LANDSCAPE 2020: TOP 20

 

 

WINNER, LANDSCAPE CATEGORY, PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2020
NICOLE ANDREWS, 'DUNES'

In a year where most of us have been greatly limited with where we can travel, Melbourne's Nicole Andrews timed her trips to the Death Valley, USA and Morocco's eastern border with Algeria to perfection. The result is a truly global set of images that emphasise both the diversity of sand dunes and their striking shapes and forms in a variety of light.

“Many parts of the Moroccan dunes were badly roughed up by quadbikes and camel tracks but we were fortunate enough to find some unspoilt dunes at Erg Chegaga and Erg Lihoudi,” she says. “Finding just that right spot while coping with intense heat and often gusty conditions was challenging.”

Anyone who has photographed dunes will know just how tricky they can be to shoot, but perhaps even more challenging is to give a sense of how diverse an environment they can be. It's something this portfolio illustrates beautifully through a combination of black and white and colour images.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Dylan Fox: Sand dunes are an incredible subject to photograph. They are forever changing and can provide endless opportunities. That is so brilliantly reflected in this set of photographs. From vibrant colours with abstract appearances, to black and white images showing the repeating patterns of the rippling sand. The use of light and shadows is so well handled and creates a very compelling set of images.

Jacques Van As: The clever use of shadows and complimentary colours made this portfolio stand out. Great textures and compositions bring every one of these images to life. Nicole followed the brief extremely well and presented a finely tuned array of images which would make a suitable collection of printable images.

Hillary Younger: A portfolio of powerful simplicity and artistry where light, shade and contrast are used to reveal texture and pattern, and to create compositional structure. Leading lines and mysterious areas of darkness both stimulate the imagination and lead the viewer through the frame and wondering what lies beyond. In drawing us beyond their boundaries, the images carry the promise of the vastness of the desert.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

EQUAL RUNNER UP, LANDSCAPE CATEGORY, PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2020
ALAN COLIGADO, 'SHAPES OF SOUSSEVLAI' 

Sydney photographer Alan Coligado has been perfecting his black and white photography for a number of years, and his Landscape runner-up portfolio was a popular choice with the judges, bringing a sense of abstraction to Namibia's famous Sossusvlei dunes, which he visited in August 2019.

“As striking as the colour of the dunes is, I was equally mesmerised by how they were sculpted by the winds over time,” he says. “I thought that rendering these natural structures in black and white would bring their contours to the fore. The vertical orientation was another conscious choice that I made to push the concept of abstracting shape and form a bit further.”

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Jacques Van As: Alan's portfolio is impressive, and not only because it brings a unique take to the very common Sossusvlei sand dunes in Namibia. His high contrast editing emphasises the deep detail, and by using untraditional compositional elements, it keeps the mind guessing and the eye focused on every image. As a judge, it's great to see some 'out of the box' thinking that really challenges our notions of traditional landscape photography.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

EQUAL RUNNER UP, LANDSCAPE CATEGORY, PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2020
BRETT RAY, 'LAMINGTON NATIONAL PARK'

Queensland photographer Brett Ray's portfolio of endemic Antarctic Beech Trees in Lamington National Park is a wonderful example of bringing order to chaos, one of the most challenging things to do in the confines of a rainforest.
“Lamington National Park is many different things to many different people, but for me it’s a place of refuge and solitude, and in the right conditions a very mystical place,” he says.

“Many people come here for the waterfalls, which are amazing, but as someone who has always loved trees, I love the mossy, lichen filled environment, always filled with moisture and where light can struggle to break through.

Inspired by English woodland photography, I really enjoy the challenge of trying to capture a shot in such a chaotic environment. It teaches you to look closely at your surroundings, as the beauty is there everywhere.”

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Hillary Younger: From the chaotic appearance of the rainforest, we are presented with intimate vignettes where simple shapes have been revealed. Through composition and a clever use of light, the viewer is led not into chaos, but on a deliberate visual journey into the textures, patterns and living essence of the forest.

The diffuse light and misty atmosphere have been utilised to create wonderful transitions from dark to light; and from high contrast to low contrast, resulting in great depth and three dimensionality, and most importantly, in images that beg our visual exploration.

Dylan Fox: Forests are one of the most chaotic and difficult places for a landscape photographer to work in. At times it can feel like endless searching and only finding busy, complicated scenes that simply don’t work. Brett's portfolio however not only displays four individual images that each find the beauty in that chaos, but they all have a fantastical feel to them. The conditions lend themselves perfectly to the scenery.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TOP 20 FINISHERS, LANDSCAPE CATEGORY, PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2020 

   4. Photo © Matthew Barrett. Landscape Category, Photographer of the Year 2020.

 

  5. Photo © Bradley Hannon. Landscape Category, Photographer of the Year 2020.

 

  6. Photo © Ante Badzim. Landscape Category, Photographer of the Year 2020.

 

    7. Photo © Karolin Schild. Landscape Category, Photographer of the Year 2020.

 

    8. Photo © Harmon Singh Heer. Landscape Category, Photographer of the Year 2020.

 

   9. Photo © Anna Luscombe. Landscape Category, Photographer of the Year 2020.

 

  10. Photo © Rob Cox. Landscape Category, Photographer of the Year 2020.

 

   11. Photo © Harmon Singh Heer. Landscape Category, Photographer of the Year 2020.

 

 
    12. Photo © David Dahlenburg. Landscape Category, Photographer of the Year 2020.

 

   13. Photo © Chandra Bong. Landscape Category, Photographer of the Year 2020.

 

   14. Photo © Robert Morello. Landscape Category, Photographer of the Year 2020.

 

   15. Photo © Adam Williams. Landscape Category, Photographer of the Year 2020.

 

  16. Photo © Gergo Rugli. Landscape Category, Photographer of the Year 2020.

 

   17. Photo © Jane Sheers. Landscape Category, Photographer of the Year 2020.

 

   17. Photo © Brian Hatchard. Landscape Category, Photographer of the Year 2020.

 

   19. Photo © Chandra Bong. Landscape Category, Photographer of the Year 2020.

 

   20. Photo © Shane Spoor. Landscape Category, Photographer of the Year 2020.