Brody Gamble wins category in Australian Geographic Nature photographer of the Year award

A ‘perfectly executed shot’ has netted a self taught Red Centre photographer top honours in an Australia-wide photography competition. See the photo.

Brody Gamble's ’Rainbow Valley - Valley of the Stars’, which netted him top spot in the astrophotography category in the 2024 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year. Picture: Brody Gamble

A self taught Red Centre photographer – who says he only seriously got into the medium three years ago – has taken out a top spot in an Australian-wide nature photography competition with a “perfectly executed shot”, the judges say.

Alice Springs resident Brody Gamble has taken out the astrophotography category in the 2024 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year with his image “Rainbow Valley – Valley of the Stars”.

His shot “consists of 490 photos shot continuously back to back, capturing the rotation of the Earth and as a result, the movement of the stars across the night sky,” he said.

Mr Gamble walked away $1500 richer, and also got a free copy of the 2024 Nature Photographer of the Year book, which features his image.

Capturing the prize winning photo wasn’t without difficulty, Mr Gamble said.

“The final image was a culmination of a lot of planning, luck and learning,” he said.

Brody Gamble with his image ‘Rainbow Valley - Valley of the Stars’.

“The winning photo was actually my first ever attempt at this particular photography technique. It turned out great, but it definitely didn’t go smoothly.”

A self-taught photographer, Mr Gamble said he got his first camera three years ago, and decided to capture Rainbow Valley while camping for his 31st birthday.

“The image took quite a bit of planning and needed some luck with weather to make it a reality. Using apps, I checked the geographical position of Rainbow Valley with relation to the southern celestial pole,” he said.

“I had chosen that particular weekend, as it was during a new moon, meaning there was very little light pollution and more stars visible in the sky.

“I also had to check the weather regularly in the lead up as any clouds would interfere with creating a clean uninterrupted star trail.

Competition judges said the balance of the sky and foreground in Mr Gamble’s photo were both “carefully considered to create this perfectly executed shot”.