Australian Geographic - 09.2019 - 10.2019

64 Australian Geographic

A

ERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY has

traditionally been the preserve

of professional photographers

with deep pockets, or at least those in

the employ of cashed-up clients who

can hire an aircraft and its pilot for

hours of airtime. In recent times,

however, the rapid evolution of drone

technology and the increasing aff orda-

bility of these fl ying camera systems has

put a bird’s-eye view within the reach

of enthusiastic amateurs, as well as the

pros. As a result, images taken from a

drone’s perspective are appearing more

frequently in our annual photo com-

petition and this year, for the fi rst time,

it’s a drone shot that has taken out the

top prize.

Mat Beetson’s poignant shot of

a dead fi n whale would have been

hard to capture in any other way than

from this lofty vantage point, and his

winning image artfully demonstrates

the advantages of drone photography.

Mat’s a professional photographer from

Broome in Western Australia who

entered the competition for the fi rst

time this year. His photo is a stunning

example of right place, right time

because he and a mate were visiting

the Albany region of WA to shoot

landscapes when they heard news that

a whale had beached nearby. By the

time Mat had arrived on the scene

and set up his cameras, numerous

sharks, which had enjoyed an easy feed

earlier in the day, had moved on and

now there was just one lone shark.

Mat tried to identify the species with

members of the Organisation for the

Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in

Australia (ORRCA), who were also

present. They couldn’t positively do so

but agreed it was either a great white

or a bronze whaler. “The 23m whale

had beached itself the day before,”

JUNIOR

1

IN THE DARK

Floyd Mallon, New South

Wales. Age 17

Th is night was the most amazing

display of lightning that I have

ever seen, with constant fl ashes

of lightning lasting hours. For the

composition, I decided to focus on

a man standing at the edge of the

water with an umbrella to add a

sense of scale to the image.

Fingal Bay, New South Wales

Canon EOS 5D Mk III, Canon

17–40mm f4 L, 15, f/4,

ISO 200, tripod

Winner

2

UNDER THE

SPIKES

Isaac Wilson, South Australia.

Age 10

SHORT-BEAKED ECHIDNA,

TACHYGLOSSUS ACULEATUS

On the way back from the Murray

River we saw this echidna crossing

the road. It hid its face and I knew

it wasn’t coming out, so I decided

to take a close-up. Th at was the best

shot I took.

Near Blanchetown,

South Australia

Nikon Coolpix B700,

4.3–258mm, 1/100,

f/3.3, ISO 100, handheld

Runner-

up

says Mat. “The ORRCA people said it

was highly unusual for a fi n whale to

beach in this region and the creature

showed signs of a desperate life-and-

death struggle.” Mat waded into the

water to photograph the animal from

sea level but eventually put up his

drone despite windy conditions that

might have led to the loss of his gear.

“It’s all about perspective,” he says.

“From the shoreline I couldn’t convey

an idea of the size of the whale, but

from the drone you can see scale and

signs of the struggle, plus the relative

size of the shark. It tells the story of

two animals and their behaviours.

We don’t understand why the whale

has done this but we understand clearly

the behaviour of the shark,” says Mat.

“It’s a powerful story of the cycle of

life for those marine creatures.”

Mat’s fellow photographers

who have been successful

this year have that perfect

combination of being at ease

with the technological aspects

of photography and a creative

imagination that’s able to see the

potential in a scene and capture it in a

way that then tells a compelling story.

We’re sure you’ll enjoy the rest of

the category winners and runners-up

as shown on the following pages.

If you can, head to one of the magnif-

icent exhibitions in Adelaide, Sydney

and on tour throughout the year to

see all the shortlisted photos displayed

in glorious large-format prints.

Congratulations to all the winning

photographers and all those whose im-

ages have been chosen for exhibition.

Visit the Australian Geographic

Nature Photographer of the Year exhi-

bition at the South Australian Museum,

Adelaide, or at the Powerhouse

Museum, Sydney. See page 73 for dates.

AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHIC

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER

OF THE YEAR 2019

Competition partners and sponsors

Principal Sponsor Presenting Partner Producer Exhibition Partners Production Partner