Sydney photographers wins Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition

28 August 2021

Sydney-based underwater and nature photographer Scott Portelli has taken out top honours in the 2021 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition with his image of a leafy seadragon (Phycodurus eques) camouflaged in the shallow reefs of the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia. The image, Leafy Night, was captured in March 2020, shortly after the announcement of COVID-19 restrictions impacted his year-long journey around Australia, leaving him stuck in a small campground in the Fleurieu Peninsula. Portelli says that it “ended up being a blessing in disguise” as he was able to dive regularly and become familiar with the terrain.

© Scott Portelli. Leafy night. Overall winner - Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2021. Leafy seadragons hide in the thick kelp to camouflage themselves to avoid predators. The vibrant flamboyant adults blend perfectly with their surroundings. At night the backlighting on a leafy seadragon accentuates their features and the delicate bodies that appear translucent. — © Scott Portelli. *Leafy night.* Overall winner - Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2021. Leafy seadragons hide in the thick kelp to camouflage themselves to avoid predators. The vibrant flamboyant adults blend perfectly with their surroundings. At night the backlighting on a leafy seadragon accentuates their features and the delicate bodies that appear translucent.

Portelli, who’s been a photographer for over 20 years, said that he became acquainted with the resident dragons of Second Valley, and that’s how he managed to get the shot. “After several encounters with one particular seadragon, it appeared to become unperturbed by my presence and I was able to compose a shot that tightly captured its eyes, features, and appendages front on,” Portelli said.

As Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year, Portelli receives a cash prize of $10,000 and a Coral Expeditions holiday. He says that taking out the top prize is a highlight of this his photographic career, and one of his proudest moments. This year, the competition received a total of 2,206 images entered.

The 2021 competition judges included Narelle Autio (international award-winning outback and coastal photographer), Trent Parke (internationally acclaimed photographer and the first Australian member of the prestigious Magnum photographic agency), and Stavros Pippos (celebrated South Australian landscape photographer). About the winning image, the judges stated: “The backlighting has transformed the seadragon from a tiny sea creature into the illusion of a mythical beast. Beautifully framed, the dragon emerges from the darkness, glowing with a sense of fire within.”

Chrissie Goldrick, Editor-in-Chief, Australian Geographic said: “The restrictions experienced by us all in the lead up to the competition haven’t impacted the quality and breadth of the photography on display in this year’s exhibition. In fact, the winning photo came about as result of the pandemic, so the photographers have shown great resourcefulness, and their photos once again demonstrate the raw beauty and power of the natural history of our biogeographic region.”

Competition winners and runners-up

Animal Portrait

Winner: A White-capped at Sunset, Doug Gimesy (VIC)

Runner-up: Howling at the Moon, Mike George (NSW)

© Douglas Gimesy. A white-capped at sunset. Animal Portrait - Winner. White-capped mollymawks aka white-capped albatrosses, mainly eat squid, fish, krill, salps, and offal from the ocean surface. They rarely dive for food. Their largest threat is now longline and trawl fishing, especially in the seas off southern Africa. Please eat less fish and buy only MSC certified produce. — © Douglas Gimesy. *A white-capped at sunset.* Animal Portrait - Winner. "White-capped mollymawks aka white-capped albatrosses, mainly eat squid, fish, krill, salps, and offal from the ocean surface. They rarely dive for food. Their largest threat is now longline and trawl fishing, especially in the seas off southern Africa. Please eat less fish and buy only MSC certified produce."

Animal Behaviour

Winner: Next Generation, Tammy Gibbs (WA)

Runner-up: Dreaming, Franco Tulli (Italy)

© Tammy Gibbs. Next generation. Animal Behaviour - Winner. "I’ve spent many hours underwater at night photographing our West Australian seahorses giving birth. It’s the male seahorses that ‘get pregnant’ and brood the babies in their pouch. Photographing them having their babies takes lots of patience, persistence, good timing and a hint of luck."

Animal Habitat

Winner:A Tree Dreaming, Christian Spencer (VIC)

Runner-up: Stilted Reflections, Georgina Steytler (WA)

© Christian Spencer. A Tree Dreaming. Animal Habitat - Winner. In the Strzelecki Desert of Australia,
a flock of galahs replenish on the only water available at the base of this lonely tree. It’s a rare photo opportunity to get such a clear and symmetrical shot of these beautiful birds in flight, in the middle of the desert. — © Christian Spencer. *A Tree Dreaming.* Animal Habitat - Winner. In the Strzelecki Desert of Australia, a flock of galahs replenish on the only water available at the base of this lonely tree. It’s a rare photo opportunity to get such a clear and symmetrical shot of these beautiful birds in flight, in the middle of the desert.

Botanical

Winner: Ghost Mushrooms, Callie Chee (NSW)

Runner-up: Swamp Secrets, Paula McManus (SA)

© Callie Chee. Ghost Mushrooms. Botanical - Winner. Nicknamed ‘ghost mushrooms’ due to their eerie glow, this fungi is only found in certain forests in Australia. They glow for only a few weeks in a year and are therefore quite hard to find and photograph. — © Callie Chee. *Ghost Mushrooms*. Botanical - Winner. Nicknamed ‘ghost mushrooms’ due to their eerie glow, this fungi is only found in certain forests in Australia. They glow for only a few weeks in a year and are therefore quite hard to find and photograph.

Landscape

Winner: Forest of Reflection, Hayden Cannon (WA)

Runner-up: Beneath the Surface, Ashlee Karas (WA)

© Hayden Cann. Forest of Reflection. Landscape - Winner. "A beautiful scene I came across one afternoon whilst scoping out a site for a photo shoot. I saw these paperbarks in the water creating stunning reflections, with some golden light emphasising the trees. I changed to my wide angle lens and took a few snaps before the -light faded."

Monochrome

Winner: Incoming, Jeff Freestone (VIC)

Runner-up: King of the Cape, Matt Wright (QLD)

© Jeff Freestone. Incoming. Monochrome - Winner. Captured in Omeo, Victoria, looking out towards Ensay as the 2019–20 fires in east Gippsland began to develop. The rising smoke cloud symbolised the impending doom these fires were to bring and the havoc they would cause as they ravaged this beautiful region.

Junior (photographers under 18 years of age)

Winner: You Can’t See Me, Georgia McGregor (QLD)

Runner-up: Cockatoo, Aidan Cimarosti (NSW)

© Georgia McGregor. You Can’t See Me. Junior - Winner. "I spotted this lichen huntsman waiting in ambush, perfectly camouflaged on a tree trunk near our campsite in the Daintree National Park. This spider, native to north Queensland, is one of the fastest moving of all known spiders, but harmless to humans."

Our Impact (depicting human impact on nature)

Winner: Bound, jammed inside, and posted, Doug Gimesy (VIC)

Runner-up: Single-use Drifter, Justin Gilligan, (NSW)

© Doug Gimesy. Bound, jammed inside, and posted. Our Impact - Winner. A wildlife officer measures one of two blue-tongued lizards found bound and stuffed inside a DVD player. Posted to Asia, it was detected at a Melbourne postage sorting facility. Luckily, both were still alive. Wildlife smuggling is so brutally cruel, with many not surviving their long trip.

Threatened Species (threatened, rare, vulnerable or endangered species)

Winner: Declining Species, Scott Portelli (NSW)

Runner-up: In the Shadows, Tom Svensson, Sweden

© Scott Portelli. Declining species. Threatened Species - Winner. Populations of grey nurse sharks along the Australian coast are under threat and have suffered a decline over recent years. Current threats to the species are believed to be incidental catch from commercial fisheries, recreational fishing and, to a lesser extent, shark net programs run in New South Wales and Queensland. — © Scott Portelli. *Declining species*. Threatened Species - Winner. Populations of grey nurse sharks along the Australian coast are under threat and have suffered a decline over recent years. Current threats to the species are believed to be incidental catch from commercial fisheries, recreational fishing and, to a lesser extent, shark net programs run in New South Wales and Queensland.

Portfolio Prize (best portfolio of six or more images

Tim Wrate (NSW)

© Tim Wrate. Balance. Portfolio - Winner. Low tide exposes the seabed and rock shelf of Bynoe Harbour. The patterns created by the receding water are really intriguing and the warmth in the bottom left balances the cool of the top right perfectly, giving the image a sense of rhythm. — © Tim Wrate. *Balance*. Portfolio - Winner. Low tide exposes the seabed and rock shelf of Bynoe Harbour. The patterns created by the receding water are really intriguing and the warmth in the bottom left balances the cool of the top right perfectly, giving the image a sense of rhythm.

An exhibition of all the finalists will be on display at the South Australian Museum from 27 August to 31 October. The Australian Museum in Sydney will also host the exhibition from October 2021 until January 2022.

Head to the South Australian Museum website to check out the entire gallery.

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