Indholdsfortegnelse for August-September 2024 i Australian Photography

If you were to sit back and think about memorable portrait photos you’ve seen, do you think you could identify one thing they all have in common? In this case, I’m talking less about things like good lighting and sharpness – and more about the less tangible things that make a portrait great. Take Steve McCurry’s 1984 portrait of the Afghan Girl Sharbat Gula as an example. I was reading a piece online recently (you can see it here: https://bit.ly/3XIqHOl) where a photographer tracks down the exact gear McCurry used to capture the photo to test it out in a modern context. Unsurprisingly perhaps, he’s all but unable to capture any of what makes that photo unique (and in fact doesn’t even really do it justice at all, but that’s…

THE LANDSCAPE AWARDS 2024 PEOPLE’S CHOICE WINNERS ANNOUNCED THE people have spoken, with the People’s Choice vote in The Landscape Awards 2024 presented by Sandisk going to Samuel Markham and his powerful image Amos Australis. Captured in Tasmania, the image was photographed during a huge geomagnetic storm. “Monitoring the conditions, I packed the hiking bag and decided to tackle the summit of Mount Amos which over-looks the stunning Wineglass Bay in Freycinet National Park,” explains Markham. “As darkness fell the Aurora Australis (Southern Lights) put on one of the grandest light shows I have ever witnessed.” Markham’s image scored a whopping 292 likes at competition close, narrowly beating Dani Watson’s image Geometric Allure, which came in with 265 likes. She was also a runner-up in the People’s Choice award last…

Few genres offer the thrill and challenge quite like wildlife photography – capturing the essence of a fleeting moment in nature requires technical knowledge, but knowing how to compose your images is what helps your work stand out from the crowd. Throughout this guide, we’ll explore the techniques that have helped me create portraits that I’m truly proud of, in the hopes that it can help you achieve the same. 1 GET TO EYE LEVEL Being eye level with the animal you’re photographing is one of the most important composition techniques for wildlife photography – this is always my first step. Not only does shooting from the animal’s perspective create a deeper moment of connection, but on a more technical level, it also avoids any warping of their proportions and…

In photography, it’s best to shoot first and ask questions later. If you’re not interrogating your own past work, you’re missing out on endless inspiration. And while the adage that ‘your first 10,000 photographs are your worst’ is endlessly quoted, it’s important to realise the improvement this implies is not a passive process. Sure, your eye for composition will naturally get better with time, but like any muscle, it speeds up the process if you actively train it. This is doubly true for matters of the craft that go beyond mere composition – the technical stuff that no matter how smart the cameras get, will always be down to you as the operator. What’s surprising though is there’s no short of lessons to be found in your own back catalogue,…

The Fujifilm X100 series has been my go-to street camera for the past 12 years. I love this camera series – and so do many other photographers. In fact, apart from the $10,300 Leica Q3, the $2,800 X100VI really is THE go everywhere fixed-lens rangefinder style camera that can be carried all day without hindering your normal movements or giving you a sore back. What I’ve also always loved about the X100 series is while you might not need to take a shot all day, you know that if you do, you still have a ‘casual’ camera with professional capabilities on hand. In fact, mine rarely leaves my side as it fits neatly in my man/person bag. Over the years I’ve been really surprised and impressed by the great image…

First off, what is an anamorphic lens? Essentially, an anamorphic lens ‘squeezes’ the image onto film or digital camera sensors, allowing for wider aspect ratios than would otherwise be possible with a traditional lens. Images captured with an anamorphic lens result in more cinematic images with shallower depth-of-field, while also creating an oval bokeh effect. And while in recent times many anamorphic phone lens adapters have come along, these have typically been expensive. By comparison, the Ulanzi anamorphic lenses tested here will set you back $53.95 USD ($80 AUD). THE TECH These are simple aluminium lenses with multi coated glass and a 17mm threaded adaptor that are attached to the main phone camera by either the supplied clips or screw on adapter, or preferably with a dedicated threaded phone case.…

THIS MONTH’S WINNER PERHAPS A PANO? “This photo was taken at Mornington Peninsula Victoria with my SONY A6400 camera. I did some basic editing in Topaz Studio. Unfortunately I don't have the exposure details (I still work on Auto quite a lot!).” ANTHONY’S TIP: Hi Di, working on Auto is not a bad thing, in fact most of the time you will not get into trouble, particularly if you are making photos during the daytime and your the subject is evenly lit. Learning to take control of the numbers (the shutter speed, the aperture and the ISO) can be useful though, particularly if you want to start getting creative with the exposure. I do like this photo; the colours look great and I do like your placement of the person…

KATE NEWMAN Kate Newman is a wildlife and conservation photographer from Melbourne (Naarm), specialising in capturing portraits of the wild and celebrating the beauty of nature. See more at katenewman.com. MATTHEW CROMPTON Matthew Crompton is an award-winning writer and photographer preoccupied with bikes, hikes, and the mystical solitude of the way-out. See more at matthewcrompton.com. ANTHONY MCKEE Anthony McKee is a Melbourne based photographer and a regular contributor to AP for more than a decade. See more of his work at anthonymckee.com.au. TIM ROBINSON Tim Robinson is the creator of TV program 'Snap Happy, the photography show’, and has been shooting professional video for over two decades. He is also a keen wildlife and nature photographer. See more at worldviewproductions.com.au.…

THIS MONTH’S WINNER VERONICA WILLIAMS Water gems EDITOR’S COMMENT Captured beautifully by Veronica Williams, this lovely shot was taken in Mt Lofty Botanical Gardens SA, when the weather had “other plans”. “I decided I'd brave the rain and wander, anyway,” says Williams. “Umbrella in one hand and camera in the other, I took only my macro lens thinking visibility would be too low for other photography (I was wrong, of course). I came across some gorgeous decaying leaves, both on the ground and on the trees. The fresh raindrops on this coloured leaf look ready to roll off at any time, and epitomise autumn in the leafy Adelaide hills.” There’s something lovely and peaceful about this image that made it a clear winner in a stacked field this time. We…

Many landscapes are often a jumble of what’s known as ‘micro contrasts’: tussocks, trees, rocks, and other features full of texture and detail that all compete for a viewer’s attention and make it easy for your subject to get lost in the noise. These five considerations will help you bring calm to the chaos. LOOK FOR WATER Water in the form of lakes, tarns, billabongs and even rivers are great for breaking up the clutter with their uniform surfaces. Calm lakes are probably the ultimate as they reflect colours and can also be used to balance a composition. TEXTURES Even if you’re surrounded by repeating or similar textures, you can still bring order to the scene by using the textures in the frame to your advantage. Snow can work like…

The Nikon Zf is Nikon’s latest full-frame Z-series camera, although you'd be forgiven for mistaking it for a film camera due to its retro design, which draws heavily on the iconic Nikon analogue cameras of the 1980s, particularly the renowned FM2. However, despite the looks, this camera features a modern 24-megapixel sensor and imaging technology to create a unique blend of classic looks and modern innovation. It’s also a camera many Nikon shooters have been hanging out for, and especially so since the equally retro inspired APS-C Nikon Zfc launched back in 2021. So in 2024, we finally have Nikon’s full frame retro camera many photographers have dreamed of. But has the wait been worth it? And how does it compare with other retro-inspired digital cameras like the Fujifilm X100…

I am a member of the Auckland Photographic Society in New Zealand. My image The Tale of Two Doctors was originally created for one of my club’s monthly challenges in 2021, the theme being ‘Old and New’, with the aim of juxtaposing the old and the new to create a comparison or contrast. I wanted to try and create an image which was a bit outside the box, rather than, for example, shoot an image of an old building juxtaposed with a new building or a baby with their grandparents. I eventually came up with the idea of depicting an imaginary meeting between a medieval plague doctor and a modern doctor. The two doctors have similarities – for example, they both wear gloves and masks, but at the same time they…

Australia has some of the most beautiful birds in the world, and whilst bird photographers love photographing or viewing our native species, there is one type of bird that really gets us excited – a vagrant species. What is a vagrant you ask? To put it simply, it is something that turns up where it should not have. Recently, in Brisbane, a vagrant shorebird decided to take a detour and stopover. The Hudsonian Godwit breeds in the Sub-arctic and then migrates to the bottom of South America annually, travelling 15,000km. The Hudsonian Godwit is one of many special migratory shorebirds that take flights like this all around the world every year, so to turn up in Queensland was an unusual detour. Shorebird photography is quite difficult. Firstly, shorebirds feed and…

UPCOMING COMPETITION THEMES OCTOBER 2024 RURAL 31 July 2024 DECEMBER 2024 SPORT 30 September 2024 THE ANNUAL ISSUE AUSTRALIA 31 October 2024 FEBRUARY 2025 WILD PLACES 30 November 2024 APRIL 2025 WINTER 15 January 2025 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…

Today, every photographer has a powerful tool in their hands for video content creation. Every mirrorless camera is packed with video features, and it’s easy to create engaging videos of your own adventures – be that for prosperity or social media. Even the humble smartphone can capture amazing video and is often my go-to for quick family videos. But regardless of what you choose to use, the fundamentals of video are the same – a viewer needs to be able to clearly see and hear what’s happening. CLEAR AUDIO Clear audio is the most important factor in effective video storytelling. If your viewer is struggling to understand what is being said on screen, it will detract from your entire message. For recording speech, my preference is a lavalier microphone. The…

One of the saddest days of my professional photography career was spent watching an amateur photograph my niece’s wedding. Admittedly it was COVID and my sister had booked a workmate in the knowledge that border closures might have stopped me from getting to the wedding, but the borders opened. As I was preparing to travel I offered to shoot the wedding alongside this other photographer (a maths teacher); sadly the offer was declined. As it happened, the wedding day was on one of the flattest, greyest days I had ever seen in Sydney and while a more experienced photographer would have been getting creative with their lighting, this photographer was struggling; his understanding of light was out there with my understanding of calculus. Being asked to shoot a friend or…

One of its latest is the Simera 28mm f/1.4 ASPH, a manual focus lens for Leica, Nikon Z, and other compatible mounts. For this review, I was loaned the Simera in Nikon Z mount and Leica M mount form. You may be wondering why the name ‘Thypoch’, which was derived from “Thy” (you) and “epoch” (era) to emphasise a focus on personal creativity, with “Simera” being a transliteration of the Greek word for “today”. The Thypoch Simera 28mm f/1.4 ASPH uses an 11-element structure arranged in seven groups, and features an aperture range from f/1.4 to f/16. It’s also a compact lens at just 55mm long despite its fast aperture. Finally, it’s worth noting that as the Thypoch simera is a manual focus only lens, it only relays limited information…