RESIN

ACACIA
Acacia sp.

Walking in Belair National Park one evening during golden hour,
I was fascinated by the sun filtering through the trees and lighting up the sap oozing on the acacia trees.

Belair National Park, South Australia

Nikon D750, Nikon 105.0mm f/2.8, 1/2500, f/18, ISO
1000, matrix metering and exposure compensation -2.33

THROUGH THE PINES

SUGAR PINE
Pinus lambertiana

The sugar pine is the largest and tallest of all known pines. On this particular morning, I was greeted with a misty and moody scene. After looking up at these towering giants in all their glory, I knew I had my shot.

Laurel Hill, Bago State Forest, New South Wales

Nikon D810, Tamron 15–30mm f2.8, 0.8, f/11, ISO 400, Manfrotto 055 XPROB with Manfrotto 808 RC4 head

HOODIES

UPRIGHT MAROONHOOD Pterostylis pedunculata

As each orchid was on a slightly different focal plane and I wanted to maintain the lovely soft background that f/6.3 achieved, I decided to focus and shoot each orchid in the cluster separately. They were then layered and masked to produce the final image.

Erskine Falls, Lorne, Victoria

Canon EOS 5D IV, Canon 100–400mm IS II, 1/80, f/6.3, ISO 800, tripod

ENCHANTED FOREST

UNIDENTIFIED SPECIES

Lamington National Park is a fairytale forest teeming with waterfalls, gigantic old trees and wildlife. Taking in all this magical beauty, I wondered when the ancient trees would start talking and if the fairies would appear. To me, this fungi stairway captures the magic of this century-old, semitropical forest.

Lamington National Park, Queensland

Olympus OM-D EM-5, Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 9–18mm
f/4.0–5.6, 13/10, f/18, ISO 200, tripod

EPIC GHOST GUM

GHOST GUM
Corymbia aparrerinja

I’ve always associated ghost gums with the bonsai versions that scrabble for a living in the ironstone cliffs of the McDonnell Ranges. Turning onto the highway from visiting Simpson’s Gap, this magnificent version caught my eye and I visualised a photograph of it splitting apart the range like a hatching
dragon’s egg.

West MacDonnell Ranges, near Simpson’s Gap, Northern Territory

Canon 6D II, Canon 17–40mm f4, 30, f14, ISO 100, Manfrotto
055 tripod, Lenser hand torch

CASTAWAY KELP

BULL KELP
Durvillaea potatorum

Bull kelp provides the basic building block for Australia’s extreme temperate reef ecosystem. The kelp is fastened to the reef using root-like structures called holdfasts.
Large swell often dislodge kelp and wash it ashore, where it will break down and provide sustenance for a range of species.

Tasman Peninsula, Tasmania

Nikon D810, Nikon 16–35mm, 1, f/22, ISO 50, ND8 filter and polariser, Manfrotto tripod

GONDWANAN LINK

FAGUS
Nothofagus gunnii

A time-weathered Nothofagus gunnii bush hugs the alpine rocks of the Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park, providing an ancient link of modern Tasmania to the super continent of Gondwana.

Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair
National Park, Tasmania

Nikon D800, Nikon 16–35mm, 2, f/13, ISO 100, tripod

A TOUCH OF LIGHT

UNIDENTIFIED SPECIES

Down at the depths of the forest floor in the Daintree, dappled rays of sunlight penetrate through the overhang and capture the attention of a small, lonesome, green leafy plant.

Daintree Rainforest, Queensland

Canon EOS R, Canon EF 70–200mm f/2.8 IS II USM, 1/800, f/2.8, ISO 1600, polariser filter, handheld

WATTLE GLOW

PRICKLY MOSES
Acacia pulchella
JARRAH
Eucalyptus marginata

Acacia pulchella is a tough, prickly wattle that transforms from insignificant to spectacular in spring. A beautiful vista unfolded as the late-afternoon sun highlighted thousands of its small, yellow flowers. The scene is framed by regrowth jarrah trees and interspersed with various eucalyptus and wildflowers.

Woottating Nature Reserve, Western Australia

Canon EOS 5D MkIII, Canon EF100–400mm f/4.5–5.6L IS USM, 1/400, f/14, ISO 2000, handheld, image stabiliser

AUTUMN PALETTE

UNIDENTIFIED SPECIES

This area is most well-known and named for its ‘blue mountains’, yet between the eucalyptus trees
lies an abundance of colour. My first time seeing these fluorescent forests from above was truly unforgettable and sparked my obsession with
photographing the seasonal change.

Blue Mountains, New South Wales

DJI Phantom 4, 3.6mm, 1/50, f/2.8, ISO 110

BEACON IN THE NIGHT

WARATAH
Telopea speciosissima

This waratah shone like a beacon while I was on a night hike through a Blue Mountains gully last spring. I liked the way the flower head appeared to be
erupting out of the inky darkness. As survivors, waratahs draw resources from exceptionally poor soils to produce these spectacular displays.

Bedford Creek, Blue Mountains, New South Wales

Nikon D810, Nikkor 20mm, 1/250, f/16, ISO 64, Nikon Speedlight SB700 flash, handheld, homemade flash di‡ffuser