK BEAUTY 16. SEVASTI FILERIS HIGH VIEW 17. BLAKE ROMER ATOMIC SUNSET 18. LILY GUBBIN FIERY AUTUMN COLOURS 19. SOPHIE LILLIS WHO’S THAT PRETTY LADY? 20. ADRIAN KALETTA TOOTHLESS ROAR…

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SONY’S A9III ARRIVES SONY has announced the Alpha 9 Mark III, the world’s first full-frame camera with a global shutter, bringing with it huge advancements for high-speed photography. A global shutter is a method of ending an exposure where all the image data is captured simultaneously. This is different to most existing shutter systems (electronic and mechanical) that start and end progressively and read data across the sensor. The major benefit of the technology is the elimination of rolling shutter distortion, something that plagues many slow ‘traditional’ shutters found on mirrorless cameras, and gives the ability to sync with flash at almost any shutter speed. The inclusion of a global shutter means the A9 III can sync at up to a mindboggling 1/80,000s in its single drive mode and 1/16,000s…

@raoulslater TINTYPE PORTRAITS THE SUNSHINE Coast’s Raoul Slater only set up a wet-plate collodion studio in February last year, but he hasn’t stopped since. In fact, he has just ticked over his 50th portrait captured with the 1860s era technology. Captured with a Russian FDK 18cm x 24 cm view camera he bought on eBay from the Ukraine, the technology involves coating a glass or aluminium plate with gun cotton and then sensitising it in a silver nitrate bath. The plates are 1 ISO, so portraits require long exposures, a wide lens, or lots of light. “There are lots of steps to master and some arcane alchemical hurdles to overcome, so I’ve been keen to photograph as often as possible to troubleshoot all the common problems,” he explains. The biggest…

@madaboutmara THE HUNT SOUTH AFRICAN born but now calling Sydney home, Ivan Glaser has been able to focus his attentions on his distant homeland, sparked by joining a photo safari to the Maasai Mara in 2019. His Animal and Nature category winning series depicts everything a wildlife photographer would dream of capturing on safari. The two cheetahs are the last remaining members of the renowned “Tano Bora” (meaning 'The Magnificent Five' in Maa) coalition of the Maasai Mara, originally consisting of five cheetahs famous for their hunting skills. “On this day, a lone topi approached the hidden cheetahs, triggering their swift transition from sheltering in the shade of a bush into hunting mode,” he recalls. “The cheetahs chased the topi right along the ridge line against the backdrop of a…

@niallchang IDAHO 10 YEARS after first developing a love for photography, Niall Chang continues to wow our judges in Photographer of the Year with his delicate and timeless land-scape images. His striking, minimalist series was captured from the window of his car in the depths of the North American winter while enroute to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. “The telegraph poles first caught my attention as I called to stop the car,” he recalls. “When I panned the long lens around me, other stand-alone elements came into view.” Helped by crisp air, soft and flat light, and an eye for a simple frame, his images impressed the judges with their stripped-back aesthetic, making them a deserved winner in the hugely competitive Landscape category. WHAT THE JUDGES SAID DREW HOPPER: Niall…

@benchubb_art REINEFJORDEN 19-YEAR-OLD SYDNEY photographer Ben Chubb captured his Aerial category winning series ReineFjorden while visiting the Norwegian archipelago of Lofoten in winter. “I had done research previously and knew it could be a hard time of year to get around, but if the conditions were right it would make for some of the best photography I would ever experience,” he explains. “When I arrived, sure enough, it was rainy, foggy and far too warm for decent snow, with no forecast for that to change in the time I was there.” However, on the final morning before heading back to port, his luck changed and while driving out of town he noticed a glimpse of sunlight on some of the peaks while a slight gap formed on the horizon. “Suddenly…

@craigfordphotography CALIFORNIA DREAMING NEW ZEALAND’S Craig Ford has long been inspired by the work of iconic American landscape photographer Ansel Adams. He tells us he decided while on a recent trip to Yosemite National Park to walk in his (rather large) footsteps, visiting many of the locations he helped to immortalise while also attempting to put his own signature spin on other landscape scenes from the area. “Black and white photography was an obvious choice for me in order to better emphasise the contrasting light and shade which can be found within the scenes, but the decision to shoot with monochromatic edits in mind was also a purposeful tribute to Ansel,” he explains. For the judges, there was more to Ford’s series than just being a tribute, with his images…

@gallery.kch MOMENTS IN TIME SOCIAL WORKER Kate Hutchinson says photography is one hobby she loves, with travel another. “Culture, language, food, history, art, architecture, seeing places that are ‘off the beaten’ track, staying with and meeting locals are why I love to travel,” she says. “Growing up, I lived overseas and watched my artist mother produce beautiful images from behind a lens. This inspired me to pick up a camera. I bought my first, a Nikon D3300, in 2015. I still use it today, even though I don’t know how to use it properly, but this doesn’t stop me from going on photographic expeditions and even entering my first competition.” Her travel category winning series Moments in Time was captured in Morocco during a trip with a friend in April…

@ruth_woodrow THE FIRES MELBOURNE ENTHUSIAST photographer and park ranger Ruth Woodrow also works in a logistics support role for front-line firefighters, and it’s through this role she was able to capture her winning single shot category image The Fires. She says one of the benefits of the role is it also gives her unbridled access to behind-the-scenes activity during the fire season. “This image captures the ethereal beauty of the landscape during one of the team’s controlled fires,” she explains. “Here, two exhausted firefighters are heading back to their vehicle after a long day spent on the fire line. Firefighting, even controlled burns, is exhausting, intensively physical work.” As well as the modern notion of fuel reduction, controlled burns evoke the millennia-old practices of First Nations people which were…

PAUL EVANS’ Still life with fish stood out to our judges thanks to its emotive use of lighting and strong sense of story. The Adelaide photographer says the idea for the image came to him while walking around the foreshore in Port Adelaide. “I occasionally find an interesting looking fishing lure and take it home with me,” he explains. “I was wondering what to do with the lures and thought they could be part of a creative photography project. I also pulled out my bakelite tackle box which I bought as a young boy in the 1960s. All that was left to do was to come up with a coherent story combining all these elements and build the final product taking multiple images to form a collage.” “The three panels…

LEARNING THE ROPES 15-YEAR-OLD INDIANA Kritikou lives on her family sheep farm on the Darling Downs, Queensland. “I first started photography around two years ago when I picked up my Mum’s old DSLR and have since fallen in love with it so much I saved up and bought my own first camera,” she explains. “I love being able to capture special moments and turn them into memories, and being able to create a feeling from a single moment is my absolute driver.” She says she often spends hours down at the shearing shed with her camera, with her image Learning the Ropes taken on shearing day on the farm, only a couple days after her Dad brought his little kelpie pup home. “I saw how much he already loved dad…

There is something very stable and peaceful about the panoramic format - I have always liked it. However, until relatively recently, to take a panorama required a series of overlapping shots and the ability to stitch them in post processing - but if there was any movement this method could be problematic. Today, modern cameras with their high resolution sensors have opened up the possibility of in-camera panoramas taken with a single shot, making movement much less of an issue. My first high resolution camera was a medium format Fujifilm GFX 50s with a 51 megapixel sensor. To my delight, I discovered the 65x24 aspect ratio as one of the standard format options within the camera. What that meant was that I was able to see the panorama and compose…

PLANTS Plants can be photographed in an infinite number of ways, and this is something we looked for this issue – images that went beyond just capturing the traditional, but explored different creative techniques to bring out the best in bloom. HIGHLY COMMENED IAN SALE The Ascent of Gough EDITOR’S COMMENT Ian Sale’s runner-up shot is another multiple exposure, but one that uses the technique in a very different way to our winner by giving a wonderful sense of story to this grand old white gum in north-west Tasmania. In his image, the threatened species is being explored by an ecologist checking hollows for recent occupancy. We loved how this image captures a sense of the size and scale of this giant of the forest, along with the big task…

@drcamera MUNDARI CATTLE HERDERS OF SOUTH SUDAN SPECIALIST OBSTETRICIAN and Gynaecologist Dr Tony Lawrence is no stranger to Photographer of the Year, with the Melbourne photographer taking out the Travel category in 2020. His People category winning series this time took him to the world’s newest nation, South Sudan, and depicts Mundari cattle herders, their traditional, semi-nomadic way of life, and the deep bond they form with their herds. “The Mundari have an intimate relationship with their prized Ankole-Watusi cattle,” Lawrence explains. “To gain acceptance by the Mundari and to be able to move freely around them and photograph from dawn to dusk, we pitched our tent within the cattle camp and endured extreme heat, dust, humidity, rain and mosquitoes,” he says. Lawrence’s images feature the young people who shoulder…

@rdearphotography THE TURTLES OF HERON ISLAND SYDNEY’S ROWAN Dear has been fascinated by the ocean since an early age, and despite initially being scared to put his head underwater, he has become a dab hand at underwater photography, something he showcased in his beautiful runner-up winning portfolio, The turtles of Heron island. He says he has been to the island twice, once for the turtle mating season and once for the hatching season, where these images were captured. “The turtles there are so friendly compared to other destinations I have been, and they all have such different personalities,” he says. Captured in his series are a number of stunning encounters, such as a loggerhead turtle sat on the surface yawning away, and a baby turtle who hatched as the sun…

@murrayparkinson MY HAPPY PLACE SPACE PHYSICIST Murray Parkinson says the four images in his runner-up winning series My Happy Place were captured on the same cold, wet, windy day on the top of the Rams Head Range in the Snowy Mountains. “I pitched my tent in a relatively safe location and spent most of the day lying in my sleeping bag to stay warm and dry,” he recalls. “About every half-hour I poked my head outside to assess atmospheric conditions, waiting patiently for intervals when the cloud thinned and the snow abated. Twice during the day the conditions improved enough to risk wandering around looking for compositions. I took hundreds of photos during those two periods. I thought the light diffusing through the low clouds was magic. It all came…

@waynerileyimages TAILINGS PERTH PHOTOGRAPHER Wayne Riley was kindly gifted an aerial photography flight – his one and only so far – by his wife for his 50th birthday present. The flight took him to areas over the southwest of WA. “Hanging between earth and sky was my realisation for the potential to show beauty from a completely new angle,” he says. Tailings dams, with their unique structures, textures, contrast, and environmental implications, can make for compelling subjects. Tailings wowed our judges with its confident use of colour and texture, proving that man-made landscapes can be just as beautiful as natural ones. WHAT THE JUDGES SAID PETRA LEARY: I found this series very impressive, and an awesome take on the classic Australian landscape. Wayne’s focus on the strong lines and patterns,…

@tarnhook HEAD IN THE CLOUDS SERIES MELBOURNE’S TARNYA Hook enjoyed a successful and creative career in the fashion industry, but has since returned to her love of painting and photography. She describes the images in her Black and White runner-up winning series Head in the Clouds series as unique to her experience. “They are formations that I had never seen before, forms that make you stop and take notice. I consider myself very lucky that I was able to capture such beauty in these images and am very thankful that I spend a lot of my time with my head in the clouds!” “As a black-and-white photographer, for me light is everything and it is incredible to see the power of the suns light amplified by different clouds forms and…

@tito_film_ HOLIDAY FULL TIME chef and film photography enthusiast Muwon Jeon captured his runner-up winning portfolio while on holiday last Christmas Eve in Newcastle, using his trusty Canon Jet 135 and Fuji Superia Xtra 400 film. He says peace and serenity are essential elements in a perfect holiday - and it was something he tried to capture in this series. “The colours and the light of the series were all deliberately planned to encapsulate the freedom and joy I felt and enjoyed during my holiday,” he explains. Film is a relatively new hobby for the Sydney-based photographer, who only developed his first batch in March last year. He says photography is a great stress relief from working in kitchens. WHAT THE JUDGES’ SAID DREW HOPPER: Muwon Jeon’s series, Holiday, effortlessly…

SHAPES AND ANGLES SELF-TAUGHT BRISBANE based photographer Kym Douglas says her love for photography began in 1999 when she purchased her first film SLR. “I joined Brisbane Camera Group back in 2003 and I enjoyed challenging myself with their set subjects, which pushed me to try different photographic genres and I tried to look for a different/creative aspect to expand my photography skills,” she says. Her runner-up winning image is a beautifully graphic shot that showcases her love for shape and light. “I enjoy the diagonals in this image and the starkness of the pure black and white, how the shapes are balanced within those colours, and how the berries are neatly framed within the space,” she explains. Created with a simple set up using natural diffused window light, the…

@graemegordonphotography MUSEUM GRAEME GORDON has made a name for himself with his beautiful black and white images of iconic buildings, and the Sydney-based photographer is also not afraid to look further afield, with his image of Dubai’s Etihad Museum a popular choice with the judges this year. “The building on its own is quite striking, but I wanted to simplify the scene,” he explains. “So, I cleaned up the distract-ing background and foreground to let the building stand on its own. Of course, this image would only fit into the creative category.” The result is an image with a cool sense of minimalism that accentuates the museum’s graceful curves. WHAT THE JUDGES SAID SAL BROWBILL: Graeme Gordon’s image is stunning in its simplicity. The image works because he has…

THE VISITOR 11-YEAR-OLD BRAIDWOOD photographer River Parsons may just be our youngest ever finalist in Photographer of the Year, no mean feat considering we’ve been running the comp for 11 years. He says he has been taking photos and learning editing for about a year. “I’m home-schooled, so I get lots of time to do different things like wander around the bush,” he explains. His runner-up winning image was captured on the family’s 100 acre farm. “I took this photo in winter this year. The scarlet robins come down here for winter because it’s warmer than where they live and so it’s a better place to nest,” he explains. “They are a vulnerable species now, which is sad, but it makes it extra special to see them. Mum takes photos…

Since 1963, the APS has conducted annual events bringing members together. For years it was a convention known as APSCON. In recent years it has become the APS MeetUp. All participants make their own way to the destination – a different location each year. In 2023 it was Broken Hill. My wife Robyn and I chose to take a lengthy road trip, gathering photos all the way. We drove first from Canberra to the NSW Central Coast, then visited Muswellbrook to view the Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize exhibition just before it closed. Then we travelled in a more or less westerly direction taking three more days with numerous breaks before reaching the Hill. For me and my camera, some of the most interesting places were the tiny fuel or coffee…