Play of light

In selecting photos for the 2016 Calendar and Diary, the OUTBACK team had the unique qualities of Australia’s light in mind. “The play of light on a landscape is such an ephemeral thing,” says Editor-in-Chief Mark Muller. “It takes a rare combination of skill, timing, patience and luck – and a good eye – to be able to capture it in a photograph.” Scott Leggo was on his first trip to Kakadu National Park, in the Northern Territory, when he took the photo that accompanies OUTBACK calendar’s month of May. “The scene was set off by the stunning light that this region is known for, and was made all the more impressive by smoke from seasonal burn-offs,” Scott says. Robert Lang, whose South Australian Eyre Peninsula seascape features as the calendar’s January image, was not anticipating a vibrant sunset as he waited to see if the sun would emerge from heavy cloud. “Suddenly I noticed the sun break through and I had just a few seconds to take a shot before it slipped behind another bank of cloud, taking with it the last light of the day,” Robert says. OUTBACK’s art director Peter Pap was exploring the gorges of the West MacDonnell Ranges, NT, when he found himself in Standley Chasm at exactly the right time to show it at its best. “It was midday, and shafts of light beamed down the walls of the chasm, lighting it a brilliant orange,” he says. His photo is one of 63 images of the landscapes, animals, plants and people of the outback featured in the 2016 Diary. All of the photos featured in this photo essay are included in the 2016 Calendar or Diary, which are available individually or as part of our popular Christmas pack. They make idea gifts for family and friends who share a love of the Australian outback.