Australian Photography December 2020

Even if you were to include the Australian bushfires or the November US election in the mix, there’s nothing that could even come close to defining the year like the COVID-19 pandemic has done for 2020. Around the time that COVID-19 first hit our shores in April, I wrote about the importance of supporting the little guys – the local camera retailers, photographers running workshops, galleries, print studios and others who make up the beating heart of our photographic community here in Australia. Now, seven months on, the importance of this is greater than ever. As government support from the likes of JobKeeper begins to wind up, and loan deferrals end, the coming year will be particularly challenging for many small businesses. If our photographic industry is to emerge from the…

TIM LEVY Tim Levy is an award-winning Sydney based freelance photographer specialising in events and portraits. See more of his work at levy.photo and theprint.network. DAVID LAZAR David Lazar is a travel photographer and musician from Brisbane who loves to capture moments of life, beauty and culture through photography. See more at davidlazar.com. TIM ROBINSON Tim Robinson is the creator of TV series, Snap Happy: The Photography Show. He has been making professional videos for two decades, with his diverse catalogue of work including music videos, corporate videos and documentaries. See more at worldviewproductions.com.au. MATTY GRAHAM Matty Graham is a photojournalist and former mag editor based in the UK. He specialises in landscapes, portraiture and video. See more at mattygraham.com.…

This image was shot in Downtown Las Vegas. Most people know the more modern “Strip” which is full of pseudo glitzy themed mega casinos that are strangely ersatz versions of other places such as Ancient Rome, Venice, Paris and New York. Downtown is more chaotic, yet down to earth – a place where more locals seem to hang out. This image is different to my usual candid street style in that it is posed. I attempted to get a flattering candid photo of this gentleman on Freemont Street at night for 10-15 minutes to no avail. So I just asked if I could take his portrait. The title, Still High, is from the nonsensical sign the guy in the green shirt on the left – who tried to photobomb me –…

THE winners of the 2020 Epson International Pano Awards have been announced, with the overall winner of the 2020 Open Competition being Matt Jackisch from Canada with his entry Spring Hibernation. Explaining his winning entry, Jackisch said: “I spent a blissful day snowshoeing in the BC [British Columbia] Coast Mountains in March. With such a deep snowpack, it was still very wintery up high. I find the more time I spend alone in nature, the quieter my mind gets. “The quieter my mind gets, the more subtleties I notice in my surroundings. I only saw this tree because of that state of being. This image was a product of solitude and mindfulness.” The Epson International Pano Awards seek to showcase the work of panoramic photographers worldwide and is the largest competition for panoramic…

NICKY and Tommy are two new hybrid tripods from 3 Legged Thing, whose names were inspired by 1980s skateboarding stars Nicky Guerrero and Tommy Guerrero. Nicky and Tommy are the latest additions to 3LT’s Legends Range, joining the older models Mike, Ray, Bucky and Jay. While Nicky and Tommy are distinct products, they have both been designed with these key new features: a thicker carbon fibre tubing, an interchangeable plate in the canopy and a 1/4”-20 accessory mounting point. They are both 100 per cent carbon fibre tripods that come in metallic slate grey and come with a 75mm bowl mount and an interchangeable flat plate. On the canopy, positioned beneath the spirt level, the new tripods have an added 1/4”-20 accessory mounting thread, which means you can attach a small microphone, light…

PANASONIC has announced the Lumix BGH1, the company’s first compact cube-style mirrorless camera. Inside is a 10.2 megapixel M43 sensor, capable of shooting 4:2:0 10-bit C4K/4K 60p or 4:2:2 10-bit All-I C4k/4K 30p. The sensor features Dual Native ISO technology and a maximum sensitivity of ISO 51,200, which sounds similar to the sensor in the Lumix GH5S. Panasonic says it sees the BGH1 as being particularly versatile – operation includes shooting mounted on drones, IP remote control, direct live streaming and more. The company also says the Lumix BGH1 has a new heat dispersion structure that will allow for unlimited recording. Other features include dual UHS-II SD card slots, HDMI output (up to 4K 4:2:2 10-bit C4K/4K 60p), a 3.5mm in/out jack, USB-C 3.1, wi-fi and Bluetooth. The BGH1 is priced at $3099…