Golden canola a gleaming photo winner (Feb 2017)

A humorous touch up with a yellow paintbrush in a field of golden canola has been selected as Australia’s best in a prestigious rural photo contest.

Multi-award winning Adelaide Advertiser photographer Tait Schmaal captured the image of a happy South Australian farmer trying to improve on Mother Nature. The Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists Rural Photography Award carries $1,000.00 prize money for the winner and entry into the World Star Prize Competition.

The world award will be decided at the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists 2017 Congress to be held in South Africa in April.

Judges said the winning Australian entry was a well-crafted image telling a great story. The photographer showed well considered composition and lighting skills. The canola photo was selected from a strong field of finalists submitted by Australia’s state-based rural press clubs.

Australia's Best: Tait Schmaal's winning photograph

The judging panel this year comprised Fiona Harding, Townsville Bulletin, Mike Dugdale, Geelong Advertiser and last year’s Australian winner Dean Martin, from the Adelaide Advertiser.

The top photos in each of three categories – people, production and nature/landscape – all go on to represent Australia in the world contest.

Tait Schmaal’s photo took out the production category before being judged overall winner. Another South Australian photographer, Jacqui Bateman from the Stock Journal, won the people category with a photo of naked shearer Daniel Telfer.

Equality in the Shearing Shed - Man and beast shed their fleeces: Jacqui Bateman's winning photo of SE shearer, Daniel Telfer

This was shot as a humorous riposte to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals which campaigns against the use of wool with nude models.

The nature/landscape category was won by Scott Radford-Chisholm from the Townsville Bulletin. A line of lambs were snapped at sunset following the property owner on Eldorado Station.

The chair of the Rural Media SA judging panel Ms. Deanna Lush joined SA ACAJ Representative and RMSA Vice President Dale Manson in congratulating the two South Australian winners Tait and Jacqui. “This is a national competition and once again South Australian rural photographers have been well recognised. It says a lot about the skills of the photographers we have in South Australia."