Your Best Shot: April 2026 - Abstract - 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 Think Tank.
You can find out all the details for entry and the themes for 2026/7 here.
Theme: Abstract
Our winner: Alien Planet by Greg Johannes
Editor’s comment
Greg Johannes captured this remarkable image on a dive in West Papua.
“I’d intended to shoot wide that day but the visibility was quite low when I spotted this amazing bubble-tip anemone,” he says. “I cruised in extra close and fired up the camera’s macro settings and came away with this look into another world.”
It’s that otherworldly feeling that makes this image so effective and our pick as the winner this month. There’s a wonderfully mysterious feeling about the shot as the viewer is left wondering what it is they’re looking at, made all the more effective by the lovely colours and unique shapes and textures. Well done.
Technical details
Olympus TG-6, 1/50s @ f2, ISO 200.
Highly commended
A swirl of trees and snow by Lynton Stacey
Editor’s comment
Captured after a good snowfall overnight in Cranbrook, which blanketed the trees and ground, Lynton Stacey tells us he converted this image to black and white before taking it into Adobe Photoshop and applying the Twirl filter. The result is an abstract that suggests swirling snow among the trees, with just a hint of branches lingering at the edges of the frame.
This is one of the more effective uses of a Photoshop filter we’ve seen in some time, producing a dynamic, flowing effect that’s immediately arresting—particularly with the restrained black-and-white palette. The subtle inclusion of the trees, even if only in the corners, helps anchor the image with a touch of reality, adding balance and intent to an otherwise fluid abstraction.
Technical details
Sony A6600, 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 17mm. 1/250s @ f2.8, ISO 400.
Shattered Liberty by Debbie Hartley
How I did it
This image was taken during our cold winter last year when the temperatures were at around minus 3, and ice had formed in our bird bath. I love taking photos of the ice, as you never know what ice forms you are going to get.
Technical details
Canon R5, Canon 100mm macro lens. 1/160s @ f5.6, ISO 400.
The Lancer by Bill Roberts
How I did it
I used a spiral filter in Photoshop combined with a photo taken at a Medieval Faire of a Lancer to create this image. Several brightness and hue/saturation layers were used to increase intensity and contrast.
Technical details
Canon 5D mark III, EF 100-400 mm lens @ 400mm. 1/640s @ f5.6, ISO 400.
Not what it seems by John Laffan
How I did it
The Opera House is always a challenge for me to photograph, as unfortunately a lot of areas are blocked from the public. This was the place for me.
Technical details
Canon R8, RF 24-105mm f4 lens @ 24mm. 1/50s @ f4, ISO 125.
Untitled by Howard Moutrie
How I did it
Along the old Route 66 in USA there are many old vehicles which provide abundant opportunities for abstract images. In this instance, I was drawn to the cracked paint because of the way the cracks were graded in size in much the same way as tree branches reduce in size. At the same time, I liked how the large cracks evoked an image of dancing figures.
Technical details
Nikon D7200, 18-140mm lens @ 70mm. 1/50s @ f10, ISO 200.
Windows by Etienne van Rooyen
How I did it
While wandering Melbourne’s CBD with my brother, I was drawn to a rhythm formed by light and shadow across this row of windows. What caught my eye was how the repetition erased individuality, creating a sense of infinite continuation. Stark angles and strong contrast flatten the architecture into pattern, echoing the surrealism of a René Magritte painting.
Technical details
Nikon Z 50, Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 @ 130mm. 1/125s @ f 7.1, ISO 400.
Untitled by Katie Turnbull
How I did it
On my morning walks I collect items from around our farm. Lately I have been collecting bones, as the intricacies of them fascinate me.
This is a kangaroo skull that the wedge-tail eagles had picked clean and then it has been exposed to the elements for a few months. The detail in the fontanelles is amazing, along with the grooves where the veins sat. An abstract picture of an object crafted by nature.
Technical details
Canon R5, Canon 100mm Macro lens. 1/100s @ f13, ISO 1250.