Australian iPhoneographers win international photography awards

THEY are the best iPhone photographs taken this year, captured in 139 countries, and everyday Australians claimed several of the top awards.

Sydney-based professional photographer Nicky Ryan captured this award-winning sunset shot for the 2016 iPhone Photography Awards.

AUSTRALIANS are among the world’s best ‘iPhoneographers,’ with three Aussies claiming awards in an international competition exclusively for people using Apple iPhones.

The ninth annual iPhone Photography Awards received entries from 139 countries this year in 18 categories including animals, landscapes, and travel.

Chinese photographer Siyuan Niu claimed the contest’s top prize for his portrait of a mountain man and his eagle, but Australians claimed first place in three categories, including sunset photographs and panoramas.

Glenn Homann, from Springfield Lakes in Queensland, said he ventured to nearby Ripley on the “coldest morning of the year” to take his winning photograph, which was cloaked in fog.

Queensland photography enthusiast Glenn Homann's award-winning panorama shot from the 2016 iPhone Photography Awards.

The storeman said photography had become his creative outlet, and the camera in his Apple phone had made it accessible.

“I’ve always had an interest in photography but it’s a fairly expensive hobby if you want to do it properly so I just waited for something to come along that suited,” he said.

“When the iPhone came along, it just felt really natural to use it.”

While Mr Homann said he used tweaks within the smartphone camera app to change its exposure, and apps like Snapseed for minor editing, using a smartphone to take photographs was no less valid than using a digital SLR camera.

“It’s about getting in front of interesting things,” he said. “The camera is not going to make that happen.”

Australian photographer Kevin Casey's award-winning shot of drivers in Botany Bay from the 2016 iPhone Photography Awards.

Sydney-based freelancer photographer Nicky Ryan said she used Canon photographic equipment in her day job, but an iPhone to take photographs in her down time.

“I’m always out walking and exercising so it’s too clunky to take a big camera with me and the iPhone just sits in my pocket,” she said. “It’s a lot of freedom for me to use the iPhone.”

Ms Ryan said she captured her award-winning sunset photograph on a walk through Sydney’s Bronte Beach to admire the swimmers brave enough to swim in the ocean as the sun rose.

Kevin Casey, 60, from Sydney, also claimed a first-place prize for his black-and-white image of sea divers in Botany Bay.

Apple launched its first iPhone in Australia on this date eight years ago although that phone, the iPhone 3G, only featured a fixed focus, 2-megapixel camera, as opposed to the advanced 12-megapixel camera it featured today.

The phone has become the world’s most popular camera, according to photo-sharing site Flickr, taking out four of its top five rankings.