This cinematic photo of Australian drovers is honored at a major awards – and it’s a masterclass in visual storytelling

Drover smoking cigarette looking towards sunset. .

Storytelling. Storytelling. Storytelling. You always hear this in photography, but what does it actually mean? Well, just take a look at this image, which was recently selected as an honorable mention at the Australian Photography Awards 2026, and it’ll become clear.

Taken by Carly Earl, best known for being The Guardian Australia’s picture editor, every element of the composition and edit adds a chapter of the narrative, completing the story in a single frame.

The story revolves around the subject: Riley, a young drover at the end of a hard day’s work on the side of the dusty rural Roma Road in Queensland, Australia. Earl stuck to the rule of thirds and opted for an f/5.6 aperture, choosing to focus on Riley’s poignant stare as he smokes a rolled cigarette.

Riley Swanson (left) and Chico Shaw at the end of a long hot day, watching the sunset over the Roma Southern Road, in rural Queensland, moments before they locked off an electric fence and sealed in over 2000 head of cattle. The steers will sleep there overnight and be woken at dawn to start the next leg of the journey. (Image credit: Carly Earl )

Above: Honorable Mention at the 2026 Australian Photography Awards

Earl used a Canon EOS R5 paired with a Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens. She opted for 1/1000 sec at f/6.3, ISO 800.

This creates the perfect level of subject-background separation, making clear who the story is about, while leaving space in the frame to bring in wider context, like Riley’s colleague and truck, which our eyes piece together step by step.

At the same time, it leaves room for questions. While the image gave me an almost complete picture, I wanted to know exactly what these guys were working on and where they were heading seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

In fact, the picture encapsulates what the late, legendary street photographer Robert Doisneau meant when he said, “Let the person looking at the photograph go some of the way to finishing it.”

Then there’s the lighting and post-production touches that add the cinematic feel. I don’t know at what time Earl took the photo, but she chose the perfect moment. The soft, golden light illuminates Riley’s face, and Earl has effectively dodged and burned, paying particular attention to the shadows, so that our eyes are directed to Riley’s.

Carly Earl’s photo is the perfect example of visual storytelling, as every choice made added to the narrative she was trying to convey. I’m even going to go as far as saying that this is one of the best images I’ve ever seen.

You might also like…

Here’s our pick of the best cameras for portraits and also our best cameras for street photography. These rigs are perfect for crafting cinematic, documentary-style pictures like Carly Earl’s