EP101 Scott Portelli | 2025 Australian Photographer of the Year

Join us for a deep dive with 2025 Australian Photographer of the Year, Scott Portelli. From 25+ Antarctic expeditions to photographing whales, sea dragons, and gorillas, Scott shares unforgettable experiences, gear advice, and environmental insights. Learn how he transitioned from advertising to a global wildlife photography career, his favorite OM System features, and why South Georgia is a photographer’s paradise.

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Scott Portelli is an international award winning wildlife, nature, aerial and underwater photographer. Scott has spent thousands of hours in remote locations across the globe filming and photographing nature, wildlife, and the underwater environment.

He was recently awarded Wildlife photographer of the year (single capture) at the Australian Photographic Prize 2024 awards and Portfolio winner at the HIPA awards in 2023. With multiple awards at the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the year in 2022 and 2016. He was also announced as the winner in the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2021 & 2024. He was awarded 1st place as part of a team representing Australia at the World Photographic Cup 2021. Also included in his accolades, he was announced winner at the GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2021/2024. Some of his more noteworthy awards include national winner of the Sony World Photography awards 2016.

His conservation documentary ‘Saving the planet, one cause at a time’ also took out two awards at the prestigious French Film Festival in Marseille 2016. And his film piece on the behavior of competitive humpback groups, ‘The Art of Capturing a Heat Run’ was highly honored at the prestigious Nature’s Best, Windland Smith Rice International Awards 2018. More recently his film “Gentle Giants” was selected for the International Ocean Film Festival in San Francisco 2020 and Ocean Film Festival Australia. His new documentary “Real Men Bottle Things Up” was awarded at the Sienna International Photography Awards 2021, selected at the Sydney Lift-Off Film Festival and the The Seattle Film Festival in 2021.

An accredited licensed RPAS/UAV/UOeC pilot, Scott has worked on aerial projects for some of Australia’s most sort out tourism destinations as well as in Antarctica, Arctic, Azores, Macquarie Island, Falkland Islands, Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island and South Pacific. Working in extreme conditions, Scott’s practices take a high quality, low impact, approach to filming wildlife in their natural environment in a non-invasive way to capture natural behaviour.

Scott runs wildlife and photography workshops, tours and lectures to show enthusiasts and experts alike the best way to get the most out of their photography. On his tours he specializes in underwater and wildlife photography bringing the best tips and techniques for photographing in challenging locations.

Links:
https://www.scottportelli.com/#4
https://www.instagram.com/scott.portelli/

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THE CAMERA LIFE - LIVE PHOTOGRAPHY PODCAST
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➡Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-camera-life/id1760304677

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