Australia

There is a profound power in the Australian landscape. Its stark beauty, vastness and unforgiving nature is both uplifting and, at the same time, humbling. There is no easier way to be reminded of one's own mortality than to gaze out over the seemingly endless salt plains of Lake Eyre. In that instance it is the distance to the horizon that reduces a human to a mere speck, but step into a pristine and primeval rainforest setting in North Queensland and it is the span of time rather than space that overawes. Rock formations, golden beaches and endlessly shifting dunes all inspire wonder and remind us of our own fragility.

Nick Rains uses the much vaunted Australian light to full effect in his shots and at times it is the light that takes centre stage, as in his capturing of a sunset reflected in the surface of a lake. This is contemplative work and brings home to the viewer how deeply satisfying it is to immerse oneself in consideration of a landscape.