The startling photograph, called Isolated, was ranked in the top 10 out of 75 shortlisted for the documentary category at the recent Australian Photography Awards. The recognition comes just weeks after he was named Nature Photographer of the Year for a photograph of lighting strikes during storm in Canberra in January. He will also represent Australia at the World Photographic Cup.

Ari, 46, said Isolated was an appropriate name for the image at the playground.

It was a 40-degree day and while everyone else in Canberra was hunkering down at home because of smoke from nearby bushfires, he was out taking photographs. The Pod playground, usually full of children, was deserted.

"It felt like I was in a movie set at a distant planet," he said.

Ari said he did not manipulate the shot but it was taken with an unusual camera.

"It is as the camera took it," he said.

"It's actually taken on an infra-red-modified camera so that gives it a bit of an eerie feel. One of the things the infra-red does is turn the foliage white. And with the smoke and no people, it turns it something into unusual.

"I went there because the arboretum is one of my favourite spots. I photograph it day and night. I go to the Pod many times but you never see it without people."

Born in Albania and a long-time resident of Italy, Ari moved to Canberra in 2011 with his now wife Elle (nee Morris).

The couple met in Melbourne and it was Ari who encouraged them to move back to Elle's hometown. They live in Casey, close enough to Elle's dance school in Murrumbateman.

"I like the way Canberra was spread out and I loved the environment," he said.

"And it felt good to switch to a quieter town than Melbourne."

A former interpreter, Ari became a professional photographer only in 2016 after studying at CIT in Reid.

"Photography has always been a hobby for me, even when I was young. I never thought I'd be a professional photographer," he said.

Canberra helped to develop that passion because he had the time and space to think about how he wanted to live and "look more into the things that made me happy, like photography".

People soon loved his images and wanted to buy them. Mostly, he gave them away. Until he realised this could be his livelihood. He now also runs workshops, which attract participants from around Australia and the world.

"It feels good to create good work," he said.