2025: Matthew Lyall – Passage through the veil
Canon EOS R5c, f/2.8 1/400 ISO 800
After days of weather monitoring, Sydney Harbour delivered this extraordinary morning when fog so thick that ferry services were cancelled created an almost surreal landscape. A lone ferry emerged like a ghost ship beneath the iconic bridge span, creating a scene that felt more cinematic than documentary. This image captures the rare moment when familiar landmarks become mysterious and unearthly.
Challenges: The dense fog created autofocus difficulties, requiring manual focus confirmation. Exposure metering was challenging in the low-contrast conditions, requiring multiple test shots to perfect the settings. Timing was crucial to capture the ferry in the optimal position.
Post-Processing: The minimal natural contrast required careful exposure adjustments to retain detail in both fog and darker bridge structure. Subtle contrast enhancement and careful highlight/shadow recovery enhanced atmospheric depth while preserving the natural moodiness. Used masking to selectively adjust different tonal zones.
2024: Helen Frank – Just Strong
So many times I have been told I’m strong for a girl, no, I’m just strong! I have chosen this image as I think it shows the duality of femininity and strength together in one person. These attributes aren’t mutually exclusive and we can be both.
I often volunteer to photograph powerlifting competitions as I see it as a way to give back to my sport. Most powerlifting competitions are held in gyms that are repurposed work sheds, therefore the lighting is often tricky. I normally use one flash and shoot through an umbrella placed close to the lifting platform. Every lifter stands in a different position so the effect is never consistent but I like that. I sometimes shoot from the lit side and sometimes the other where the flash becomes more of a hair/back light. This competition was being live-streamed and the video lights added a touch of colour.
Canon EOS 5D IV, 1/80 @ f5.6, 1000 ISO, 300mm
2023: Tony Gough – Smashing Apples
Australia’s number 8 ranking tennis player, Thanasi Kokkinakis marks the start of the 2023 Australian Open smashing apples on the iconic blue court. This year Somersby became the official cider partner of the AO. My idea was to talk him into laying down on the court surrounded by hundreds of apples. Knowing I only had about 10 minutes with him I knew this was going to be a big ask. I did have a backup shot to do but I was keen to try and talk him into doing it my way. As you can see he did agree to do it but only gave me time to quickly take a handful of shots to which I was grateful. The pressure began then and there as we had to spread the apples around him quickly. We then realised that he was 196cm tall I found out fast that 4 boxes of apples was not quite enough so I had to add a few in post production. I also had to adjust the perspective slightly as I couldn’t get up high enough to shoot him directly parallel from above. Balancing on a high chair I could see that his people were looking concerned and I guess they were worried that I would fall on top of him. Anyway in the end I was happy with the final outcome.
Camera. NIKON Z9
Lens Nikon 16-35mm
Focal Length 16mm @ f5.6
Shutter speed 1/200sec
Flashes 2xAD200 Godox
2022: Benjamin Ricketts – Walk of life
“The photo was taken during a street photo walk through George street. While some photos in street photography require waiting for that decisive moment, this photo was seen as soon as I saw the row of ground poles and saw the bright hi-vis vest gentleman approaching them and instantly started to think there has to be a photo here. Through the lens I could see him looking at the girl walking just near him, and the photo took place within seconds. I was next to a street pole and that is the slight blur on the right hand side of the frame. I love composition styles, and specifically loved having an interesting moment in time captured with the repeating patterns of the poles leading up to the man. However, the reason to convert it to Black and White was to simplify the scene and remove other distraction and to bring focus back to the two people who contrasted well between his high vis vest and her dark clothes. The expression on the girl’s face has a stunning contrast to the man’s face, and I feel that was kind of a familiar theme in life.”
Taken on:
Sony Alpha 1, 70-200mm lens f2.8
2021: Phil Whiteman – Camel Rock, Walaga Lake NSW
It was early morning, one of the best times of the day, and my intent was to capture the hues of pre-sunrise whilst getting movement in the ocean
Camera: Fujifilm X-T1
Settings: 3.5 seconds, f14, ISO200