Alien landscape wins major prize

His photo titled Alien Green, taken on the rocks at Bombo, earned him the prize.

At about the same time, in August last year, he entered his imaged of star trails, titled Starry Eyed to win another competition, this one with Sigma.

“I live in Sydney now but I was visiting my parents in the Shoalhaven and got up early one morning to take photos around the coast at Bombo,” he said.

“I like to take most of my photos before sunrise.

“I tried a few things and the winning shot was taken was slightly after sunrise.

“Bombo was a good location. With the rocks and the water there is a lot of good material there to work with.

“I got quite a few good shots from that location, which isn’t always the case,” he said.

About 30 years ago Mr Campbell had a part-time job taking photos for the South Coast Register.

“Back then I was shooting black and white film and processing it at home in a makeshift garage darkroom.

“That got me into photography. Then I went to uni and didn’t really pursue it.

“Only a few years ago I bought my first digital SLR and have been getting into it since then,” he said.

Mr Campbell said one of the things he enjoyed most about photography was the solitude.

“I don’t shoot any one style but I do shoot a lot of landscapes,” he said.

“With landscape photography, particularly before sunrise, it’s a very slow contemplative process, it’s relaxing.

“I will be there for hours, it is a great way to get away from the hustle and bustle,” he said.

“I also like that photography is not static, there’s always new techniques and styles to learn,” he said.