Australian Photography

Ansel Adams called landscapes the the supreme test of the photographer – and often the supreme disappointment - but it’s also a genre of photography we’ve always championed at Australian Photography. Some of you may remember way back in the early 2010s we launched a competition called Landscape Photographer of the Year, which later evolved into Photographer of the Year. The idea of a dedicated landscape competition sat in hiatus for nearly a decade, but in 2023, we’re delighted to say it lives again and the results of which you can find in this very issue you hold in your hands. Looking back on the images that won the competition in 2014 is a reminder that Ansel’s quote (and he said many!) is still an important one. A decade ago, aerial photography…

This photo is of the Owens River and the Sierra Nevada near the town of Bishop in California. I can trace the inspiration for it to the earliest days of my journey in photography. In the 90s, my love of rock-climbing found me exploring the jagged peaks of this mountain range, known as the “range of light” as it was called by pioneering environmentalist John Muir. At the time, I lugged a camera along to document the landscapes on my adventures with 35mm colour slide film. My choice, Fuji Velvia, meant that my ‘post processing’ was fixed ahead of time as a highly saturated, high contrast look. It didn’t handle a wide dynamic range well but wow, the transparencies leapt off the light table! When I got the exposure right, which wasn’t…

SONY has announced its much anticipated compact mirrorless full-frame camera, the ZV-E1. The new flagship of Sony’s ZV line of vlog-centric cameras, the ZV-E1 uses the same backside-illuminated (BSI) 12-megapixel sensor as the A7S III, and matches it with the A7R V’s AI autofocus system in a lightweight, compact body that also features its own dedicated AI processing unit. The new camera weighs just 483 grams - by comparison, the Sony A7 IV weighs 659 grams, and the Sony A7C, 509 grams. Video specs max out at 4K 120P, and 10-bit 4:2:2 recording is available with S-Log-3/S-Gamut3.Cine log modes, delivering up to 15 stops of dynamic range. According to Sony, the sensor has an ISO range up to 409,600 expanded (80-102400 in normal modes), which makes it the best high ISO performance in the…

LEVI’S has announced it will begin ‘supplementing’ human models with AI-generated models in its advertising. The clothing giant describes the move as part of a ‘digital transformation journey’ of diversity, equity, inclusion and sustainability. At face value, these PR-friendly terms appear as noble goals, but the move raises questions about the ability of big business to effectively outsource its diversity targets to AI technology, while also taking away jobs from both models and the creatives who capture them - essentially the very human factor that helps determine diversity. Levi’s says it has partnered with Amsterdam-based digital model studio Lalaland.ai for the initiative. Founded in 2019, Lalaland.ai uses artificial intelligence to ‘enable fashion brands and retailers to create hyper-realistic models of every body type, age, size and skin tone.’ The technology will allow customers to create…

DPREVIEW, one of the busiest and most respected online photography publications, has announced it will shut down, after 25 years in operation. The website has been caught up in the recent layoffs at parent company Amazon, which announced in April it was to lay off 9,000 jobs, following another 18,000 Amazon workers whose jobs were cut in January in response to a widespread downturn in the tech industry. Digital Photography Review, or DPReview, was founded in London in 1998 before being acquired by Amazon in 2007 when its base moved to Seattle. The website was highly regarded for its detailed and exhaustive reviews of cameras, lenses, and other photo gear - to the point where it was, for many photographers, the go-to website for photography gear and information. On a post published in March…

RODE has launched its newest mic system, the Wireless Me, along with a free companion video and audio recording app. The Wireless ME is described by the Sydney company as the ultimate grab-and-go microphone for content creators. It has a similar form factor to the previous Wireless GO generations, but strips the setup back to make it more user-friendly. The Wireless ME consists of a single transmitter and receiver, which are paired out of the box, enabling set up in seconds. The system utilises Rode’s series IV 2.4GHz digital transmission with 128-bit encryption, and, like its siblings, it features a broadcast-quality microphone built into the transmitter, so there’s no extra equipment required to start recording. The Wireless ME also features a “narrator” microphone built into the receiver unit. Dubbed the ‘ME Mic’, this feature…