Page 35 - Australian Photography Feb 2022

CATEGORY SPONSOR
RUNNER-UP
AERIAL
ALEX HAM
@_alex_ham_
COLOURS OF THE PILBARA
Perth based landscape photographer Alex Ham is no stranger to Photographer of the Year – he won the Photo of the Year category in 2019 with an aerial image, which is a genre of photography he’s continued to pursue in the years since.
“I’m always amazed at the way recognisable features on the micro scale can be projected on a scale massive enough to be seen from the air,” he says.
“Thousands of feet in the air is a very different perspective to view the landscape from, so I use this to search for abstract compositions that leave the viewer to interpret the scene for themselves, question the reality of what is being presented, and search for context in their own experiences.
There are a few iconic aspects of Western Australia that resonate with me when I look at the landscape from the air. Not least of these are the red dirt of the iron-rich landscape and the turquoise of the clear water, and these images taken from around 2,000 feet feel to me like they could have only been taken in WA.
I wanted to present the rich colours but also capture the gentle curves nature creates, only
contrasting with the straight lines indicative of human presence in one image. I also like the fact that I can see at least three animal shapes within the images, which is the fascinating effect that comes from the brain’s desire to create meaning from abstract randomness.”
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
PETRA LEARY: I love the use of both nat- ural and human-made divisions in the landscapes, and the high-contrast, beau- tifully balanced and framed shots. The harsher shadows give the images great depth and a real feeling of the climate of Western Australia. At the same time, the photos could all easily standalone, but work very cohesively as a set.
PRIZE: $200 Camera House voucher.
| 49 | FEBRUARY 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
1 Heather McNeice
2 Alex Ham
3 Jim Ogilvie
4 Prithvi Bhattacharya
5 Heather Rose
6 Sebastien Bachellereau
7 Amanda Manning
8 Prithvi Bhattacharya
9 Steven Manolakis
10 Annette Kirby
11 Christine Bairstow 12 David Munro
13 Alexandria Hammer 14 Nilmini De Silva
15 Aaron Green
16 Brian Kinson
17 Chris Hawkins
18 Alexandria Hammer 19 Julie Kenny
20 Jessica Wiseman
AERIAL TOP 20