Australian Photography December 2019

Here it is, that unusual time where I try to sum up the year in photography – in November! Yes, this may be the December issue of AP, but work on it started a fair time ago. Even a couple of months out from 2020, its safe to say 2019 has been a memorable one in all sorts of ways. On the technology front we’ve now seen every major camera brand (and some not-so major ones too) join the mirror-less camera race. For the first time the technology is mature enough that both the traditional DSLR and mirror-less camera are both viable options regardless of what you shoot – something that’s perfectly encapsulated in the cutting-edge Sony A7RIV that I review on page 68. It’s also worth noting what a challenging…

DOUG GIMESY Doug Gimesy is a professional award winning conservation and wildlife photographer who travels a lot. See more of his work at gimesy.com, and on instagram @doug_gimesy MATT HORSPOOL Matt Horspool is an adventure travel photographer based in Sydney. His passion lies in exploring cultures and landscapes in areas of the world many do not get to see. See more on instagram @etchd JORDAN ROBINS Jordan Robins is an international award winning, self-taught ocean wildlife and ocean art photographer based in Jervis Bay. See more of his work at jordanrobins.com.au JAVIER ROLDAN Based in Melbourne, Javier Roldan is a Spanish-Australian photographer. Photography has become a fundamental part of his life as a means to tell stories. See more of his work at javierroldan.com…

If you’d asked me several years ago, ‘Do you think a reptile photo could end up being one of your favorite portrait images?, I’d probably have said ‘I doubt it’. But over the past year, I’ve been working on a series about the illegal trade of reptiles out of Australia, and the more I look at these amazing animals, the more I have fallen in love with them. Of course, as an ex-zoologist, I’ll always find something to love about any animal, but as a photographer, the Boyd’s forest dragon (Lophosaurus boydii) has captivated me – it really does look like a dragon! Whenever I think about taking a photo of any animal, my first thoughts always go to their welfare. There are so many things photographers can do which may have unintended…

DJI ANNOUNCES SUB 250G MAVIC MINI DRONE DJI has officially announced its new sub-250g ultra-light drone, the Mavic Mini, which in an interesting move, should fly under weight restrictions proposed as part of a drone registration scheme by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). The Mavic Mini is easily the smallest and lightest drone DJI has made to date, coming in at a featherlight 249g, some 51g lighter than the DJI Spark. Inside, it features a 12-megapixel ½.3-inch sensor, and can record 2.7K video at 30fps and 1080p video at 60 frames per second. The camera module is mounted on a three-axis gimbal that sits centered beneath the main frame of the drone, which maintains the same compact form-factor and foldable design. Flight time is expected to be 30 minutes, with onboard Wi-Fi and…

SÉRGIO CONCEIÇÃO Barrancos JUDGE’S COMMENTS Now that’s a wheel! Sérgio Conceição tells us this image was taken in the village of Barrancos, Portugal, and is the product of 106 images stacked in Photoshop. You’ve done well to balance the exposure in the church, while not overexposing or underexposing the foreground. Shots like this take a lot of patience, and this has come up a treat. Well done. TECHNICAL DETAILS Canon EOS R, no lens information. 106 images, 25s @ f2, ISO 2000. STEPHEN PETHERS Go Shop EDITOR’S COMMENTS Stephen Pethers says he took this image at the recent Swell Sculptures exhibition on the Queensland Gold Coast. What we like about it is its use of an everyday item in a peculiar and suprising way: we know it’s a set of shopping trolleys we’re looking at, but nothing else about…

There's no feeling quite like the energy of a mass human congregation. Be it a large-scale music concert, cultural festival or political demonstration, regardless if you are a photographer or participant, it can be a sensory overload and one that can yield highly unique imagery. The dynamic, and often volatile nature of mass crowds means that as a photographer, you must be prepared physically and above all mentally if you are to capture the true essence of the event. For me, that means getting in super close to the action, closing my eyes, pressing the shutter and praying for the best. Well, almost. While the accompanying images in this article are directly related to India's Holi festival, the tips and tricks can be applied to almost any large-scale gatherings and events. 1 PLAN…