A regular part of Australian Photography magazine for more than a decade, the Image Doctors, photo educator Saima Morel and professional photographer Anthony McKee, can give constructive feedback on your images, with a selection of their favourite submissions appearing in print in AP mag every month.

This month’s winner

TITLE: The Skater
PHOTOGRAPHER: John Huisman
DETAILS: Nikon Z5, Nikon 14-30mm f/4 lens @ 30mm. 1s @ f22, ISO 400.

“I was experimenting with long exposure and panning at the local ice rink during a recent evening session and was pleased with the effect created. The colours and hazy appearance give the image a surreal mood.”

Anthony’s tip: Hi John, and well done for exploring beyond the usual frozen moments in time. (Groan now!). To get the best results from panning with slow shutter speeds you need to have both a relatively smooth panning action, but also a few technical tricks too.

The first thing I often do when panning images is to move back and use a slightly longer lens, like a 50mm or 70mm; this helps eliminate the curvature we can see in the motion, but with less arc in the lens travel you also get smoother images too.

The next trick is to use a slightly wider aperture; f22 works, but f11 at 100 ISO will give you a cleaner result. Also, turning your Z5’s built-in image stabilisation off or to sport mode will help you make the skater appear sharper in the image.

And finally, explore your shutter speed options – don’t be scared to try 1 second as an option, or 1/4 and 1/8th of a second. Otherwise, keep doing what you’re doing! 

TITLE: Faded Light
PHOTOGRAPHER: Raymond Richards
DETAILS: Pentax KP, 18-300mm lens @ 43mm. 1/6s @ f5.6, ISO 400.

“I’m a member of the Gold Coast Photographic Society and we recently had an evening photoshoot when we took along various bits and pieces from Australian history. It was a pleasurable evening helping each other arrange lighting and reflectors to give the effect that was wanted. A variety of backcloths (Mainly homemade) was also available.

For this shot I had a single light source to the right which was held by another member. Shot in RAW and processed in Adobe Elements where cropped then I boosted the Vibrance, and lowered the Saturation to give the tone I wanted. I also lowered the highlights and boosted the shadows.”

Anthony’s Tip: Hi Raymond, and what a great way to spend an evening, exploring light and composition with friends. Technically there is nothing wrong with this image, but I do feel you could make it stronger; those old lanterns are really competing for attention from the background.

Rather than change the background though, I would moved the background backwards at least a metre or more so that it received less light, and was therefore darker in the frame. I would also keep exploring with the light, including moving it further around to the right, but otherwise good effort.

TITLE: Sunrise Reflections
PHOTOGRAPHER: Anita Pallas
DETAILS: Sony A7 IV, Tamron 28-200mm lens @ 28mm. 1/30s @ f11, ISO 500.

“This image named Sunrise Reflections was taken just as Wollongong Botanic Garden opened, which was just after sunrise. I really liked the burnt trees and reflections. I look forward to hearing what could have been done better.”

Anthony’s Tip: Hi Anita – one big mistake many photographers make is trying to fit too much information into an images, to the point that an audience doesn’t know where to look first, let alone what you, the photographer, thinks is really important in the scene. That is what is happening with this image; yes the glow on the trees is nice, as is the structure of the rotunda, but what are you really trying to show us?

Personally, in this instance I would have used the telephoto end of your 28-200mm lens to tell a different story. I’d have moved to the right several meters so the rotunda was against those sunlit trees, then I would have zoomed so that those trees and their reflection silhouetted the rotunda. If you were to have someone standing, silhouetted in the rotunda you would also get bonus points! Keep at it!

TITLE: Autumn vineyard
PHOTOGRAPHER: Dani Maver
DETAILS: Sony A7 III, 24-70mm f2.8 lens @ 70mm. 1/1000s @ f2.8, ISO 100.

“I took this image on a misty morning towards the end of autumn. In colour, it looked pretty unremarkable, but I really like the mood of the sepia-type tones. My children tell me it’s a bit ‘zombie apocalypse’. A more nuanced critique would be very welcome!”

Anthony’s Tip: Hi Dani, trying to find magic in a post-vintage vineyard is not easy, but mist and some interesting light can help. Usually I shoot images like this one of two ways – one is “square” to the rows so that you get the lines working as parallels, but the other option is to shoot down the rows so that you have converging lines. What might have really offset this image though, would have been to have a hint of the sun appearing in the frame (of course, that always comes down to that element of luck).

With this image there is one thing you can do to improve it, and that is to crop the top of the picture by about 10 percent so that you lose those distracting leaves in the upper right of the picture. Otherwise, good work.

TITLE: Focus
PHOTOGRAPHER: Mike Smee
DETAILS: Fujifilm X-T10, Fujinon 18-55mm f/2.8-4 lens. 1/100s @ f4, ISO 320.

“These are my eldest grandchildren, playing in a garden shed while I took photos from outside. They were intrigued by a rope with a weight attached running through a pulley.

I took several shots of them, I think this one best shows the concentration involved. They were lit by the afternoon sun shining through the opening, while most of the interior of the shed remained in shadow. I made some minor adjustments in Lightroom, and removed a couple of distracting blemishes.

Anthony’s Tip: Thanks for sharing this photo Mike. I like that you captured your grandchildren in this rather pensive moment, although I think there is also some room to have had a little more fun with the moment. I like how you have cropped the image square, though ideally I would have cropped out that net and highlights in the right of the picture, given both are rather distracting.

The only other thing I would do to is to select the eldest child’s face using the selection tool and about 20 pixels worth of feathering, and then I would have used the Curves tool just to lighten her face some more. Otherwise good work, and keep making that family record!

UK photographer Ewan Heath-Flynn has won the gold award in the conservation category.

“A Maltese hunter stands proud, having legally shot a European Turtle Dove, a prized quarry on the island,” he said.

“European Union legislation bans the hunting of Turtle Doves in the breeding season.

“Nevertheless, across the Mediterranean, an estimated 0.34–0.87 million are killed every year.

“Generations of Maltese have hunted this species on migration; a few continue to hunt and follow tradition.

“In 2017, Malta introduced a spring hunting moratorium, which left some hunters feeling their ‘traditional’ way of life had been spoilt.

“Unfortunately, the ban was lifted in 2022, allowing European Turtle Doves to be killed once again.

“The decision has the potential to dramatically impact and further damage this beautiful bird’s chances of survival and drive it further towards extinction.

“BirdLife International and their partner BirdLife Malta both condemn the hunting”.

This photo is one of a series called Sirens, photographs of monstrous storm waves named after mythological beings. I grew up sailing and would often pass long voyages by watching the waves and imagining strange creatures in the shapes, telling myself stories in the way children do.

It isn’t so surprising, then, that I have made the ocean, and specifically waves, the focus of my photography. Sirens was born out of long winters revisiting a storm beach on England’s south coast.

By the time I captured Medusa, I had already published much of the project but Storm Brian, in October 2017, brought particularly good light and added several of the most popular images in the series. This is probably my favourite because it most closely connects to a myth, that of Medusa, the maiden cursed to have snakes for hair and whose gaze could turn men to stone. 

The skills needed for this sort of photography are more like those needed for wildlife or sports than for landscape. I had a target shutter speed of 1/1000s and wanted a fairly narrow aperture to get as much detail as possible front to back. Timing was everything, and I had to concentrate hard not to miss the best shapes.

It helped that I had by then spent a great many days at that location in storms, so I had a reasonable idea of when a good wave might be coming. It was important to get as low as I could so that the waves stood proud of the horizon.

This also helped me cope with the force 10 winds – holding the camera steady and shooting for almost six hours was a good biceps workout! The biggest challenge came from the spray. The wind was almost directly on shore, blowing spray straight onto the lens. I wouldn’t have captured any decent frames without my lens hood, but I still had to spend a lot of time cleaning the glass.

I do all my processing in Lightroom. As you might imagine, I made a lot of photos that day, so I had a job on my hands going through them. I don’t enjoy trying to create good light when there wasn’t any in the frame so, going through the images captured, I sought great shapes with great light.

Medusa was the first frame I edited from that day. I kept things natural, making slight tonal adjustments only with just a nudge of clarity.     

TheBird Photographer of the Year 2023 winners have been unveiled. Photographers from all over the world entered more than 20,000 images into the competition, each with their eyes on the £5,000 grand prize. But who were the winners?

An image of a peregrine falcon tackling a brown pelican that ventured too close to its nest has taken the grand prize in the world’s largest bird photography competition.

Photographer Jack Zhi, from the USA, was declared this year’s grand prize winner for his dramatic image takenin Southern California. He also took the prize for Best Bird Behaviour photograph

“For four years, I attempted to capture the rare sight of the female falcon attacking large brown pelicans withincredible speed and agility,” says Zhi. “I love the eyes of the pelican in this image-surprised and scared. Theaction was fast, and over in the blink of an eye. But I’ll remember that moment forever.”

“Each image is not merely a testament to the immense talent of our photographers, but a poignant reminder of the breathtaking beauty of birds,” says Will Nicholls, Director of Bird Photographer of the Year. “The astonishing calibre of these photographs underscores a vital message: let us champion the cause of conservation, so that future generations can marvel at the real-life inspirations behind these extraordinary images.”

The Young Bird Photographer of the Year 2023 was awarded to 17-year-old German photographer Anton Trexler for his incredibly atmospheric image of a blackbird silhouetted against the moon.

Photographers competed in 8 different categories in the adult competition: Best Portrait, Birds in the Environment, Bird Behaviour, Birds in Flight, Black and White, Urban Birds, Conservation (Single Image), and Comedy Bird Photo. There was also a Conservation Award, Portfolio Award, and Video Award.

The category winners

Urban bird winner

Great Grey Owl Strix nebulosa. Helsinki, Finland

Arto Leppänen, Finland.

‘During winter migration, owls from northern Finland often head to the south where they can find more food due to less snow. This Great Grey Owl chose a cemetery with abundant voles as its hunting ground. While hunting, the owl would often stop on tombstones or other structures to observe the area.

More like this

‘Keeping a safe distance, I followed the owl and managed to capture a fleeting moment when it landed briefly on a beautiful angel statue.’

Canon EOS 5D Mark III with Canon 600mm f/4 lens. 600mm; 1/50s; f/5; ISO 1,600.

Comedy bird winner

Purple Heron Ardea purpurea. Lake Chiusi, Italy.

Antonio Aguti, Italy.

The Purple Heron is a migratory bird that nests in the lake basins of the Italian Peninsula and feeds mainly on fish, although it also preys on mice, snakes, toads and other creatures. In this shot, the heron caught a large Crucian Carp (Carassius carassius) and voraciously swallowed it after several attempts to turn the fish onto its side.

Sony A1 with Sony 600mm f/4 GM lens. 600mm; 1/4,000s; f/4; ISO 320.

Black and white winner

Musk Duck Biziura lobata. Perth, Australia.

Jason Moore, Australia

‘A young Musk Duck seems mesmerised by a drop of water falling from its mother’s mouth. Of course, it’s actually interested in the morsel of food that she has in her bill. Their coloration may be drab, but they more than make up for it with their beautiful expressions and fascinating displays.’

Sony A1 with Sony 600mm f/4 G lens. 600mm; 1/1,250s; f/4; ISO 1,600.

Birds in the Environment winner

Brambling Fringilla montifringilla. Lower Silesia, Poland.

Mateusz Piesiak, Poland.

‘Flooding meant that a field of sunflowers could not be harvested, and thousands of birds, including Greenfinches (Chloris chloris), Goldfinches (Carduelis carduelis) and Bramblings, flocked to it in winter.

‘Despite their colourful plumage making them easy targets, when foraging their colours blend with the surroundings, making them hard for predators to spot. Using a wide- angle lens masked with snow and dried sunflowers, I photographed a flock of Bramblings from their perspective, with one perched in front of my camera.’

Fujifilm X-T2 with Fujifilm 10–24mm f/4 lens. 10mm; 1/680s; f/11; ISO 1,600.

Birds in flight winner

Sword-billed Hummingbird Ensifera ensifera. Bogotá, Colombia.

Rafael Armada, Spain.

The Sword-billed Hummingbird, common in the Andean forests, has the world’s longest bill relative to its size. This bird’s unique bill, adapted to feed on flowers with long corollas, makes it a vital pollinator, as bees and butterflies can’t reach the nectar and so don’t pollinate these plants. This image captures the bird approaching a feeder, with natural backgrounds and lighting.

The sword-billed hummingbird has the longest beak in the world

Canon EOS R5 with Canon 600mm f/4 III lens. 600mm; 1/1,000s; f/4; ISO 5,000.

Bird portrait winner

Glistening-green Tanager Chlorochrysa phoenicotis. Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Ecuador.

Nicolas Reusens, Spain

Venturing into the tropical forest, I was excited to spot the rare Glistening-green Tanager. After hours of waiting, I saw the vivid-green bird on a perfect heart-shaped leaf. Its shimmering feathers reflected a dazzling array of colours. I captured every detail, grateful for this magical moment amid the lush jungle backdrop.

Canon EOS R7 with Tamron 100–400mm f/4.5–6.3 lens. 213mm; 1/500s; f/7.1; ISO 400.

12-14 years old winner

Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea and Common Tern Sterna hirundo. Örnsköldsvik,Sweden.

Harry Sedin, Sweden.

In a small inlet in Örnsköldsvik, there are terns everywhere during summer.So, one afternoon on an overcast day, I headed down to the water with the goal of photographing terns in flight.Instead of that, I ended up photographing an Arctic and Common Tern perched together on a railing. By utilisingthe white of their bodies, the overcast weather and the bright reflections in the water, I captured a high-key image of the two terns.

NikonCoolpix P1000. 324mm; 1/100s; f/8; ISO 200

11 and under winner

Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassinus. Pelling, Sikkim, India.

Arko Saha, India.

Pelling is one of the most beautiful hill stations in India. I observed so many birds when I visited the area. I snapped this very colourful bird in a garden near our hotel. The extremely vibrant blue colour makes this bird so beautiful.

Canon EOS 80D with Canon 100–400mm f/4.5–5.6 II lens. 400mm; 1/400s; f/5.6; ISO 500.

Conservation winner

European Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur. Southern Malta.

Ewan Heath-Flynn, United Kingdom.

‘A Maltese hunter stands proud, having legally shot a European Turtle Dove, a prized quarry on the island. European Union legislation bans the hunting of Turtle Doves in the breeding season.

‘Nevertheless, across the Mediterranean, an estimated 0.34–0.87 million are killed every year. Generations of Maltese have hunted this species on migration; a few continue to hunt and follow tradition. In 2017, Malta introduced a spring hunting moratorium, which left some hunters feeling their ‘traditional’ way of life had been spoilt.

‘Unfortunately, the ban was lifted in 2022, allowing European Turtle Doves to be killed once again. The decision has the potential to dramatically impact and further damage this beautiful bird’s chances of survival and drive it further towards extinction. BirdLife International and their partner BirdLife Malta both condemn the hunting.’

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with Canon 35mm f/2 lens. 35mm; 1/200s; f/8; ISO 800.

Bird Photographer of the Year has conservation at its heart. This year, the competition donated £5,000 to partner charity Birds on the Brink, which provides vital funding to grass-roots bird conservation projects around the world. (www.birdsonthebrink.co.uk)

All awarded images are published by William Collins in a hard-back coffee-table book, which is now available online at birdpoty.com. Foreword by wildlife cameraman and presenter Gordon Buchanan (HB, £30).

The 2024 competition is now open for entries at birdpoty.com, and invites photographers of all experience levels to submit their best bird photos.

Seeing eye to eye, Michael Eastwell, UK – conservation, silver award

Southern boobooks (Ninox boobook), the smallest Australian owl species, are often brought to veterinary hospitals after car accidents. Their large, outward- projecting eyes, which are adapted for low-light hunting, make them vulnerable to injury. In this image, Dr Luke Gregory is examining an owl named Rocket, focusing on the posterior eye, where injuries can be less visible. Location: Bonorong wildlife hospital, Brighton, Tasmania, Australia

Photograph: Michael Eastwell/Bird photographer of the year 2023