Melbourne-born photographer sells most expensive photo of all time

Melbourne-born photographer Peter Lik has made history by selling his photograph Phantom for US$6.5 million (AU$7.8 million), the highest amount ever paid for a photograph.

The pricey black and white shot was taken at Antelope Canyon in Arizona, in the US south-west, carved out by millions of years of erosion mainly caused by flash flooding.

IN PICTURES: The world's most expensive photographs

His photograph Illusion also sold to the same private collector for US$2.4 million, making it the eighth most expensive photograph of all time.

Lik, who is based in the US, has four photographs in the list of the 20 most expensive shots with Eternal Moods and One the sixteenth and eighteenth most expensive respectively.