Australian Photography January 2022

It’s only a tad ironic that the same month we run a story on making it as a professional photographer (See Drew Hopper’s piece on page 44), we also lead with the news that the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) is to shut its doors for good (see page eight), bringing an end to more than 75 years of representing and advocating for professional photographers in this country. It’s hard not to feel sad about the demise of the AIPP. The institute was a proving ground for many of our finest photographers and, for most of its life at least, was a powerful force for good in the photographic community – advocating for things like copyright and the value of hiring a professional to do a professional job. But the AIPPs…

CRAIG ANDREW MADSEN Craig has been a photographer for over 30 years in New Zealand and abroad. His focus is on long term documentary projects. See more @craigandrewmadsen. STEVE AND ANN TOON Contributors to Australian Photography for more than a decade, Steve and Ann Toon live and breathe wildlife photography. See more of their work at toonphoto.com. PAULA HEELAN Photojournalist and author Paula Heelan lives on a small farm in southeast Queensland where she focusses on life in rural and remote Australia. See more at paulaheelan.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.…

I am a photographer based in the Ruapehu region of New Zealand, and I am currently six years into a journey to photograph and document the essence and magic of this beautiful area. For 2021, my project turned towards the jewel of the region, Mt Ruapehu himself. (I say “him” as in local Maori culture, Mt Ruapehu is known and referred to as Koro, meaning grandfather). However, to do the Maunga (Mountain) justice, I decided I wanted to photograph Mt Ruapehu every morning at early dawn or first light for an entire calendar year. I decided that all the images would be photographed from the same spot, using the same 50mm fixed lens. Arguably, one of the best locations to photograph Mt Ruapehu is from an exposed elevated hilltop located on an…

THE 2021 Head On Photo Awards have been announced, with the annual photography competition celebrating photographic excellence across three categories: Portrait, Landscape and Student. In the Portrait category, British photographer Gideon Mendel won first place for their entry Jenni Bruce at her burnt home in Upper Brogo, New South Wales, January 2020. The sobering photograph documents the devastating impact go the 2019/2020 summer bushfires, captured at the destroyed home of sculptor Jenni Bruce. Speaking on her loss at the time, Bruce shared, “It was all gone. I had a great workshop with tools that I had spent a lifetime gathering…I wish the people in power would listen; I wish they would stop using industries that are so bad for our environment.” The 2021 Landscape prize went to Australian photographer Aletheia…

THE Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) has announced it will cease operations effective immediately, drawing to an end 75 years of representing professional photographers in Australia. In a statement, the Institute placed the blame on financial losses due to Covid-19, but also stated it had been ‘in a slow decline for more than a decade.’ The AIPP could trace its roots back to 1944, when photographers from various state professional photography associations gathered to form an Australian association to provide a united voice on behalf of photographers. Over three quarters of a century, the Institute contributed to copyright and privacy laws in Australia, as well as input into tertiary education for photographic training. It also contributed to the professional development of thousands of Australian photographers over this time. In the last few years,…

NIKON has officially announced the Z 9, the company’s newest full-frame pro sports mirrorless camera. The Z 9 is Nikon’s first full-frame mirrorless camera built without a mechanical shutter, which Nikon says allows it to shoot with the world’s least rolling shutter distortion. Combine this with its fast-readout, stacked 45.7MP CMOS sensor, 30fps shooting and 8K/30p capture, and the Z 9 looks to be a real statement of intent from the Japanese company, and quite possibly the ‘halo’ product many Nikon shooters have been waiting for. Likely familiar to many sports shooters, the Z 9 keeps with the large format and slightly angular style borrowed from the Z-cameras. Unlike these though, it features a newly-designed ‘multi-directional’ 3.2-inch rear-LCD that uses a cradle-type system to allow it to move both horizontally and…