SPLASH TIME FOR A DANDELION

DANDELION
Taraxacum SP.

I was staying at a house with a large garden completely overgrown with
dandelions. To some it would be considered a ‘weed’ garden, but I was
in my element trying to capture as many images as possible. This image
resembled a winter wonderland for dandelion seed heads as they enjoyed a moment of ‘splash time’ after a shower of rain.

Adelaide, South Australia

Canon 5D Mk II, Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens, 1/200, f/3.5, ISO 125, handheld

LEMON-SCENTED SUN ORCHID

LEMON-SCENTED SUN ORCHID
Thelymitra antennifera

Western Australia’s granite outcrops are home to a myriad of plant life such
as this yellow-scented sun orchid. Shooting in the direction of the setting
sun, I manually focused on one flower sitting up above the others. The low
angle and large telephoto lens combined to create the pleasing blur.

Karalee Dam, Western Australia

Canon EOS-1D X Mk II, Canon EF 600mm f4 L IS USM, 1/500,
f/4, ISO 400, handheld
BOTANICAL

PANDANI AT LAKE
OBERON

PANDANI
Richea pandanifolia

Found only in Tasmania, the wild tropicallike pandani (Richea pandanifolia) are illuminated at sunrise overlooking Lake Oberon and Mt Pegasus along the rugged Western Arthur Range in Tasmania’s southwest wilderness.

Western Arthurs, Southwest National Park, Tasmania

Canon 5D Mk IV, Canon 16–35mm
f2.8 L 16mm, 1/60, f/11, ISO 200, Feisol CT-3441 tripod

THE COLOR OF THE FERNS

When autumn arrives the leaves of the ferns gradually change colour, going from green to a dry leaf. This photographic composition of a group of ferns shows the whole colour transition.

Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand

Nikon D800, Nikon 105mm f2.8, 1/20, f/10, EV 0.7, ISO 100, Nikon SB800 i-TTL-1EV with diffuser, tripod, Benro ball-head

TRANSFORMATION

The year of 2018 included a terrific wildflower season in the northern wheatbelt. Here a natural hollow provided a view into the multi-layered daisy fields.

Coalseam Conservation Park, Western Australia

Canon EOS 5D Mk III, Tokina 12–24mm f4 IF DXII, 1/160, f/18, ISO 400, handheld, exposure +1

THE GHOST OF THE FOREST

GHOST FUNGUS
Omphalotus nidiformis

The elusive ghost mushroom show starts after dark, when the green light of its bioluminescence glows across the pine forest on the Bellarine Peninsula. It seems like magic but the glowing works to attract insects that then help disperse the spores and spread the mushroom.

Ocean Grove, Victoria

Canon 5D Mk IV, Samyang 14mm, 30, f/2.8, ISO 3200, Manfrotto tripod

SAVANNAH MIRAGE

MELALEUCA
Melaleuca SP.

While driving through a stand of recently burnt savannah woodland in Queensland, I suddenly found myself within a surreal landscape. An artificial black horizon formed by half-burnt melaleuca trees, bracketed by the vivid greenness of regenerating grasses beneath a bright blue sky, produced a disorientating, yet enthrallingly bizarre, scene.

Near Rollingstone, Queensland

Canon 5D Mk III, Canon EF24–70mm f2.8 L II USM, 1/1250, f/3.2, ISO 100, handheld

ETHEREAL

SNOW GUM
Eucalyptus pauciflora

News of the first winter snows lured me up to Mt Buffalo National Park
to photograph the distinctive snow-gum woodland and granite tors. This
majestic snow-covered eucalypt (E. pauciflora), perched high on the edge of the mountainside, was beautifully accentuated by the gentle glow of a foggy dawn.

Mt Buffalo National Park, Victoria

Nikon D810, Nikkor 24–70mm, 1/60, f/16, ISO 400, Manfrotto 055 tripod

FIREWORKS

The tannin-infused waters of Enoggera Reservoir support a wide variety of animals and plants, but it’s the freshwater lilies that provide the matrix that underlies the ecosystem. Using an underwater flash helped define the yellow stems and the backlit lily pads above reminded me of a fireworks explosion.

Enoggera Reservoir, Queensland

Canon 5D Mk III, Canon 8–15mm fisheye, 1/160, f/13, ISO 125, two Ikelite DS 160 substrobes, handheld while freediving, Aquatica housing

The AG Nature Photographer of the Year Awards are sponsored by Coral Expeditions.