NEXT GALLERY: Monochrome shortlist

Next up, check out the shortlisted images from the monochrome category in our 2016 AG Nature Photographer of the Year competition here.

Filling the Hole

At age 23, former US President Herbert Hoover managed Sons of Gwalia Mine in 1897 only a year after the mine opened. When the mine first closed, 65 years later, 2,500,000 ounces of gold was produced. Today the mine is back in operation finding payable gold and filling the hole.

Sons of Gwalia Mine, south of Leonora, Western Australia

Nikon D810A, AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED, 1/500, f/4.5, ISO 200, handheld

Salt Stacks

These man-made salt formations are a distinctive feature of the landscape. These natural wetlands have been transformed by industrial salt crystallisation pans. The repetition and bright white stacks reflecting in the afternoon sun are striking against the vibrant blue skies. Strangely beautiful and somewhat alien they illustrate man’s impact on the environment.

Dry Creek, South Australia

Canon EOS 5D Mk II, EF 70-200 mm f/2.8L USM, 1/1250, f/4.0, ISO 200, handheld

The Killing Field

Kangaroo, Macropodidae

Despite the fact that many native animals are much more active between dusk and dawn, sadly inflexible speed limits of up to 110 km/h don’t seem to take this into consideration. This kangaroo was killed and then moved off road by the truck driver who hit it. It was then moved back onto the same road nearer to the sign for effect.

Karatta, Kangaroo Island, South Australia

Nikon d750, Nikon 24-70 mm f/2.8, 27, f/14, ISO 500, UV filter, Gitzo mountaineer tripod with a Really Right Stuff ball head, bulb mode, two flashes – first flash manually fired, second flash with rear curtain

Colours of the Coast

High over Shark Bay eye-candy colours and textures change based on the depth of the water and the density of the salt contained therein. The crystallisers, pools of salt water left to evaporate, appear in shades of blue as they reflect the sky.

Shark Bay and Useless Loop, Western Australia

Canon EOS 6D, Canon 24-105 mm F./4, 1/320 , f/22, ISO 200, handheld from outside a small plane

The whale sharks of Cenderawasih Bay – Two worlds

Whale sharks, Rhincodon typus

In Cenderawasih Bay the squid fishermen are stationed for months on a rickety wooden platform a few miles from the coast. The deviation of the fish attracts whale sharks (Rhincodon typus), which seem to appreciate this unusual delicacy. Whale sharks for local people are synonymous with good luck and are treated like real puppies.

Cenderawasih Bay, Irian Jaya, Indonesia

Olympus E PL-1, Panasonic 7-14 mm f/4.0 micro four thirds, 1/20, f/16, ISO 100, 10 BAR underwater housing

The Gate Keeper

Yellow gobi, Gobiodon citrinus

Occasionally hard garbage can make a positive effect on the environment. As an underwater photographer I check all man-made items for signs of aquatic life. Bottles are very popular with yellow gobies and so much so that it’s easy to forget that they have a natural habitat!

Lembeh, Indonesia

Nikon D800, Nikkor 105mm f/2.8, 1/250, f/14, ISO 250, 2x Inon strobes, handheld, Nauticam underwater housing

Not biodegradable

This island was the site of commercial whaling activity in the early twentieth century. The decaying infrastructure left behind sits starkly against the backdrop of what is the caldera of an active volcano and is a reminder of a wasteful human industry that decimated the whale population in the surrounding ocean.

Whaler’s Bay, Deception Island, Antarctica

Canon EOS 7D Mk II, Canon EF100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, 1/500, f/5.6, ISO 200, handheld

Hooked

Grey nurse shark, Carcharias taurus

Although Australian grey nurse sharks are a protected species, illegal fishing still occurs and accidental capture, both commercially and recreationally, poses a serious threat to their survival. Despite implementation of sanctuary/habitat protection zones, many sharks are consistently caught. Some survive the injuries they sustain, but many don’t.

Montague Island, New South Wales

Nikon D810, Tokina 10-17, 1/160, f/11, ISO 320, Inon Z240 strobes, handheld