PHOTO OF THE YEAR 2020: TOP 20
WINNER, PHOTO OF THE YEAR CATEGORY, PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2020
EMMA FRATER, 'FIRE WATCH'
Although her image was taken in May 2018 during a hazard reduction burn, scenes like this could have just as easily been captured in many parts of Australia last summer during our horror 2019/20 bushfire season. Here, the viewer is witness to the devastating spectacle of a huge plume of smoke and ash towering over Mount Solitary in the Blue Mountains, during the first reduction burn in the area for more than 25 years.
For Blue Mountains local Emma Frater, as soon as she heard the burn was happening she was off with her camera to the nearest viewpoint to capture it.
“I took quite a few shots of the smoky valley and the firebombing helicopters, but the man standing alone with his hand on his hip really caught my eye,” she says.
“He struck me as a strong and resilient character, and I moved into position to shoot him from behind with the billowing smoke framing him. I headed back later at night to photograph the glowing embers, however it was the photograph of the man watching the burning landscape that set the scene for me.”
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
Tim Levy: The level of photography for this year was incredible. But in the end, images that stand out really do have that ‘Je ne sais quoi’ factor. This image to me was not only frighteningly awe inspiring, but it was also topical, uniquely Australian and also had subtle images within it which can lead to a ‘bigger picture’ and further questioning. The gentleman watching is of an older generation and to his right, is the younger generation. They are the people who will inherit the world from ‘him’. Will our older politicians ever admit climate change is real and that their legacy could be a ‘Mad Maxian’ denatured wilderness? Or is it just part of the inescapable Australian cycle of growth, destruction and rejuvenation?
Jacques Van As: This image speaks to every Australian, and anyone who knew or has been directly affected by bushfires would understand what is going on in this image. The man gazing over the fires with a separate group of onlookers watching the fires ravage the Australian landscape represents an experience we all went through last year, and this image captures that feeling of helplessness in one single frame.
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RUNNER UP, PHOTO OF THE YEAR CATEGORY, PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2020
LUKE MACKENZIE, 'MORNING DELIGHT'
Victorian photographer Luke Mackenzie captured his Runner-Up image 'Morning Delight' in early 2019 when his work had him driving the Great Ocean Road quite frequently, and seemingly did the impossible – shooting a location we've seen hundreds of times in a unique way.
“I’d been to the Apostles countless times at sunrise to shoot, but I’d never seen it in these conditions with the cloud rolling off the cliffs, then down and across the ocean like that,” he explains.
“You can see the thick fog about to come across in the background. This moment only lasted a few minutes before the whole place was covered in fog and the lighting had completely changed to a dreary morning.”
One of my favourite things about this image is I took it in summer in January, so the sunrise was pretty early, and the lookout platform was essentially empty apart from one other guy who witnessed this with me – I think it’s something quite unique.”
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
Shannon Wild: This is such a pleasing image. It's well balanced, not only in the composition, but also its colour with the greens in the foreground offsetting the pastels in the rest of the image. Luke has executed this well – especially to get the movement of the fog and water while keeping the shadows rich and full of texture.
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TOP 20 FINISHERS, PHOTO OF THE YEAR CATEGORY, PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2020
3. Photo © Margot Hughes. Photo of the Year category, Photographer of the Year 2020.
4. Photo © Harman Singh. Photo of the Year category, Photographer of the Year 2020.
5. Photo © Heather Rose. Photo of the Year category, Photographer of the Year 2020.
6. Photo © Tim Mulholland. Photo of the Year category, Photographer of the Year 2020.
7. Photo © Santosh Mitra. Photo of the Year category, Photographer of the Year 2020.
8. Photo © Gergo Rugli. Photo of the Year category, Photographer of the Year 2020.
8. Photo © Jarrod Vero. Photo of the Year category, Photographer of the Year 2020. 
10. Photo © Gergo Rugli. Photo of the Year category, Photographer of the Year 2020.
11. Photo © Samuel Markham. Photo of the Year category, Photographer of the Year 2020.
12. Photo © Tracy Lees. Photo of the Year category, Photographer of the Year 2020.
13. Photo © Matt Fieldes. Photo of the Year category, Photographer of the Year 2020.
14. Photo © Chris Dixon. Photo of the Year category, Photographer of the Year 2020.
15. Photo © Jacqueline Hammer. Photo of the Year category, Photographer of the Year 2020.
15. Photo © Kate HH Yang. Photo of the Year category, Photographer of the Year 2020.
15. Photo © Cameron Meacham. Photo of the Year category, Photographer of the Year 2020.
15. Photo © Linda Ky Wei. Photo of the Year category, Photographer of the Year 2020.
19. Photo © Amanda Luker. Photo of the Year category, Photographer of the Year 2020.
19. Photo © Andrew Dickman. Photo of the Year category, Photographer of the Year 2020.