Australian Photography February 2020

EDITOR Well here they are, the complete results of the 2019 Photographer of the Year presented by Panasonic. With thousands of entries across eight categories, this issue you hold in your hands is without a doubt my favourite to put together. I think that this is because beyond the chance to look at some of the best photographs captured just about anywhere, our flagship annual photography competition also gives an interesting insight into current trends in photography. This issue, perhaps more than any other, serves as a great indicator of where our favourite hobby is headed. As you might expect, Landscape and Wildlife and Animal remain the most popular categories, closely followed by the single image category, Photo of the Year. And what of the trends? Well if it wasn’t already, I…

Join Australian Photography and World Photo Adventures on our three amazing workshops for 2020/21. At Australian Photography, we love to help photographers take better images, and there’s nothing quite like doing it in some of the most picturesque locations on the planet. So join us for our workshops aimed at photographers of all skill-levels. As well as Australian Photography Editor Mike O’Connor, some of your other hosts will include popular imaging guru Mark Galer, Snap Happy TV producer Tim Robinson, and experienced World Photo Adventures’ guides Darran and Frazer Leal. World Photo Adventures commenced in 1989 as a project to combine the experience of a holiday and the education of photography. The camera is an essential item that we all bring away with us on holiday. Darran and the crew at World…

GETTY Images photographer Chris McGrath has been named the 2019 Nikon-Walkley Press Photographer of the Year, the highest accolade for photo-journalists in Australia. McGrath took out two major awards: the Nikon-Walkley Press Photographer of the Year, for his work covering stories in Kosovo, Hong Kong and Istanbul, and the Feature/Photographic Essay award for his series The End of the Caliphate, focussed on the defeat of Islamic State in March 2019. The judges praised Mc-Grath’s entry as a mature set of images shot in classic Magnum style, exploring how daily life continues alongside the devastation of the conflict. Starting his career in Queensland, McGrath has worked for Getty for more than 19 years, and is currently based in Istanbul. The walkley win caps off a stellar year for the photographer, with a nomination in…

I have a love/hate relationship with shooting people and portrait images, and it is the one field that I really have to talk myself through when shooting. Being intimidated by portraiture is something many photographers experience, and, apart from a lucky few who are often gregarious in nature and comfortable shooting people, is something that just has to be overcome. Yet every time I have such an opportunity, I always find I manage to take some images I think most photographers would be happy with. So, what’s my secret? I’ve always tried to place emphasis on confidence and technique, with a few technical points as well. Let’s take a look. CONFIDENCE Confidence is not something that comes naturally to all of us, but in a portrait session it really is critical. Having the…

DETAIL What makes a detail shot? Think of it as an image that draws attention to a specific part of a subject, but it can also be an image where emphasis is placed on the detail of a subject – think focus stacked images. Regardless of how you approach it, the best detail shots draw attention to details that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. CHRISTIAN BURLING Passu Cathedral EDITOR’S COMMENTS: Christian Burling says he took this image while travelling to the Northern Areas of Pakistan. “This is the Passu Cathedral, otherwise known as the Passu Cones, which I photographed on an adventure that had been planned for many years. This picture was taken just before sunset and is handheld.” Handheld – and look at all that detail! We loved this shot because it shows that…

YOUR BEST SHOT IS OPEN TO AP SUBSCRIBERS AND APS MEMBERS. TO ENTER AN IMAGE IN THE COMP, CHECK THE COMPETITION THEMES AND INSTRUCTIONS BELOW AND EMAIL YOUR BEST IMAGE TO YOURBESTSHOT@AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM UPCOMING COMPETITION THEMES APRIL ISSUE BOKEH January 31, 2020 MAY ISSUE ACTION February 29, 2020 JUNE ISSUE ON THE STREET March 31, 2020 JULY ISSUE PETS April 30, 2020 AUGUST ISSUE FOOD May 31, 2020 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…