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WINNER
ANIMAL & NATURE
INSECT PORTRAITS
ALI MOUGHNIEH
@amoughnieh
Ali Moughnieh is a Sydney based photographer, born and brought up in Kuwait but calling Sydney home since 2015.
He says his striking insect portraits series is an attempt to show insects in a way the average person never sees.
“Humans have evolved to recognise faces; we look for the eyes, for the mouth, for the symmetry, we look for features similar to ours, because we understand them,” he explains.
“However, because insects are very small, we only see them as a whole, we don’t see their faces, and therefore we don’t easily relate to them. What I’m trying to achieve with my work is to create shock and draw attention by showing a different perspec- tive of insects, one that we were never meant to see!”
In order to achieve such high magnification and depth of field, Moughnieh focus stacks his images, with each image consisting of at least 80 superimposed photos of an insect’s head. He says editing and processing these images is highly detailed and time consuming, with some taking several months to finish.
WHAT THE JUDGES’ SAID
STEVE AND ANN TOON: Wow! Thanks so much Ali for transporting us to an alien world of marvellous insects and then hold- ing us captive there. We couldn’t stop star- ing at these portraits. This bold, riveting portfolio successfully marries technical
excellence and artistry. It takes time, pa- tience, passion for your subject and skill to pull off a ‘fab four’ like this. We love the way Ali’s turned the subjects into stars revealing the loud personalities of each insect while keeping them tight as a set – like members of a rock band.
ALEX CEARNS: This series presents insects we are all familiar with, yet they are captured in such intricate, frame-filling detail that they appear alien like. We see them through the photographers eyes, as a thing of beauty pre- sented in a fresh and unique way. Excellence is focus stacking is demonstrated and precise editing (which takes vision and patience) has been applied. Overall this is an incredible set of images with immense impact.
GEORGINA STEYTLER: This is a wonderful series of insect portraits, executed to perfec- tion. The head on perspective commands the attention of the viewer and once drawn into their world, the level of detail does not disappoint.
SHANNON WILD: This is an intriguing series that gives us a glimpse into the macro world of insect eyes. I know how hard nailing fo- cus on these tiny subjects can be, and this has been done exceptionally well.
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