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Upward (Stairs at night) by Tony Harding

Stairs are a mundane, and a not uncommon occurrence in our day-to-day life. Yet they can imbue symbolic meaning beyond their simple geometric structure. They reflect cohesion, psychological groundedness and a means of moving upwards (in life).

Judges comments: On a dark night in the city and I head towards the stairs ... They are illuminated and it's easy to see where to step. It's such an everyday scenario - so banal that we wouldn't normally notice anything beyond the functionality of the steps and their illumination. Step into this space with a photographer's eye and it becomes a visually powerful subject highlighted by the theatrical lighting we would normally associate with film noir movies,

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The Handrail by Diana Close

On sunny days this internal staircase and railing catch the ambient light making interesting shadows.

Judges comments: The photographer has created a beautiful image from a simple group of shapes by capturing the refracted light as it forms rainbows. The image is well seen and designed to create an image that transforms an everyday object of a handrail into a poem of light and line.

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Urban Mundanity (Houses on hill) by Heather Prince

I love architecture and admire the innovative architects past and present. When I see the soulless, uniformity of today's architects in urban developments, I shed tears. 'Let's house the people cheaply and quickly' has resulted in an assembly line of mediocre and mundane structures in a soul-less neighbourhood.

Judges comments: If you live in the hilly suburbs this view may exist out of any window. You live with and in this physical landscape and you would not see it as being anything special. the photographer in making this image has dispensed with the colour of the reality seen and flattened the perspective with a telephoto lens - this enhances the visual impact and the comment they make about the urban spaces where people 'live'.

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The Window Curtain by Diana Close

This window curtain is in one of the Iron Houses which were used in the 1850s Gold Rush. The imported, prefabricated house, now situated in Coventry Street, South Melbourne reflects the era and the current dilapidated state of the building today.

Judges' comments: The everyday contains for us masses of visual information that we interpret in ways that enable us to negotiate life. These may include a glass to drink water from, a puddle of water on a footpath, a STOP sign at an intersection. So long as we can find the glass to drink, can step around the puddle and don't step out without looking onto a busy road, our ability to see, interpret and respond have worked well. But then again in this everyday, there are small moments of visual poetry such as the beauty of light on this window's curtains and pegs.

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Behind the Scenes (broom against wall) by Gail Goodair

We all like to present our best self to the world. Building owners and occupiers present the front of their premises to give the best possible impression of their services to customers and passers-by. A walk along the laneways behind buildings may give a different picture, with garbage bins, cleaning gear and discards often stored at the back of the building. It was a surprise to find such a tidy, uncluttered and even colour co-ordinated scene.

Judges comments: This photograph is an exercise in the documentation of the outright dull, boring and prosaic everyday. Just who would photograph that...? An essentially monochrome image except for the green accent of the broom, this photograph creates a challenge for the viewer to peruse and interpret. The wall vertically and horizontally bisected by edges and lines like the abstract paintings of Piet Mondrian.

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PEERING IN (the yellow umbrella) by Sue Martin

The woman looks in the window of Glennifer Brae, curious to see what's inside this beautiful historic house. The stained glass window is dark with reflections of the wet cold day outside, so she leans forward with her umbrella to peer inside. The simple act of moving closer, makes her become a participant in the scene and not just an observer. Her cheery yellow umbrella is reflected in the window while her face is reflected in the mirror inside the room.

This image is embedded in the everyday: a rainy day with a yellow umbrella. It is transformed by the photographer's eye capturing the reflection and repetition of the yellow as the design feature. A moment when mundane things seen come together and resonate through the image.

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Mundane by day, interesting at night by Brian Rope

A set of stairs, a path, a stop sign, a leafless tree. All of no special interest - indeed mundane. But, at night, the lighting draws attention to these details, creating a sense of mystery. What is at the top of the steps? What is around the corner at the end of the path? Why is there a stop sign just there? No longer mundane?

Judges' Comments: Either day or night, many would normally overlook this place, as it is an everyday view. The photographer here understands the skills required to capture the mystique and mood of the night imbuing the image with a filmic character.

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL PRINT by Kunobert Schmidt

When we click on PRINT on our computer, we expect the printer to react and print our chosen document - without fail. Usually this is the case, however there are times when this does not occur. And that usually is an ink problem.

1. We usually let the ink levels get too low before changing cartridges resulting in a page with missing print, or worse, blank paper.

2. Ignoring the printer warnings, running out of ink without backup cartridges while the document is required immediately.

This scenario prompted the photo after changing cartridges.

AROUND THE CHICKEN COOP by Susan Henderson

A little girl feeds the chickens whilst another child looks on. The young women chat, a scene we have all witnessed at some stage, here or in another domestic setting.

BIG BROTHER by Marnie Haig-Muir

Perched high on the front wall of a cinema the omniscient camera monitors the street below, Despite contemporary society's obsession with 'privacy', the 21st century could well be dubbed 'The Age of Surveillance'. Insidiously proliferating cameras, ID checks, PINs, passwords, security barriers, computerised data bases, and a multiplicity of other digital and other tracking continues unabated. As George Orwell foreshadowed in 1984, 'Big Brother is watching you'. Why? What happens to all that data? Who or what controls it? While knowledge is often said to be power, has the hallowed concept of privacy now become an illusion?

CHAOS by David Raff

Backyards often appear to be invisible to the owner, but may present an interesting view to a new set of eyes. This backyard was on a property adjacent to a weekend holiday stay. I felt I had to make an image of the amazing scene of utter chaos created by years of neglect. The only ordered component of the image is the rabbit!

DISCARDED by Tony Harding

The mundane can be plain - though a representation of broader reality. Many of us will see rubbish discarded on the ground. And simply observe it ... or not even notice it. To our detriment. And life.

DURING THE DELUGE by Barbara Bryan

Having put up with many months of soggy ground from the relentless rainfall, I left all our outside footwear on the veranda, as we had to go in and out so often! This was a typical daily scene for many months (and there were other umbrellas about too)!

FINDING A WAY by Richard Oborn

A weed growing in a slot of space along the edge of a grating. Not enough to even give reason to pause. How many weeds, how many slots? are passed by every day? Barely enough to draw the attention of busy maintenance staff. This lacks both interest and any excitement. At best it is a minor bother. But there is something profound happening here. This is life finding an opening and attempting to become more than it is just now. A weed, a minor growth it might be, but is observable and emblematic of the processes that underpin our existence. More than that, it is doing something with means that the so-called advanced forms of life (like us) do not possess. So, humble though this might be, this mundane sight is worthy of both our attention and respect.

GARBAGE RUBIC CUBE by Sue Curtis

An increased consciousness towards directing waste to different reuse outcomes leaves us with a responsibility to decide how to manage this waste. The simple process of waste has now become a complex puzzle of how to separate materials. A waste rubric with many decisions to face before we can claim a win.

GARLIC by Amanda Luker

The everyday task of gardening can be tedious and gruelling.

However, for some the hard work can bring an abundant reward.

I HAVE A SAYING, MORE PEOPLE ARE EXCITED BY THE PROVOCATIVE THAN ARE COMFORTED BY THE MUNDANE by Roger Skinner

I have a saying, more people are excited by the provocative than are comforted by the mundane.

LAST LEAF by Morag Lokan

The Last Leaf

Autumn comes   leaves change colour.   For a short while   we stop and admire.

How soon things change.

Leaves fall   they no longer bring joy.   Piles of dead leaves   a problem to solve.

But wait.   Look up.   On branches bare   a few hardy leaves remain.

They stand out   up there   all alone.

They battle hard   to stay on that tree   hoping to avoid   the fall to the ground.

They are not perfect   yet they attract attention.

Stop a while   look and see.   There is beauty to be found.

MORNING COFFEE by Sue Martin

The cup of coffee holds the emotions of calm and peace as the young woman sits on the headland looking out to sea in the early morning light. She has probably done this many times but you can see by her face and body that this is not just another cup of coffee but this morning's cup of coffee.

MUSA MANDALA by Andia Cally

Bananas, (Musa genus) are a popular perennial fruit, available fresh year-round, making them one of the most consumed fruits globally. The plant is known for its culinary, curative, health and nutritional benefits, rather than its beauty. We often look at nature in terms of what it can give us, rather than something miraculous and beautiful. 

After harvesting bananas it's necessary to cut their stem to promote growth. Once cut, this subtropical staple reveals a beautiful mandala, created by overlapping leaves around the central stem, proving the divine is in the detail, especially where nature is concerned.

NUMBER 8 by Jan Harrison

 Can Mundane be beautiful?

There are numbers everywhere, in all shapes and sizes. They tell us our address; they help identify who we are. Numbers are a part of our lives in many useful ways.

The word Mundane can have a connation od something being boring.

However, the description of the word Mundane could include comfort, comfort in knowing that numbers with their practical use can make life easier.

Our ability to stylise numbers can show the character, history, and inner beauty of a place.

So, the mundane can be beautiful.

OLD BEACH SHACK by Susan Henderson

Facing the ocean, atop a hill, was a 60s style shack.

Once maybe a couple's pride and joy.

Now, worn down, the paint peeled to bare bones.

Sandbags anchoring the roof.

But still somewhere to sit to take in the seasons, the sky and the sea.

ORNATE UMBILICAL by Anida Cally

Perfectly packaged and packed with vitamins and antioxidants, bananas are a fruit bowl favourite in most homes. Bananas are typically known for their culinary versatility, every part of the fruit is edible, as well as their curative effects, assisting with a wide range of conditions, including diabetes, heart disease and digestive health, among others.

Those with an eye for detail will appreciate the amazing intricacy of the peduncle (the thinner stem that holds the fruit and the flower) which has male and female aspects that support the fruit. The nodes or scars on this stem resemble an ornate umbilical cord.

OVERLOOKED by Morag Lokan

Overlooked

Dead tree trunk   alone   covered in moss   adorned by fishing line.

Old and tired   past its best   overlooked.

Don't dismiss   and walk past.   Stop a while.

While imperfect   this trunk stands tall.   It is strong   resilient   It has a certain beauty.

Give it close attention   it has a story to tell.

Let your mind run.

Admire it for what it is   wonder what it was   imagine what it will become   Ask yourself why.

I leave with questions.

PASCALE by Jan Harrison

Every day I look at him. He is the picture of relaxation. Something I aspire to. For Pascale it is a normal, everyday event. It might be mundane for him; however, he lifts my spirits every time I look at him.

PAUSING TO SEE THE DETAILS by Suzanne Curtis

An everyday walk past a street facade appears bland, merging into a sphere of uninteresting and mundane. Until we stop to pause and look; we see something different - colour, symmetry, connecting a building to the street. It was always there - waiting to be noticed.

PLASTIC RIVER by Helen Warnod

Some things we see in our daily life become things we no longer see. Often, they are, in essence, the very things we should see and respond to.

This image is a 'snapshot' of my current reality, taken in a suburban natural biosphere corridor.

PLASTIC STREET by Helen Warnod

Most local walks result in seeing and collecting plastic bottles as some with labels still attached can be recycled for cash. This is but one of hundreds of pickups done in the past six years along my local creek valley precinct.

PLASTIC TRASH YET AGAIN by Barbara Bryan

Most local walks result in seeing and collecting plastic bottles as some with labels still attached can at least be recycled for cash. This is but one of hundreds of pickups done in the past six years along my local creek valley precinct.

PUMPED: PETROL/DIESEL by Marnie Haig-Muir

Mundane, necessary, expensive and vulnerable to local and global economic constraints unless or until fossil fuels have viable substitutes.

SAME OLD, SAME OLD by Heather Prince

That's how I feel when I go to the supermarket. Total lack of inspiration for what I will cook tonight. My enthusiasm for cooking disappeared years ago and I have sunk to the depths of mundane meals.

SHOPPING TRIP by Helen Carpenter

Life goes on - too many a mundane trip to the shopping centre for groceries or a new outfit is an everyday occurrence, to a country kid from a remote area it means excitement - an eye opening adventure of sights, sounds and smells.

STAND ALONE - CONNECTED by John Spicer

 Power Poles, the distribution of Electrical Energy, how many do we see along our streets and around our neighbourhoods. Sometimes our only attention to them is if someone has had a misfortunate collision with one!

Here, isolated by Fog showing a single pole.

STAND ALONE - NOTICED by John Spicer

We accept the Autumn fall of deciduous leaves, they pile up against walls and fences, and fill gutters. In wooded areas children love to throw and kick the ankle deep carpet of leaf litter. 

Eucalypts will also drop their leaves. Here on a frosty morning one such leaf has fallen, not flat but held upright by blades of grass.

Touched only by the breeze, frost and warmth of the early morning sun.

STEPS by Mary Viney

Steps are necessary and an important part of our world, yet they rarely draw our attention as we go about our daily lives. We walk up and down, we enter or we exit, we sometimes fall down, slip on or sit on.

They are just there. They are trodden on by very large or very tiny feet. Boots, sometimes muddy, shoes of all colours and sizes, sneakers, slippers and thongs. Mums and dads, children and visitors. Without steps, many places would be inaccessible.

Even the fittest and most agile people need to use these physical steps at some point in their lives. In everything we do, we use the concept of steps - example, Take one at a time.

SWEETENER by Amanda Luker

The ritual of boiling the morning for the morning coffee is unremarkable. Sugar is not good for you but it's the sweetener to complete the mundane chore.

THE GARBAGE BIN by Mary Viney

A common sight along the streets and in our back yards are these often different coloured plastic bins. In the past they were only used to take away our waste and rubbish. Today they are still extremely essential to our human survival because they are now also used to collect things suitable to be recycled which reduces the amount of rubbish going to landfill.

THE JOINT by Richard Oborn

Anything that stands connected with something else must be joined in some way. In such a multitude this is such a universal and common place occurrence that it is assumed, and in this acceptance, slips below our consciousness. Having the simplicity and public obviousness of the joining illustrated is a case in point. To this extent it lacks interest and excitement to the point of dullness. Until, of course, when that joining fails when it is meant to hold. In this way the mundane needs, and verily should have, the attention and elevation that is the profundity I assume to be behind this well-considered exercise.

THE PAINTER/PAINTING by Helen Carpenter

Giving a room a fresh coat of paint.

A time of reflection and renewal.

THE SIGN! by David Raff

Whilst exploring an outback mining town, almost a ghost town with a population of four, I came across this signpost. Normally signs are taken for granted, but I thought this example provided an interesting juxtaposition of concepts.

THROUGH THE BATHROOM WINDOW - by Tracy Lees 

Sunshine was stroking my face in the midst of a long dark winter as I walked into my bathroom. The glow of suffused light was caught gently in the reflection of the shower splashback. I grabbed my camera...

TRANSIENT STORIES by Gail Goodair

Wandering along the beach during low tide one can find tracks and shapes in the sand creating stories about the variety of visitors and their activities. The next incoming tide erases all record of such marks and leaves a clean slate for new stories to be written over the next low tide.

TROUBLE CLIFF by Roger Skinner

Yes the unending monotony of it all, even that garden hose is lulled to frozen slumber.

WEEPING ANGELS by Tracy Lees

The mundane tells us about ourselves. The banality of the everyday. Walking past someone's backyard one sees the detritus of life. Yet individuality is displayed amongst rubbish and poorly hung curtains. Weeping angels, broken yet saved. Weeping angels guarding the courtyard.

WHEELIE BINS, WASHING MACHINES, FRIDGES, FREEZERS & WATER BOTTLES by Brian Rope

There are many household items we need to have but which are mundane. They lack interest, do not excite us, are humdrum. When many of them are lined up outside just one home, are they less dull, more interesting, less boring, more extraordinary? Or do they simply remain mundane?

WOOLWORTHS - THE REJECT SHOP by Kunobert Schmidt

Two businesses advertising their presence on an outside supermarket wall.

It looks quite innocent to the average person, however, when reading the two together, it gives the observer the impression that WOOLWORTHS is a "Reject Shop". The absence of other business names enhances this and is emphasized by the close proximity of the two signs.