Australian Photography February 2021

Revealed in these pages are the winners, runners-up and finalists of the 2020 Photographer of the Year, the largest competition for amateur photographers in Australasia, and the culmination of months of work from literally hundreds of people – at the thick end, the work of talented photographers from throughout the region who submitted more than 3,000 entries this year, and at the pointy end, our editorial team and judging panel, tasked with shortlisting and assessing this year's work. Back in 2016 when I joined AP it was right around the time we were announcing the winners of the 2015 edition of the competition. As a pretty green magazine editor (and photographer) at the time, leafing through a mag filled with page after page of winning images was a downright humbling experience…

25 IMAGES ANNOUNCED IN WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD 25 IMAGES from the annual Natural History Museum’s prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition have been shortlisted for this year’s People’s Choice Vote. This year’s selection of images includes two endangered Iberian lynx kittens making an abandoned hayloft their playground, a family of beavers in their favourite feeding spot, a distinctive portrait of a Japanese warbonnet and a group of burrowing owls living in harmony with their human neighbours in Florida’s Ten Thousand Barrier Islands. Three Australian photographers have also made the shortlist; Robert Irwin, Gary Meredith and AP contributor Douglas Gimesy. The 25 images were shortlisted by the Natural History Museum from over 49,000 image entries from across the world. Voting ends on 2 February 2021. The winner will then be…

MY FAVOURITE IMAGE THIS MONTH’S WINNER PETER RANDELL Throwing The Fleece EDITOR’S COMMENT We’re a sucker for a great story image, and this image by Peter Randell is not only that, but also a beautiful family record as well. “The last old ram had been shorn after escaping capture for a few years, and my then 96 year old father-in-law was keen to see his son throw and clean up the fleece,” Peter explains. “He had been born on the farm and was a keen sheep and wheat man who had done well with his breeding programs in earlier times.” “I positioned myself at the far side of the sorting table and shot up at the undersurface of the fleece as my brother-in-law threw, with the camera set on rapid-fire. This is my favourite image, partly…

PRESENTED BY NOKIA An at-home photography project by Victorian photographer and mother of three Julie Thomas has taken out the overall award in the 2020 Photographer of the Year presented by Nokia. Now in its eighth year, the competition is the largest of its kind for amateur photographers in Australasia and for 2020 had a prize pool valued at more than $30,000. Thomas’ series Camouflage was captured during Victoria’s extended coronavirus lockdown, and depicts her 12-year-old daughter Madi in a series of elaborate and beautifully constructed portraits. For judge Sally Brownbill, the images entered this year were thought provoking, well planned and well executed. “Perhaps this year the photographers had more time to sit and observe or felt less time pressure in deciding what they wanted to enter into the awards,” she reflected. “Whatever the…

JULIE THOMAS @juliethomasphotoart CAMOUFLAGE It’s fitting that our overall winner of Photographer of the Year, and our People category winning se-ries for 2020, happened to be a lockdown proj-ect, as personal projects are something many photographers have taken on in the last year. Bendigo based photographer Julie Thomas says the inspiration behind Camouflage was her two daughters, with her eldest, 12-year-old Madi, the star of this colourful and creative portfolio. “When we went into lockdown in Victoria, we had a lot of spare time on our hands,” Thomas says. “We were keeping ourselves busy together with painting, mask making, stop-motion videos and face painting. It didn’t take long before the dining table was covered with paints, canvas, fabric and ideas that evolved into this “Camouflage” series.” My eldest daughter loved the idea and loves having…

SPONSOR CIHAN BEKTAS cihanbektas.net HER Cihan Bektas’ ethereal tribute to his wife was made over a period of three years, with images shot on a polaroid camera. There’s no manipulation, no staging and no post-production in the series, which seeks to explore Bektas’ wife’s schizophrenia by documenting and trying to ‘control the nervousness, irritability, self-harming and even suicidal behaviours acquired in momentary personal disorders caused by the illness.’ At first glance it’s a troubling, dark and moving series, made all the more remarkable when you consider that all the moments here were captured candidly. In total, he says more than 220 polaroid films were used to capture the series. WHAT THE JUDGES’ SAID DREW HOPPER: The surrealism and dream-like visuals in Cihan’s series evoke a sense of undefined beauty in the purest form. When we stop and…