Matt Palmer needs little introduction around the NZIPP community, but his latest accomplishment is a big one. Having won top honour of the 2026 Australian Professional Photographer of the Year, Matt continues to raise the bar for visual storytelling across Australia and New Zealand. We chatted to Matt about the moment his name was called on stage, how bouncing between the Aussie and Kiwi photography scenes shapes his work and how he recharges his batteries when there are no deadlines in sight…

Tell us about yourself….

Matt: I run a landscape photography gallery with my wife Mieke Boynton in Bright, Victoria which is at the base of the Australian Alps. Photography is life, but music and animals work their way into that equation somewhere too.

Wining 2026 Australian Professional Photographer of the year is an extraordinary milestone. When your name was announced as the overall winner, what was that moment like for you after all of the work spent on your entries?

Matt: It was quite shocking to even be a finalist. I was lucky enough to win Australian Photographer of the Year in Australia – with no gold awards. Entering the NZIPP IRIS Awards since 2020 I never thought I’d come anywhere near the overall finalist positions because of the need for very high scores to even be in the running. This year I was hoping but not expecting to perhaps get two golds to try and get the points for my Grandmaster of Photography. I figured that was unlikely, and so even being in the running for the overall win was completely off my radar. Sharing the finalist list with Belinda Richards who is so consistently competing at the very top level, and Adam Hourigan who is such a thoughtful photographer that I have a lot of admiration for is pretty special. I would say those kinds of moments are always a little bit of a blur and I just hope my speech wasn’t too regrettable! Win speeches aren’t something I ever really prepare or feel like I will need.

As an Australian Photographer who is a huge part of our NZIPP community, how does the cross-Tasman exchange of ideas, judging and camaraderie shape your work?

Matt: First and foremost it always feels like visiting true family when we come to New Zealand and see everyone. We are always made so welcome and some of our very favorite people are there. For my work, IRIS Awards is the competition I most value because I have such respect for the process and my fellow judges. It gives me a place to share my most innovative or unusual work which doesn’t necessarily have a place within the gallery or everyday business. But it’s work that I feel compelled to make so I am glad there is a place for it.

Having won major tiles across different genres over your career, how has your definition of “award-winning photography” evolved from your early competition days to 2026?

Matt: When I first began winning awards I thought a lot more about what the competition wanted. Over time that transitioned more into ‘What am I excited to show?’. It’s more important to me now to show work that is meaningful to me, and hopefully that resonates with others. It’s also far more excited to show work that you’re emotionally invested in rather than what you think could do well. Fortunately that approach has treated me pretty well.

Your background spans music, sports and commercial work before you fully embraced landscapes. Does that multi-genre background give you an edge when editing under the pressure of major awards competitons?

Matt: There are so many world-class retouchers, editors and composite artists in the NZIPP and my post-production skills definitely aren’t up to their level. Most of my images are pretty minimal when it comes to editing, but this year I enjoyed submitting a few images which were basic composites – but the composite techniques used added value to the narrative far beyond the level of technical skill used! That said I think having experience in many genres (even weddings!) means that I can problem solve shooting situations pretty quickly in the field, which leaves more of my mind open to the experience and what I want to express rather than considering the challenges of capturing it.

Co owning Alpine Light Gallery with your wife Mieke means your work isn’t just sitting on a screen, it’s living on physical walls where real people walk in and react to it every day.  What’s it like seeing a complete stranger connect with one of your prints in person?

Matt: I think a lot of people engage with art and photography on an aesthetic level, and that is appreciated. But it is very special when people connect with a piece of work emotionally. Those are the conversations that really make me feel lucky that we have this space to show our work. Sometimes people respond to a print in a way that is expected but still deep and special, and sometimes the fresh eyes of a viewer can take you to completely new places and interpretations with your own work. I also appreciate that I love Mieke’s work as well and I am always proud to speak to her work or the stories behind it and see how people respond to that as well.

When you are not out on a big shoot or stressing over award entries, what does picking up a camera just for fun look like for you these days? Or do you need to leave the gear at home to actually unwind?

Matt: I would say any time I pick up the camera is fun. It wasn’t always like that though. When I was working commercially or on a wedding, it was very much ‘put on your game face and bring your A game’ as a mindset. I took my responsibility in those fields very seriously, and the repercussions of failure could be significant. In landscape photography it’s all about appreciating what nature has to offer and I think the greater we are feeling that appreciation the better the images are. And failure is always an option.

Looking back at the years of trial, error and big wins that got you to where you are now, what’s one thing you know today about finding your own visual voice that you wish someone had told you when you were first starting out?

Matt: I talked about having a visual voice a little in my presentation at the NZ Photo Show. When I first transitioned from graphic design into photography there was a lot of pressure and expectation around having a particular creative voice or aesthetic approach to photography. I never really resolved that tension at the time. I found as the year’s passed, people just started saying a photo looked like it was mine. So I think perhaps good advice would be to relax, shoot what you are excited about and do it a lot, and the voice will emerge from that.

Quick-Fire Round: