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What’s really hard to learn is - why are you taking it? What are you trying to say?
‘Bushfire photography is like being in the ocean,’ says photographer Matthew Abbott. ‘You don’t want to be where a dumper wave is cresting and breaks on your head. You’re okay further along the wave where you can float over it, and safely take a photo looking towards the barrel where the action is.
‘If a fire is pumping through, you want to know the direction it’s going and be on the side of it,’ Matthew says of his experience shooting during Australia’s devastating 2019-2020 bushfires. ‘You never want to feel out of control. It was day in and day out, high adrenaline. I’m a good driver. I’ve got a good car. I always have an exit and back-up plan.’
Matthew spent a month following the fires and documenting catastrophic stories such as homes that were lost, firefighters attempting and then syndicated around the world. And, during the recent NSW floods, Matthew’s pictures again were published worldwide.
