Michael Mclean, Celluloid Dreams (SHOT ON FILM 2026)

Shot in the Macedon Ranges, on a morning wrapped in thick fog, this fallen tree felt less like debris and more like a presence. Its twisted roots claw and distort through the frame, in tension with the otherwise soft, surreal calm of the forest. It was completely still and silent enough that it felt peaceful, but uneasy. The fog was so dense it felt possible to disappear if you wandered too far without paying attention, the forrest could quietly swallow you whole. That tension between calm and quiet danger is what held me there. Shooting on Ilford Pan F Plus 50 in 120. The fog was so thick visibility was too low most of the morning, with tiny periods where the wind would gently move the fog through and reveal and scene. For this image the fog lifted momentarily, and pressing the shutter felt like capturing something fleeting and quietly special before it dissolved back into the forest.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.