Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia is a former cathedral, mosque, and now a mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and a globally recognized symbol of architectural brilliance and cultural significance. Initially built as a church in the 6th century, it was later converted into a mosque and then a museum before being reconverted into a mosque in 2020.
The Art Dealer
Silver with Distinction for ‘The Art Dealer’ at the 2025 Australian Prize
Brooklyn Bridge
Silver Award for ‘Brooklyn Bridge’ at the 2025 Australian Prize – Architecture category
Fairy Chimneys
The Fairy Chimneys of Cappadocia, Turkey, are unique rock formations, shaped like cones or spires, created by millions of years of volcanic activity, erosion, and weathering. Formed from soft tuff (volcanic ash) deposited by ancient eruptions, these structures were sculpted by wind and rain, with harder basalt caps protecting the softer rock beneath, giving them their distinctive shapes. They range from a few meters to over 40 meters tall.
Found in the Göreme Valley and surrounding areas, these formations are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many have been carved into homes, churches, and monasteries since the Bronze Age, especially during the Byzantine period (4th–13th centuries), with intricate frescoes in places like the Göreme Open-Air Museum. The region’s surreal landscape also includes underground cities like Derinkuyu and Kaymakli, built for protection.
2025 Australian Prize
Portrait Category
Landscape Category
Architecture Category
Travel Category
Turquoise
Delighted and honoured to win the 2025 International Architecture Photographer of the Year Award for ‘Turquoise’
Have you ever craned your neck to gaze skyward and been struck by the unexpected beauty above? In the dance of architecture and the vibrant hue of turquoise, there’s a world of wonder waiting to be captured through the lens of fine art photography.
Picture this: the soaring arches of a Gothic cathedral, their intricate stonework framed against a turquoise sky at twilight. Or the sleek, modern lines of a skyscraper’s glass facade reflecting a shimmering turquoise pool below. These moments, often missed in our hurried lives, are where architecture transforms into art. Fine art photography freezes these fleeting intersections of structure and color, inviting us to pause and marvel.
Turquoise, with its calming yet vibrant energy, acts as a perfect muse. It’s the sky just after a storm, the patina on a weathered copper dome, or the bold accent in a minimalist building’s design. When photographers look up, they find this hue weaving through spires, rooftops, and open atriums, creating compositions that feel both timeless and surreal.
The surprises we uncover when looking up are endless—ornate gargoyles grinning from centuries-old buildings, geometric patterns in modern skylights, or a flock of birds slicing through a turquoise horizon. Fine art photography elevates these discoveries, turning them into stories of light, shadow, and color. Each image challenges us to see the world anew, to find beauty in the overlooked details above our heads.
So next time you’re wandering through a city or a historic site, tilt your gaze upward. Let the marriage of architecture and turquoise spark your imagination. And if you’re lucky enough to capture it through a lens, you’re not just taking a photo—you’re creating a masterpiece that celebrates the wonders above.
Yawning Camel
Built around 2630 BCE for Pharaoh Khufu, the Great Pyramid of Giza, is the largest of the three pyramids on the Giza Plateau in Egypt. Standing at 146.5 meters (481 feet) tall, it was the tallest man-made structure for over 3,800 years. Constructed with approximately 2.3 million limestone and granite blocks, each weighing 2-50 tons, it showcases remarkable engineering precision. Its alignment to true north is accurate within 3/60th of a degree, and it originally covered 13 acres at its base.
The pyramid was part of a complex including two mortuary temples, a causeway, and smaller pyramids for Khufu’s queens. Its internal structure includes the King’s Chamber, Queen’s Chamber, and a Grand Gallery, with narrow passageways and a subterranean chamber. The exact construction methods remain debated, but theories suggest ramps, levers, and a workforce of tens of thousands, likely not slaves but skilled laborers and conscripts.
It was originally clad in polished white limestone, making it gleam in the sun, though much of this casing has been removed over time. The pyramid’s purpose was primarily as a tomb, though no mummy was found, and it holds cultural and religious significance tied to Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife.
Today, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, drawing millions of visitors. Its enduring mystery fuels speculation, from precise astronomical alignments to fringe theories about lost technologies, though mainstream archaeology attributes it to the Old Kingdom’s advanced organizational and engineering capabilities.
Piazza del Campo
Piazza del Campo – Siena
It was a cold morning in Siena, Italy when we arrived at the Piazza del Campo square which is usually packed with tourists. I asked the family to stop behind me and quickly took ten photos to create this panorama. I then enhanced the contrast in the sky to bring out the clouds and to create the drama. Palio di Siena is a horse race that is held twice a year. Located in Tuscany, it is regarded as one of Europe’s greatest medieval squares. It is renowned worldwide for its beauty and architectural integrity.
Woman in Green
Highly Commended at the 2024 Australian Prize
The Train
The Train – Silver Award at the 2024 Australian Prize People category
The Art Dealer
The Art Dealer
Delighted to win a Gold award for ‘The Art Dealer’ in the Monochrome category at the North Shore National Salon of Photography🥇
It was an early morning and only a couple of hours to spare before my departure flight, but I braved all odds and seized the opportunity to explore the vibrant flea market on the outskirts of Istanbul 💯
Luck was definitely on my side when I stumbled upon this incredible man who just exuded authenticity! With such a charismatic presence and a backdrop to match, I couldn’t resist asking him to look at the camera📸 We clicked instantly and he graciously posed beside his eclectic merchandise. The connection was natural, and the moment was magical. 🔥
The genuine delight on his face when he saw the photo on the back of my camera was priceless. He requested a copy to frame and hang on his wall, proving the profound impact that a simple photograph can have in bridging cultural gaps and capturing the true essence of a moment so beautifully🖼️ I’m so grateful for this experience.
Zebra Looking Down
Zebra looking Down © Ilan Wittenberg 2019 Limited Edition of 20 + 2AP Buy Now
Finalist
Honoured and delighted to be a Finalist in the Travel category of the NZIPP 2022 Iris Awards. The winner will be announced on Monday gala dinner.
Faces of Humanity exhibition clip
Artist Statement
Waiake Beach
Ahhh, these awesome rocks and those beautiful clouds…
That’s what happens when I scout for a location with some character and drama.
looks out to the Tor, a presque-isle at the north end of the beach that becomes an island at high tide.
Presque-isle (from the French presqu’île, meaning almost island) is a geographical term denoting a piece of land which is closer to being an island than most peninsulas because of its being joined to the mainland by an extremely narrow neck of land.
Mary
Mary
Mary is 85, originally from Ireland. I chat with Mary every time we meet on my daily walks around Castor Bay. She was born in 1936 to a Catholic family of eight children (Mary was number five after four boys). Mary’s mom had to find a job when her father died and she taught orphans in a monastery. She wanted to be a teacher, but eventually found a job in a large department store in Belfast where she met Mary’s dad. Mary’s dad was an active member of the IRA (as you would) and when the conflict with the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 monarchy (God Save the Queen) ended, he became a policeman.👮♂️ “Those days women lost their jobs when they got married”. Mary wanted to become a nurse 👩⚕️ so went to England to study “it was free because the English government wanted the Irish girls to become nurses”. After getting married, Mary and her husband immigrated to New Zealand when she was 22. Knowing how to use a typewriter, Mary found a an office job when arriving to New Zealand. Five years later she had three kids who all live here. “Life was simpler then”, she says. “You would grow your own veggies in the backyard”. People need to move to the countryside. She apologised for holding the ☔ umbrella to protect from the rain.
