Table of contents for May-June 2016 in Capture

I’m very pleased to bring you the results of Australia’s Top Emerging Photographers 2016 in this edition of the magazine. Now in its 8th year, the competition continues to grow in both stature and popularity. Its primary function is to highlight and expose the next generation of rising talent. In a world entirely awash with images, the competition helps cut through so much of the noise out there by identifying a pool of emerging photographers rich in talent. A huge congratulations must go to John Feely, the overall winner, Australia’s Top Emerging Photographer 2016. Along with the title, Feely also wins the grand prize – a Fujifilm X-T1 and XF 18-135mm lens valued at $2,599 – from our major sponsor, Fujifilm, along with $5,000. He won the Documentary/Photojournalism category and…

Internationally renowned landscape photographer, Ken Duncan made the news last year when he was accosted by ‘customer service staff’ for taking photos at Sydney’s new Barangaroo Reserve. As was widely reported at the time, on the day of the altercation, Duncan had gone to Barangaroo to take some photos – at no charge - for friends at a sandstone quarry who had supplied material for the park. Barangaroo Delivery Authority (BDA) staff saw Duncan looking too ‘commercial’, as he had a tripod, and went to question him. He was told that police could be called, though that didn’t eventuate. The humble photograph seems to be more controversial now than at any time in its long and distinguished history. The modern day fears of terrorism, perverts, and brand devaluation seem to…

Brett Patman may well be the luckiest person in Sydney. No, he didn’t win the lottery, although some photographers might think that he had. Patman is one of a very select few who have been allowed access to Sydney’s White Bay Power Station. Patman recalls having wondered what it looks like for as long as he could remember. The site was in operation from 1917 until 1983, and ever since then it’s been entirely off-limits, notwithstanding the once in a Blue Moon “open days”, where visitors were able to peer into some of the buildings through Perspex windows. The site, due west of the CBD, has now been earmarked for a $2 billion transformation, so the historical value and importance of this series is certain to increase dramatically. For the…

The notion of a photo collective is by no means a new phenomenon within photography. Some of the world’s biggest and oldest agencies started simply with a group of photographers banding together for inspiration and a free-flow of ideas. But this notion is changing. As professional photographers attempt to weather the ominous cloud of social media and royalty-free stock, photo collectives are becoming a port in the storm; a shelter for aesthetics and professionalism. But how exactly do they provide this? Is it really worth joining a collective? And could the idea really be as simple as the proverbial “strength in numbers”? Aristotle was right For Brian Carr, president of MAP group – one of Australia’s earliest collectives – the idea of working with a group as expounded by Aristotelian…

See GBH by Simon Harsent, Special Group Gallery, Surry Hills, NSW, 2 – 31 May. Moving on from The Beautiful Game and the theatres in which the drama of football is played out, Simon Harsent’s powerful portrait study, GBH, examines a section of the supporting cast who, occasionally, took centre stage. Having grown up at a time when the sport hit the front pages of the newspapers – and for all the wrong reasons – Harsent revisits the key players from the world of football hooliganism. GBH, like Harsent’s earlier work, such as Melt and The Road Not Taken, focuses on how we map our life’s journey by the paths we take and, by extension, how these choices come to define us. specialgroup.com.au Midnight Modern by Tom Blachford, Black Eye…

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY momento pro WINNER GRACE HOBSON Grace Hobson lives and works surrounded by the rustic beauty of the Blue Mountains, in New South Wales. As a wedding photographer, she believes in capturing images of love in a creative way. She aims to photograph with an honest and artistic approach that nurtures a genuine connection and trust with her clients. willowand.co FINALISTS Mark Condon Aimee Dehaan Matt Godkin Edwina Robertson Shane Shepherd Lucy Spartalis Jonathan Suckling James Thomson Fiona Vail RUNNER-UP JAI LONG Jai Long has been a full-time wedding photographer for the past two years, working under the name, Free the Bird. He previously worked as a tradesman and has no formal photography education. Long has shot weddings all over Australia and the USA. He shoots with both…

With an enviable list of clients behind her, San Francisco-based documentary photographer Deanne Fitzmaurice has shot for the likes of National Geographic, Time Magazine, Apple and Nike. She’s also been instrumental in the creation, and ongoing success, of camera bag company, Think Tank Photo. As well as this, in 2005 she won the Pulitzer Prize (Feature Photography). When it comes to the question of what defines the goal of documentary photography, or what makes for a successful documentary photographer, the ability to facilitate change and understanding is the key. While Deanne Fitzmaurice’s insightful storytelling of subjects, ranging from the day-to-day lives of elite athletes to the sex trade in Asia, accomplishes this through the lens of her camera, her endeavours to help facilitate the next generation of storytellers through camera…

Cameras ■ Fujifilm’s X-Pro2 offers a number of significant improvements over its predecessor. Some of these key features include the world’s first advanced Hybrid Multi Viewfinder that offers three viewing options, an optical viewfinder (OVF) and an electronic viewfinder (EVF), a new 24.3-megapixel X-Trans CMOS III sensor, a new image processing engine, and a faster mechanical shutter - up to 1/8000 second. The camera also features an electronic shutter with silent operation and a maximum shutter speed of 1/32,000 second. Maximum ISO is 12,800, and a flash sync speed of 1/250 second is now possible. The 3-inch LCD display has 1.62 million dots. Autofocus performance has also been boosted with approximately 40 percent of the imaging area covered by fast, precise phase detection AF pixels. The number of selectable focusing…

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY SUNSTUDIOS WINNER RIBAL HOSN After finishing a degree in Pharmacy, Ribal Hosn randomly met his mentor, Eryk Fitkau, who introduced him to photography. After Fitkau passed away, Hosn decided to pursue a career in photography and film. He found an old space which he rebuilt to become the studio that he now lives and works in. Working professionally for the last two years, Hosn is committed to working as a photographer for the rest of his life. www.superteam.net.au RUNNER-UP WADED Waded is a Sydney-based freelance fashion and advertising photographer. Waded’s photography is greatly informed by her extensive background in set design and styling. She brings together her background, her love of lighting, and her photographic skills to create dramatic cinematic images. Each shoot is executed with deliberate…