Australian Photography September 2020

You've likely heard the old expression “the more things change, the more they stay the same” applied to many things in life, but when it comes to black and white photography, it really does seem the perfect phrase. Even with all the advances in gear and software we use to take photos today, there remains a timeless appeal to the black and white style that makes it just as relevant now as it was back in the earliest days of photography. The strength of black and white is in its ability to force a photographer to focus on the essentials of the craft – light and shadow – and how these deceptively simple elements must work together to create visual harmony inside a frame. It's also a style that rewards observation.…

This photograph came about while exploring the countryside villages outside the touristy town of Hoi An in Central Vietnam. It was stifling hot and sunny at the time of day when mostof the locals head indoors to escape the harsh conditions.I remember walking around aimlessly in search of something interesting to shoot and feeling frustrated by the lack of human activity in the rice paddies. That’s when I noticed a plume of smoke in an adjacent field. I wandered over to see what was happening when I noticed the rice farmer burning off his crop. It was a totally new and oddly beautiful scene. Burning the field allows farmers to harvest a rice crop quickly and efficiently, enabling themto reduce the turnaround time between the harvesting of rice and the sowing of…

NIKON ANNOUNCES THE Z5: AN ENTRY-LEVEL MIRRORLESS FULL-FRAME CAMERA NIKON has announced an affordable new entry-level full-frame mirrorless camera, the Z5. Compared to Nikon’s Z50, the Z5 uses the same Z mount, but gains a non-backside illuminated 24.3-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor. Body-wise, the Z5 looks very similar to the Z6 and Z7, and features the same weather sealing as its siblings. The most notable omission is the lack of a top panel LCD, although not unexpected for the price point. There’s a 3.2-inch tilting LCD that’s sensitive to touch, tap, swipe, and pinch inputs, and a 3.6-million-dot Quad-VGA electronic viewfinder. The new camera is powered by an EXPEED 6 image processor. Inside, there’s a 5-axis IBIS system with up to five stops of VR, and while it features a different 24MP sensor to…

THIS MONTH'S WINNER BRAD GEDDES Diamond Beach delight EDITOR’S COMMENT Brad Geddes says he was lucky enough to travel to Iceland in January this year and Diamond Beach was high on his agenda. We’re guessing most photographers would also hope for this kind of light when they photograph at such a well-known location, and especially so at a place such as Diamond Beach, which seems permanently cloaked by dull, grey cloud every time we see it photographed. These are the conditions we dream of, and there’s little to add here apart from our awe at such a beautiful morning and image. TECHNICAL DETAILS Nikon D750, 16-35mm lens @ 16mm. 2s @ f8, ISO 100. Nisi circular polariser and medium grad ND filter. Lightroom and Photoshop used to adjust shadows, exposure, white balance, vibrance and sharpness. HIGHLY COMMENDED GLENN…

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 NOVEMBER ISSUE ABSTRACT – August 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.jpg3.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 the body of your email: name,…