JULIE SPENCER, The Weightless Hour (PLACES 2026)

An in-camera multiple exposure photograph layers drifting hot air balloons with the fleeting silhouettes of birds, creating a dreamlike collision of scale and motion. The monochrome treatment sheds the distraction of vibrant balloon colours. The sky becomes a soft tonal canvas through which the birds cut through. Taken at the Canowindra Balloon Festival NSW.

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