Chris Wright, Coal Ash Blues (AERIAL 2024)

An aerial image of the surreal colours of one of the country's largest coal ash waste sites on the NSW Central Coast. The vivid colour results from dust retardent and the leaching of toxic heavy metals and trace elements concentrated in the coal ash after disposal from the nearby coal-fired power station. These include arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium and selenium. A deceptively beautiful but destructive vista of the Anthropocene. 24 April 2023 | DJI Mavic Pro2 | f/5.6 | 1/160s | ISO100.

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