Here are some recent shots of the Boobook Owl, from the Raptor & Wildlife Refuge of Tasmania Inc. The Raptor Refuge is a volunteer run centre for rehabilitating injured raptors. These birds are often brought to the Refuge after being hit by cars, flying into power lines or even intentionally injured. Craig and the volunteers at the Refuge nurse them back to health and re-release them back into the wild. Over the past year or so I have been invited by Craig to shoot a White Bellied Sea Eagle release and a Masked Owl release, and have also had the chance to get up close and personal with some of the other birds currently calling the Refuge home.
Boobook Owl, Raptor Refuge Tasmania
Boobook Owl, Raptor Refuge Tasmania
Boobook Owl, Raptor Refuge Tasmania
Craig is currently putting the finishing touches on a new Education Centre at the Refuge, and it is due to be completed within a couple of months. It’s a very exciting time to be involved with the Refuge!
I have had the great pleasure of meeting many of the ladies from Focus Fine Photography and printing their photos as canvas prints to hang in an Exhibition in the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens from 1-31 March.
"Focus Fine Photography" will be holding an Exhibition of Tasmanian Photography at the Botanic Gardens in Hobart March 1-31, 2012
Please support this very talented group of Tasmanian Photographers, and make a day of it by taking a picnic lunch to the gardens, or having a meal in the restaurant.
Statement from the Photographers:
“Focus Fine Photography (formerly Women’s Photographic Group) is a collective of female photographers from all walks of life, with a broad cross section of ages, interests and experiences. We are a social group who offer a fun, constructive and thought provoking environment in which to practise photography and explore the world through the lens of a camera. For further information on the group activities, please call the Secretary, Susan Mace on 0437 130 938 or the Treasurer, Jenny Schorta, on 0418 101 148.
In this latest exhibition ‘Tasmania Revealed’ at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens from 1-31 March 2012, Focus presents 29 works expressing the natural beauty and diversity of the Tasmanian landscape. This collection of works from local artists has a quiet intensity which underpins the natural beauty and dynamic relationship each photographer has with this island of extremes.”
Great to read recently Parks are adding new signs to the Overland Track, including some which provide some historic and educational information about the area as well as info on how to hike with a minimal impact on the environment.
Sign near Crater Lake on Tasmania's Overland Track
Thousands and Thousands of visitors take on the week long trek through the Tasmanian Wilderness every year so clear signage, including information on how to “tread lightly” in the fragile alpine environment is very important. It is always terrible to read of damage to fragile areas caused by people who are not respectful to the area they are in. Given the popularity of the Cradle Mountain area and the likelihood that it is many people’s first experience of the Tasmanian wilderness it seems like a great place to raise people’s awareness of these issues.
More info on the Overland Track is available on the Parks & Wildlife website.
UPDATE: SOLD! Didn’t last past 2pm today
We are very excited about this one of a kind natural edge Sassafras frame which Judy (Nitchi Design) has lovingly hand crafted from Tasmania’s beautiful Sassafras timber.
Tasmanian Sassafras Timber Frame
The image is my Tasmanian Snow Gum in the mist on Mt Wellington, and the print size is 50cm x 75cm. The frame itself is 1.1 metres high, and 85cm wide so it is very much a piece that needs a lot of wall space and will attract a lot of attention.
Tasmanian Sassafras Timber Frame
Sassafras is my personal favourite when it comes to Tassie timbers, the lines of black & grey that run through the timber are great, and go very well with the misty grey lines of the trees in this image. The orange and black lichen on the boulders go perfectly with the orangey-brown hues of the timber.
Tasmanian Sassafras Timber Frame
There will not be another frame exactly the same as this one. It may be possible to produce another one or two which are similar but it is an extremely limited opportunity.
Tasmanian Sassafras Timber Frame
Drop in anytime for a closer look!
Tasmanian Landscapes Gallery
46 Melville St Hobart
Some additional shots from our recent visit to Mt Field East. The bright sunny conditions weren’t necessarilly the best for wide landscape photos, so most of what I did was macro and abstract photography.
Pandani Frond, Mt Field Tasmania. The curly tips of the pandani frond are a great subject for macro photography. In this case the dry brown of an old frond contrasts richly against the deep green of the new fronds.
The seed capsules of this banksia with lichen, resembling something that could be part of the scenery in a Studio Ghibli movie! Nausica's Valley of the Winds perhaps?
Banksia Flower - Macro/Abstract
"Old Mans Beard" - an interesting lichen, yellow in colour that adds an interesting extra dimension to forest scenes. This is just one small tendril on the end of a branch.
