FROZEN WAVE

CHINSTRAP PENGUIN
Pygoscelis antarcticus

On assignment for an Antarctic expedition company I photographed these chinstrap penguins making their way towards the frozen arched edge of an iceberg at quite a distance from our ship. I like the juxtaposition of the tiny form of the penguins seemingly
vulnerable in a dramatic icy Antarctic landscape.

South Orkney Islands

Canon EOS 5D Mk IV, EF 100–400mm f4.5–5.6 L IS II USM, 1/1250, f/5.6, ISO 1250, handheld

LIFE IN THE ESKY

EASTERN GREY KANGAROO
Macropus giganteus

I’d been chasing storms all winter to film kangaroos in the snow; this storm
in particular held lots of promise. The snow started coming down like large
snowballs and the roos could do nothing but stand and be engulfed in the blizzard. The snow swirled around them from all directions and in 10
minutes the world was white.

Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales

Nikon D850, Nikon 24–70 f2.8, 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 500

GLIDERS’ HOME

SUGAR GLIDER
Petaurus breviceps

I’d spent months watching the gliders on my family farm and finding the nest hollow was the priority. After many long, cold nights I narrowed it down to this old, dead, brittle gum. Each night they would emerge at 8.28pm, poking their little heads out for five minutes to make sure it was safe before leaving to feed.

Cooma, New South Wales

Nikon D850, Nikon 200–400 f4, 1/250, f/13, ISO 3200, three Nikon SB700, RRS TVC33 tripod, BH55 ball head

PELICANS AND GODWITS

AUSTRALIAN PELICANS
Pelecanus conspicillatus
BLACK-TAILED GODWITS
Limosa limosa
BLACK-WINGED STILT
Himantopus himantopus

I was fortunate to come across a flock of pelicans and godwits flying low over
the Mary River Floodplains. Looking down from above allowed me to see
these beautiful creatures, complete with reflections and shadows, against a background of blue water rather than a blue sky. It was intriguing to see the smaller godwits and lone stilt alongside the larger pelicans.

Mary River Floodplains, Northern Territory

Canon EOS 5D Mk IV, Canon EF 100–400mm f4.5–5.6 L II USM
IS 400mm, 1/2500, f/10, ISO 1600, handheld from a helicopter

A CROC’S-EYE VIEW

FRESHWATER CROCODILE Crocodylus johnsoni

This image depicts an unusual role reversal. The small freshwater crocodiles that inhabit
most public swimming holes in the Top End spend their days under the surface, watching
human swimmers obliviously floating and splashing – here the tables have turned.

Batchelor, Northern Territory

Olympus OMD EM–1 Mk II, Olympus Pro 7–14mm f2.8 12mm, 1/80, f/4.5, ISO 200, two Sea & Sea YS-D2 strobes, manual flash output, handheld, Nauticam underwater camera housing

EMPEROR GUM MOTH

EMPEROR GUM MOTH
Opodiphthera eucalypti

Emperor gum moths are a large, striking species. This photo was
captured early in the morning; the moth was perched perfectly
on the spotted gum. In this image I wanted to capture both the
beauty of the moth and the surrounding spotted gum forest.

Tathra, New South Wales

Canon 7D Mk II, Sigma 10–20mm, 1/200, f/7.0,
ISO 500, handheld

THE SHADOW

UNIDENTIFIED SPECIES

The low angle of the late afternoon sun together with the position of the white wall allowed for this giant  shadow of a little beetle standing at the edge while exploring its habitat.

Belair, South Australia

Canon EOS 5D Mk II, Canon EF 100mm f2.8 L macro IS USM, 1/160, f/4.0, ISO 2000, handheld

MOUNTAIN ECHIDNA

SHORT-BEAKED ECHIDNA
Tachyglossus aculeatus

I followed this echidna for two days, its little tracks in the fresh snow leading me for kilometres to every dead tree and tuft of grass on the snow-covered range. When I finally tracked it down it was over 2000 metres above sea level and not bothered in the slightest about being surrounded by snow and ice.

Australian Main Range, New South Wales

Nikon D810, Nikon 28–300 f5.6, 1/2500, f/8.0, ISO 640

FOXES ON THE WING

GREY-HEADED FLYING-FOX
Pteropus poliocephalus

Grey-headed flying-foxes have a fascinating way of drinking. They fly
low so as to dip their belly into the water. Without pausing, they lick
their fur dry. This usually occurs at night, but they may exhibit this
behaviour in daylight on a really hot day.

Centennial Park, Sydney, New South Wales

Canon 5DS, EF 300mm f4, 1/1000, f/7.1, ISO 1600, handheld

SPIDER ON ICE

UNIDENTIFIED SPECIES

An overnight blizzard had knocked a myrtle tree down onto the path of the
Enchanted Walk next to Cradle Mountain Lodge. I was out in the brilliant sunshine the next morning looking for subjects for my macro lens and came across this tiny spider crossing a patch of snow.

Enchanted Walk, Cradle Valley, Tasmania

Canon 5D II, Canon 100mm f2.8L macro, 1/4000, f/3.2,
ISO 400, handheld

SMALL BUT MIGHTY

COMMENSAL AMPHIPOD LIVING IN SOLITARY ASCIDIAN

I was searching for miniature pygmy seahorses on the reefs of West Papua
when I happened across this tiny amphipod crustacean. Just 0.5–1cm long, this male is sitting at the mouth of the sea squirt to guard the females and young within. According to an amphipod expert, this is likely a new species.

Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia

Nikon D800, Nikkor 105mm macro, 1/125, f/14, ISO 100, twin
INON Z240 strobes, handheld, Subal underwater housing

K’GARI TURTLES

FRASER ISLAND SHORT-NECK TURTLE
Emydura macquarii

These short-necked turtles are everywhere in the fresh water of Lake Allom on Fraser Island. They were very interested in my large dome port and fun to photograph.

Lake Allom, Fraser Island (K’gari), Queensland

Canon 1DX, Canon 14mm 2.8 L II USM, 1/125, f/6.3,
ISO 1250
ANIMAL

DAWN GRAZER

RED-NECKED WALLABY
Macropus rufogriseus

A –4˚C overnight temperature made me reluctant to leave my cosy swag, but when I peered out to see this grazing red-necked wallaby, I leapt up. I was very happy it kept feeding long enough for me to dig out my camera from the back of my car.

Wollemi National Park, New South Wales

Canon EOS 600D, EF-S 18–200mm, 1/250, f/5.6,
ISO 200, handheld

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