Maples near Moss vale Ed. 1 of 50

It's always a highlight to hit the highways and experience the magic of Autumn in Australia. This dazzling parade of red was photographed near Moss Vale in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales. It was early morning and while I was hoping for some fog, a regular occurrence in this part of the world during Autumn, the light was still equally beautiful. A nice even glow with a hint of filtered sunlight breaking through the clouds to create a lovely mood and give some extra warmth to this scene.

When in the landscape I'm always attracted to simplicity and geometry, and with this image I found a lovely balance. The simple lines, the shape and the colour all interact beautifully to create this pleasing composition that I strive for. I used a telephoto lens to isolate the Maple trees and remove distracting elements in the foreground.

Style is instinctive and for me photography remains a personal pursuit. I create images that please me, no longer do I look for images that I think produce works with if others resonate with a work, that is a bonus.
To that end, I felt some extra editing In Post production was required. Mindful of not over saturating the image I made some minor tonal adjustments to the Maple trees and desaturated the greens in the foreground grass. I spent a lot of time considering this workflow but to my eye I am happy with the outcome. The greens were distracting and this photograph now works better with the minimum colour palette.

The only thing I can present to the world that is distinctive to me is my own vision and the limited colours was the ideal solution on how to do this.

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About Tony Lopes Observing and interpreting life via the camera lens or the pen has been a preoccupation of visual artist Tony Lopes for more than two decades. His keen observational skills are evident whether creating his distinctive fine art landscape photographs or producing images for commercial clients or magazines. They are also the driving force behind his popular comic strip Insanity Streak, through which he has illuminated the funny side of life for more than 15 years. Born in 1975, Tony’s first experience with a camera was as an 18-year-old fine arts student, when he learnt the traditional darkroom techniques of film developing and printing. This formed the foundation of his understanding of light and composition. Tony honed his skills as a wedding photographer for leading Sydney portrait studios, Divinity and Photografos, and later started his own photographic business. Since 2007, he has photographed many of Australia’s leading visual artists for Artist Profile magazine. His passion for landscape photography gained momentum when he bought a house on the NSW South Coast. This beautiful coastal setting provides the subject matter for much of his fine art photographs, including many he supplies to one of Australia’s largest publishers and distributors of greeting cards and calendars, For Arts Sake. Tony’s passion for photography is as strong today as it was when he saw his first image come to life in the developing tray at art school. Now, however, he has embraced the possibilities of digital technology. “One of the thrills of working in photography is that each day is a new opportunity to learn,” Tony says. “I never stop trying to improve and learn as an artist. It’s a privilege to do what you love every day.” Tony is a member of the Australian Institute of Professional Photographers and is represented by For Arts Sake. You can view his work at his home gallery by appointment. “Tony produces cogent, evocative imagery that captivates and intrigues. His landscape photographs resemble distant yet familiar places, an Australia beyond our local reach.” – Kon Gouriotis, Editor, Artist Profile magazine