Australian Photography June 2021

What makes for a great cover image? It’s something I get asked a lot – perhaps more than any other question by photographers – and yet even after editing this magazine for the last five years, it’s still something I struggle to quite put my finger on. I think this is because an image has to tick so many boxes to work on a magazine cover. From a technical perspective it’s got to be pretty much faultless in every regard – sharp, perfectly exposed, tastefully edited and with a composition that works for coverlines. And then from a creative perspective it needs to be something that you don’t see every day. Sure, the subject matter plays a part, but the best images have something else that makes them great – a…

DR ANDREW PEACOCK Dr. Andrew Peacock works as an ER doctor in Queensland and is a regular finalist in the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year awards. In the pre-Covid era he was a guide and photo instructor. See more at footloosefotography.com KATIE MENDL Katie Mendl has been a professional photographer for 10 years, dabbling in portraiture, editorial, fashion and wedding photography before finding her way back to her first love, horses. See more at calicopony.bigcartel.com DREW HOPPER Drew Hopper is an Australian freelance documentary photographer exploring ecological themes, landscape and place. See more of his work at drewhopper.com SHREYAS YADAV Shreyas Yadav is an engineer and wildlife and nature photographer from India. He is also a writer and lifelong adventure explorer. See more of his work at shreyas-yadav.com…

SIGMA LAUNCHES FP L 61MP FULL-FRAME CAMERA SIGMA has announced a 61 Megapixel high-resolution version of its full-frame fp camera, called the fp L. As well as the new sensor, the fp L gets a new hybrid autofocus system, an optional electronic viewfinder that screws onto the side of the camera, 24p video capture and support for USB Power Delivery. Physiacally, the fp L is pretty much unchanged over its predecessor and it remains the smallest full frame camera on the market at 113 x 70 x 45mm, weighing in at just 427g with battery and memory card installed. Beyond the sensor, which is almost certainly the same as that in the Sony A7R IV, the most interesting new addition is the bolt-on electronic viewfinder, which has 3.68 million dots and can be tilted…

It was another cold and early wakeup call - one of many on our month-long trip in Japan back in 2018. Thankfully our sunrise shoot location (Matsumoto Castle) was only a 3-minute walk from our hostel. It’s always a bonus when you can book your Airbnb right next to your shoot location. Before I arrived in Japan, I had researched Matsumoto castle on Google and Instagram and found many picture-perfect photos of the castle in a pure wintery white setting. Unlike most castles in Japan, Matsuomoto has a dark and contrasting exterior, and a shot of it was high up on my trip’s shot list. From the hostel, we walked through the cold and sleepy town and arrived before sunrise. Travelling with other photographers is nice because we all knew why we…

YELLOW Based on the sheer number of entries we received this month, it’s fair to say simple colour themes like this one are pretty popular! From dozens of great entries, here were our favourite shots that stood out and wowed us this time around. DIANNE MACHEN Number 2 HOW I DID IT I took this photo while we were on holidays in Sydney, and this yellow door caught my eye as it really stood out against the brown wall. It was one of those really quick shots as you are hurrying along the footpath. TECHNICAL DETAILS Nikon D7100, Nikon 24-70mm lens. 1/200s @ f5.6, ISO 100. THIS MONTH’S WINNER SALEENA ELLIOTT Yellow wall EDITOR’S COMMENT Saleena Elliott’s fantastic image Yellow Wall was inspired by the work of Australian painter Jeffrey Smart, and you can definitely see some similarities to his unique style…

UPCOMING COMPETITION THEMES AUGUST ISSUE SPORT May 31, 2021 SEPTEMBER ISSUE BLACK AND WHITE June 30, 2021 OCTOBER ISSUE DETAIL July 31, 2021 NOVEMBER ISSUE PETS August 31, 2021 DECEMBER ISSUE SEASONS September 30, 2021 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. a max5. Email file size must not exceed 7MB.6. Please include the following information about your entry in the body of your email: Name, image title and up to 200…