Geoffrey Treagus, Leah (PEOPLE 2026)

Sometimes the planets line up, with happy accidents, and the perfect mix of attitudes (in this case a good dollop of " 'tude " and a spontaneous collaborative, "Let's do this!" moment ) . This photo was taken at a social meet-up of photographers, models, and others, during an early warm evening at the center of Brisbane. A number of models and others often make a big effort in choosing what they wear during these events, whilst, I think, typically try to express a look that is not only captivating, but authentic, expressing something of their inner soul. I have not known Leah for long, but she exudes a presence that is a mix of powerful attitude, a sprinkling of grit, straight talking, elegance matched with boldness, gothy rock coolness, and style, contrasted with acceptance of others, earnestness, an openness, and the ability to be kind. I hope I've captured at least some of these aspects with this portrait, as well as the energy of the night. It was sheer chance that this moment of time happened the way it did, allowing the photo to be taken when it did, but that's at least half the fun and the wonder of taking photos. This photo was taken using a Canon M6, with a Canon 50mm EF lens, via using a Viltrox adaptor.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.