Your Best Shot June - July 2024: The winners!
Your Best Shot is a photo competition open to Australian residents. There's a different theme every couple of months, and a selection of the winning shots will be published in AP mag and online.
Each issue, AP's Editor Mike O'Connor will choose six images to be published both in print and online, with both a winner and a runner-up selected. Our winner will also receive an amazing prize thanks to Blonde Robot, the Australasian distributors of Peak Design, 3 Legged Thing, and Angelbird.
You can find out all the details for entry and the themes for 2024 here.
June/July 2024
Theme: Framing
There are millions of ways you can choose to frame your subject, and bringing in new elements can totally transform how the viewer perceives your image.
This issue, we wanted to see photos that explored framing in all its creative ways, but we also gave special attention to the shots that challenged our ideas of framing in unique ways. These were our favourites.
This issue's winner
Teresa Qin, Light framing
Editor’s comment: We saw plenty of images entered this month that used ‘traditional’ framing devices, but what made Teresa Qin’s image standout was her use of shadow for hers.
To capture an image like this appears deceptively simple, but it requires an understanding of what the light is doing and then the ability to watch while your subject interacts with it.
Teresa tells us the image was shot in the Prahran Market.
“It was a busy Sunday morning, and sunlight streamed through the roof at the deli section, painting a sharp rectangle on the ground,” she explains. “I waited and snapped a shot as people walked into the frame.”
The result is an image that’s moody, interesting and has a very film noir feel about it. Well done.
Technical details
Leica Q3, 28mm fixed lens. 1/1000s @ f5.6, ISO 200.
Highly commended
Donald Chin, Fun at Sand Dunes
Editor’s comment: Donald Chin’s image is another great example of seeing a scene and then waiting for the action to happen just right.
“Some local kids were having a fun time with used motorbike tyres at the sand dunes,” he tells us. “They took turns trying to jump through the tyre. This reminds me of the circus performance a ring master with the lion jumping through a ring of fire.”
This image works because it captures something of the joy of kids at play, while also being beautifully framed and lit. A fantastic moment.
Technical details
Nikon Z9, 24-120mm F4 S lens @ 24mm. 1/1000s @ f8, ISO 320. -.3ev
Special mentions
How I did it: I decided to do something different with the word "Framing". I picked a bunch of hydrangeas from the garden, put them in a vase and went outside to photograph them with the gold frame sitting around them.
Technical details
Nikon D7100, Nikon 24-70mm lens @ 35mm. 1/100s @ f5.6, ISO 100.
How I did it: Another image from a portfolio shoot at home. I’d learned on a photography course that almost anything be used as a frame, including a piece of fabric, so I decided to try it. I chose a red and white colour combination, as I also was studying colour in photography at the time. I wanted to create a bold and outstanding combination, and I used a white wig and red tulle fabric on my model.
Technical details
Nikon D780, 85 mm f/1.8 lens. 1/250s @ f1.8, ISO 200.
How I did it: This image was taken around midday, with a female jumping spider perching nicely, and being framed beautifully by the bright petals of a pigsface flower.
The midday sun provided stunning lighting directly above, shining through the purple-pink petals, projecting the colour on to the jumping spider (around her eyes) - and bathing her in light. The green and purple-pinkish colours contrast nicely, providing a perfect scene for the eyes, and hopefully melting the hearts of the most anxious arachnophobes.
Technical details
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens. 1/400s @ f/3.2; ISO 320.
How I did it: This is a picture captured in Melbourne while I was visiting there in Sep 2023. Lots of Melburnians rely on the trams, but they can be very congested. I spotted this candid shot while I was having a photo walk in the CBD.
Technical details
Fujifilm X-T30, Fujinon XF 16 - 80mm F4 R OIS WR lens @ 80mm. 1/15s @ f4, ISO 400.