Australian Photography July 2021

If you’ve read any of the camera reviews I’ve done in AP over the last few years you may have noticed my daughter Lydia (now 3 ½) makes an appearance in many of them. When I became a parent I was always keen to capture my own family, and as my own life transitioned into family life my daughter quickly became my most photographed subject. It’s lucky then that photographing her easily gives me the greatest joy in photography. So when my second daughter Clara came along in May this year I decided that this time I wanted to record her birth. This is partly because Lydia’s birth was so intense that photography was the last thing on my mind, but also because I know that for many parents, photography has…

STEVE AND ANN TOON Steve and Ann Toon are a UK-based, husband and wife team of award-winning, professional photographers with a specialist interest in the wildlife and wild places of southern Africa. See more of their work at toonwildlife.com MITCH GREEN Mitch Green is a Sydney-based travel and landscape photographer. He can be found at mitchgreenphotos.com, or down by the beach at 5am waiting for sunrise. You can also find him on Instagram @mitchgreenphotos ANTHONY McKEE Anthony McKee is a Melbourne-based writer and social documentary photographer. In 2014, he was named AIPP Documentary Photographer of the Year. See more at anthonymckee.com.au DREW HOPPER Drew Hopper is an Australian freelance documentary photographer exploring ecological themes, landscape and place. See more of his work at drewhopper.com…

Astrophotography is one of those genres of photography where it can be very difficult to be creative or stand out, and at times, it can often seem like a race between who has the best and most expensive equipment. When people learn I do astrophotography with ‘antiquated’ film cameras I am not surprised that the question ‘why?’ comes up often. The simplest answer is that I am fond of the medium and I enjoy using it. However, I think a deeper reason is that I enjoy shooting it for many of the same reasons people get into astrophotography in the first place. Every single celestial object has been imaged countless times already by amateurs and professionals, so why would you want to do it as well? I’d argue that for most people…

THERE’S A NEW ‘BIG 5’ OF WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY A COUPLE of years since we first heard about the New Big 5project, the initiative has announced the ‘new Big 5’, a list of animals for wildlife photographers to pursue trophy photos of. Historically the term has roots in the colonial era and was used by trophy hunters in Africa when referring to the five most prized and dangerous animals to hunt on foot. This group consisted of the elephant, rhino, leopard, Cape buffalo, and lion. The New Big 5 project is an attempt to reclaim the term for conservation purposes, and is supported by over 250 prominent photographers, conservationists and wildlife charities. More than 50,000 people voted for animals, with the elephant, lion, polar bear, gorilla and tiger, anounced as the new Big 5. All…

If you were to ask me what the biggest jump in photography in the last 10 years has been, I’d argue it’s not sensors or lenses, but artificial intelligence. Today, so many of the tools our cameras use are enhanced by AI, and companies are pouring millions into developing technologies that seek to improve our hit rate when shooting, or help us automate mundane tasks. On the flipside of this is the idea that AI technology takes away from the creativity of the individual behind the camera – and that by using these technologies we’re moving away from the ‘essence’ of photography where the camera is simply a tool to see the world. In a way though, these are similar arguments we heard when moving from film to digital and when…

WINTER PETER HUMPHREYS Winter sport EDITOR’S COMMENT It’s probably not a scene familiar to most of us in the southern hemisphere, but this image captured by Peter Humphreys at lake Louise in Alberta, Canada really typifies winter in this part of the world. In our May 2021 issue we ran a story about incorporating the human element into landscape photography, and this photo is a great example of how powerful that technique can be. The wild weather and the grandeur of the mountains contrast the hockey players who are surely enjoying one of the most picturesque fields in the world. It makes you just want to be there! TECHNICAL DETAILS Canon EOS R, Canon 16-35mm f/4L lens @ 35mm. 1/200s @ f11, ISO 100. Black and white conversion in Nik Efex Pro. FIONA SEXTON Overland Track Madness EDITOR’S COMMENT Fiona Sexton’s…