Page 21 - APH_Feb21_Special

RUNNERS-UP
LANDSCAPE
SHAPES OF SOUSSEVLAI
LAMINGTON NATIONAL PARK
SPONSOR
ALAN
COLIGADO
@acoligado
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 ab- stracting 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 de- tail, and by using untraditional compositional ele- ments, it keeps the mind guessing and the eye fo- cused 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.
| 39 | FEBRUARY 2021 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
BRETT RAY
@brett_m_ray
Queensland photographer Brett Ray’s portfolio of endemic Antarctic Beech Trees in Lamington National Park is a won- derful 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 ref- uge 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, the diffuse light and misty at- mosphere create wonderful transitions from dark to light; and from high contrast to low con- trast, resulting in great depth and three dimen- sionality, and most importantly, in images that beg our visual exploration.
DYLAN FOX: Forests are one of the most chaotic and difficult places for a photographer to work in. Brett’s portfolio however, not only displays four individual images that each find the beauty in the chaos, but they all have a fantastical feel to them.