Around the world in 80 Lumias: Australia

Barry Gibb, of rock legends the Bee Gees, said of his adopted country “Leaving Australia was the hardest thing I have ever done.”

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting Down Under you’ll understand why. If not then our latest stop over on our photographic world tour will give you a stunning insight. Since launching Around the world in 80 Lumias we’ve seen the world through the eyes of some of best Nokia Lumia photographers around. France’s Olivier Wong-Man-Kan, Denmark’s Morten Nordstrøm and Northern Ireland’s Patrick Walsh have all shared their view of their countries. Now we have the pleasure of hosting Nokia Lumia 1020 maestro, Matt Glastonbury.

So, Matt, how did you get into photography?

My father was a photographer in my early years so perhaps that’s where some of the influence came from. Then later I studied film photography as a subject in graphic design school in the late 90s. I have always loved taking photos and learning about light and composition all my life. Ultimately I was quite lazy so anything I can do to create a work of art without having to illustrate for days was a real buzz for me.

I always like capturing with any camera and love a challenge of making something special with whatever tools you have on-hand. It wasn’t until I found Google Plus and Instagram a couple of years ago that I discovered intriguing styles of photography through using my phone. The challenges that Mobile Photography posed have heavily influenced me today in ways I never expected, so I’m now enjoying fusing SLR and Mobile styles both my Nokia and Nikon cameras.

What do you like best about your Nokia Lumia 1020?

The freedom to create and compose the shots in the way I’ve wanted them to be created on a mobile device for many years. I have waited for manual controls through five iterations of the iPhone, only to find out from testers that have been asking for manual controls that there is never going to be any access to manual ISO, shutter speeds or focus. When I saw the 1020 had exactly what I’ve been waiting so long for, I set my goals on obtaining one. Since running the Lumia as my main camera for Instagram I’ve been really impressed with the quality which has helped me take my mobile shooting to a new level. I’m super excited to be shooting in RAW soon and looking forward to the enhancements to software that 2014 will bring.

Where in Australia do you like to shoot photos most and why?

I love to shoot anywhere in Australia, I’m always looking for variety, but I’m particularly in love with the randomness of light on water and what you can create with all the reflections. I also love to capture the beauty I see in nature like, beaches, waterfalls, plants, animals, atmosphere, mountains and water.. did I mention water? Australia has incredibly contrasting landscapes and areas that can be vastly different from each other and it’s that uniqueness that I enjoy and therefore love capturing and sharing on social platforms.

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We think all these shots are stunning, but which are you most impressed by? Let us know in the comments down under.