Australian-Geographic-Magazine-September-Octobe..

50 Australian Geographic

RED-BELLIED BLACK SNAKE

RED-BELLIED BLACK SNAKE

Pseudechis porphyriacus

Adam Plucinski, New South Wales

Although these venomous snakes are not

aggressive and prefer to avoid humans, I

was happy to be taking the portrait of this

red-bellied black snake in a safe environment

at Taronga Zoo.

Taronga Zoo, Sydney, New South Wales

Nikon D3S, Nikkor 105 f/2.8, 1/400, f/3, ISO 450

WHAT DREAMS

ARE MADE OF

Kah Kit Yoong, Victoria

Australia’s iconic peak captured under

serendipitous conditions. On average, it rains

every second day in these highlands, so I was

fortunate to obtain a still lake with a crystal-clear

reflection, a cloudless sky without the moon and

the phenomenon of strong air-glow colours.

Cradle Mountain, Tasmania

Canon EOS 5D Mk III, Canon 16–35mm f/2.8L II,

30 seconds, f/2.8, ISO 1600, Really Right Stuff TQC

14 tripod, BH-30 ballhead

MAMMALS

HUMPBACK WHALE

Megaptera novaeangliae

Scott Portelli, New South Wales

The moment when a 40-tonne female and her

calf glide by is a privilege to say the least. Each

year humpback whales migrate to warmer

waters to mate and give birth, and it is an

honour to witness this miracle of nature.

Kingdom of Tonga

Canon EOS 5D Mk II, Canon 16–35mm, 1/200,

f/6.3, ISO 250

BEFORE HE SINGS

DOUBLE DRUMMER CICADA

Thopha saccata

Aysha Josephson, New South Wales, aged 17

Last spring my siblings and I spent a lot of time

waiting for and watching cicadas. This double

drummer was the first we saw, climbing up a tree

still in its shell, and we got to observe it coming

out. The process is fascinating – I never tire of

watching it.

Wollombi, New South Wales

Panasonic DMC-TZ20 24mm, 1/125, f/4, ISO 100,

handheld

LANDSCAPE WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF

MONOCHROME RED-BELLIED BLACK SNAKE

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