2024 photographers

Cover: Ice crystals at Nursery Creek, Namadgi National Park, Australian Capital Territory – Ralph Whitten

To capture a beautiful ice image, you have to endure cold. Ralph says, 'It was sunny all day, so that's how cold it was – those ice crystals stayed there all day without melting.’

January: Sunset at Busselton Jetty, Geographe Bay, Western Australia – Sarah Donnelly

Sarah had never seen anything like this before – hundreds of tiny cloudlets in a vividly coloured sky. Acting quickly, she used her smartphone to capture this spectacular sight.

February: Morning fog as seen from the QV1 building in Melbourne, Victoria – Jason Garbutt

Jason didn't have to travel far to find this study in fog, sunshine and cityscape. He watched the fog rolling through from the balcony of his apartment.

March: Aurora australis at Mawson Station, Antarctica – Albert Petersen

Based in Antarctica working for the Bureau, Albert had a ringside seat for auroras. He braved a cool minus 20 °C for this one – a sight he describes as 'Amazing…like magic'.

April: Lightning strike, Port Macquarie, New South Wales – Ivan Sajko

As Ivan says, this impressive image has it all. ‘You've got the clouds, the massive rain dumps, surfers, people walking on the sand, and then to top it off, you've got the lightning bolt.’

May: Willy-willy in Flora Valley, Western Australia – Donal Sullivan

Amid this fire there were dozens of willy-willies but Donal captured one of the best. A helicopter pilot, she snapped this striking shot between flights as she helped with the fire-fighting effort.

June: Double rainbow at Beachmere boat ramp, Beachmere, Queensland – Jessica Culley

Eight years after getting into photography, Jessica's favourite part is still her drone's viewpoints. She said this scene didn't look like much from the ground, but from up in the clouds it was beautiful.

July: Sunset from the Du Cane range, Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park, Tasmania – Nick Fitzgerald

Nick's a field ecologist and keen bushwalker. Camped on top of one of the highest mountains in Tasmania he said this was 'certainly one of the most spectacular sunsets I've seen'.

August: Flooded Channel Country on Ourdel Station, Windorah, Queensland – Helen Commens

Helen took this photo of floodwater bringing new life to her cattle property from a mustering helicopter. She says, 'It's an amazing sight to see water come down the river'.

September: Brighton Jetty, Adelaide, South Australia – Steven Genesin

The forecast of an unusual summer storm sent Steven to the beach in the hope of a lightning show. This is his favourite shot from the night, with 'lightning streaking across...a very ominous sky'.

October: Thunderstorm cloud, Knuckey Lagoons, Northern Territory – Damon Wagland

After a serious accident, Damon used photography to help him recover. Now an intrepid storm chaser, his passion led him to this 'knock 'em down' storm.

November: Early morning sun over a roll cloud at Snapper Rocks, Coolangatta, Queensland – Paul O’Connell

Standing waist deep in the sea, Paul was photographing light on the waves when he had to quickly refocus. He said 'This roll cloud came out of nowhere...within 5 minutes it was above me'.

December:Dew droplets on a grass stalk, Nandewar Range, New South Wales – Michael Dahlem