Bush Spirit

In this abstract series, Les Irwig’s aim is to reveal the spirit of the bush using his camera as `the pencil of nature’. Light, reflection, movement and his camera are his tools. The Australian bush is his inspiration and his sanctuary.
The abstract quality of the images is created with his camera, not by digital manipulation. In the words of Fox Talbot they are “… impressed by the agency of Light alone, without any aid whatever from the artist’s pencil. They are the sun-pictures themselves, and not, as some persons have imagined, engravings in imitation.” [The Pencil of Nature 1844].
With an $80,000 prize pool, it represents a global selection of the best work from emerging and established photographers.
The Head On Photo Festival 2025 is back this November, transforming Sydney into a photography haven with major exhibitions