The fall is a lovely thin ribbon of water surrounded by the mesmerising greens of the rainforest.

The path in to the falls is very high standard and takes you up to a platform right in front of the falls. Apart from the waterfall itself the rainforest here is stunning and you can easily while away a few hours.

The wooden boardwalk takes you to the viewing platform in only a few minutes.

The creek below the waterfall

The creek below the waterfall

My last visit here coincided with some pretty serious rain, and I spent the return leg photographing what else – the rain!

Rain in the Tarkine. Captured by manually focusing at random focal lengths

Rain in the Tarkine. Captured by manually focusing at random focal lengths

Lovers Falls is a part of my Tarkine photography workshop and there are two spots remaining on my next trip in May, please let me know if you’d like to book a place! The Tarkine also features in my new book, available now!

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The best thing about this fungi was that it was growing right on the edge of a fallen tree trunk meaning it was basically at eye level so photographing it didn’t require the flexibility of an olympic gymnast

A group of yellow fungi amid the moss. Overland Track.

A purple fungi hides in the moss near Narcissus.

Another couple of mushrooms in the leaf litter beside the track near Narcissus.

A tiny yellow fungi growing from between the bark on a tree.

Fungi and moss, near Narcissus

Fungi and moss, near Narcissus

For those interested, there are 2 places left on the Tarkine trip (May 6-10) and I have added new dates in June for the Cradle Mountain trip. There is still plenty of room on the Freycinet trip from June 5-7 too, although fungi wont really feature on that one

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Hogarth Falls is a short walk through the Peoples Park in Strahan. Allow 20 mins each way. Flat and easy, very short hill at the end.

Hogarth Falls. Mid summer flow, I imagine it would be a pretty serious torrent after winter and spring rains!

I have to admit to not spending much time in Strahan. I zip through Queenstown from time to time, and visit Nelson Falls, Lake St Clair and of course Cradle Mountain quite regularly but Strahan has been a little off the radar the last few years. It was great to spend a few nights out there recently and get reacquainted with the area.

The water levels were low and still enough for a nice reflection

The front on view of the falls. The rocks and fallen logs made a really interesting foreground!

Strahan is on Tasmania’s west coast. Access is by the A10 from Hobart (around 5 hours of drive time, will take a full day if you stop and see the sights on the way). Coming from the north (Cradle Mountain or Burnie) also uses the A10, turning off onto the B27 near Zeehan. The peoples park is a very short drive from the centre of town, on the main road.

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Young “Bentley” finding his feet at the Raptor Refuge

The dynamic duo – Bentley with his older brother Monty

Bentley and Monty, Tasmanian Masked owls together at the Raptor Refuge

Bentley and Monty at the Raptor Refuge

Bentley and Monty, Tasmanian masked owls, at the Raptor Refuge

Family Portrait – Craig with the two young owls

Resplendent in his fuzzy down feathers, he looked a little uncertain on his feet but curious at all the goings on around him. There is always a lot of bad news when it comes to the environment so it is great to know good things are being done. The Tasmanian masked owl is endangered in Tasmania so it is such a wonderful achievement by Craig at the refuge to be looking after these guys and giving them a safe haven to recover from their struggles with human interference with the landscape.

Visiting the Raptor Refuge

If you’d like to visit the Refuge I offer private photography sessions that run on demand. The session is a great opportunity to meet these guys up close and personal and is a significant contribution to the conservation work undertaken here. Alternatively please consider becoming a member of the Refuge and you will receive invitations to open days and other such events.

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The cost is $49.95 (plus $10 postage). Postage becomes $7.50 per book when purchasing more than 1 copy.

To order see below:

PAYPAL

INVOICE
If you don’t require postage,  don’t use Paypal, or for any other reason, you can contact me to request an invoice for payment by EFT.

Tasmania A Photographic Journey New Book by Luke O’Brien. Now available!

The book is basically a “snapshot” (pardon the pun!) of my last 10 plus years photographing Tasmania. I have structured the book based on locations around Tasmania and the Chapters are as follows:

Foreword by wildlife artist Katherine Cooper

Cradle Mountain and the Overland Track

The East Coast

The Night Sky (including the Aurora)

The Macro Landscape (particularly fungi!)

Mt Field & South West

The North East

The Tarkine

The book is 136 pages; hard-cover and will come presented with a Frenchfold dust jacket. In total the book contains 117 of my images. A few of the chapters include a special “feature page” which tells the story of a few of the more significant photo experiences I have had over the years.

Thank you to Katherine Cooper for the kind words in the foreword; and to Ian Wallace for the design and pre-press.

A sneak preview for those who can’t wait

In essence it is a summary of all that I find so special about Tasmania and I hope everyone will be as excited to see it as I have been to prepare it!

Contact me to order yours now!

*** Retailers are also very welcome to contact me to request stock; or to place an order on your regular Black Gum Distribution order form ***

The post Tasmania A Photographic Journey: New Book! appeared first on Luke O'Brien Photography.

Tarkine: 5 days, May 6~10, 2018; $2195 per person Fantastic autumn fungi, amazing rainforest and waterfalls and Tasmania’s rugged west coast. All inclusive tour. Based at Corinna.

5 day Tarkine Rainforest photography tour. May 6~10 2018. Timed for the autumn fungi!

Cradle Mountain: May 15~18  &  June 11~14, 2018; $1795 per person. Four days at Cradle Mountain shooting sunrise, sunset AND night sky at Dove Lake. During the day waterfalls and the autumn fungi in the rainforest will be a particular highlight. Also included are visits to Philosopher Falls (Tarkine) and Nelson Falls. All accommodation, transport, meals and tuition included. **SPECIAL – tour fee includes SINGLE ROOM for all participants **

Cradle Mountain Night Sky 4 day Photography Workshop – June 11~14, 2018.

Freycinet & Wineglass Bay: June 5~7, 2018; $1495 per person. Three days in your own luxurious cabin at Freycinet Lodge! Sunrise, sunset and night sky sessions over the magnificent Freycinet National Park. We will cruise to Wineglass Bay, keeping an eye out for the migrating whales which visit Tasmania’s east coast in June.

Freycinet & Wineglass Bay 3 day Photography Workshop – June 5~7, 2018.

Bay of Fires: 4 days, April 9~12   &   August 6~9, 2018; $1595 per person Seascape sunrises, sunsets and night sky sessions. Half day shoot in the rainforest at St Columba Falls and to Wineglass Bay on the return trip to Hobart. Single room for all participants. Based at St Helens.

Bay of Fires Photography Workshop April 9-12, 2018

Mt Field & Styx Valley: April 5 2018 (other dates on request); $295 per person. Full day trip shooting waterfalls, rainforest and the tallest flowering trees on earth. Includes: transport (departing Hobart); lunch; National Parks entry; tuition/guide.

Tasmanian photography workshops – Mt Field & Styx Valley. Full day workshop, from Hobart.

Hobart & Surrounds: On demand! Private or small group, 3+ hour workshop. Waterfall shoot on Mt Wellington, followed by an eastern shore sunset. Self drive.

Raptor Refuge Private Sessions: On demand! Private (1 on 1) or small group – contact me to book in!

Raptor Refuge Tasmania – Private Photography Sessions – runs on demand all year round

Please click on the links in the text above for full details, and contact me to book a spot!

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The electric blue sparkle of the bioluminescent “Noctiluca” algae off South Arm. December 15, 2017

As the night darkened it became apparent that the waves were glowing as they crashed. To begin with I thought it might just be a trick of the twilight light, but then an electric blue started appearing in camera and we settled in for a couple of hours shooting this rather remarkable scene.

The blue was only visible to the eye in “intense” moments, such as these. At other times it was more of a whitish glow. A lot like the aurora really, in fact during the night we discussed it as being just like an aurora in the ocean!

Apart from the bioluminescence, the stars were looking rather amazing this particular evening. The only thing missing was a visit from the aurora!

To the eye there was a clear glow in the water as the waves crashed, but every now and then the light became bright strong and shone in a blue light, just as captured in these photos.

The sparkling could be seen all the way along the beach as the waves rolled in.

The sparkling could be seen all the way along the beach as the waves rolled in.

The camera settings used were basically very similar to the aurora, ie high ISO, wide open aperture and a long shutter speed. I shot many more but these captured the most brilliant light. You can find more info on this phenomenon here (Tasmanian Geographic) and here (The Australian, which also covers what it means for the marine environment that this algae is now here).

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Diuris orientis wallflower orchid. A common orchid, by no means only found in the Arthur Pieman Conservation Area!

Diuris orientis wallflower orchid

Another very common orchid and probably the easiest to find. Glossodia major. Also can be found as a lighter pink, almost white flower.

Glossodia major

Microtis unifolia, the common onion-orchid

This one was quite a special find, the Pyrorchis nigricans or fire orchid. Apparently it only flowers after fire, and the Arthur Pieman area experienced quite a significant fire two summers ago.

Pyrorchis nigricans fire orchid

Pyrorchis nigricans fire orchid – close up

Burnettia cuneata lizard orchid

This is the last installment of my orchid photos from the Arthur Pieman Conservation Area, I hope you have enjoyed the shots – something of a new subject matter for me!

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Calochilus herbaceus (pale beard-orchid)

Calochilus paludosus (strap beard-orchid)

Calochilus paludosus (strap beard-orchid)

Calochilus paludosus (strap beard-orchid). Side profile.

Calochilus paludosus (strap beard-orchid). I have over-brightened the shadows to get an interesting view of the inside of the flower

Calochilus platychilus (purple beard-orchid)

Calochilus platychilus (purple beard-orchid)

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Pterostylis tasmanica (small bearded greenhood). Perhaps the most photogenic, the long yellow “beard” was a very interesting feature. As with all the orchids, the slightest of breezes was enough to set these little guys off so a high ISO and a very fast shutter speed were the order of the day!

Another angle on the small bearded greenhood (Pterostylis tasmanica)

Pterostylis nana (dwarf greenhood). As its name would imply, a very small greenhood – no bigger than a length of grass!

A close up of the Pterostylis nana (dwarf greenhood)

Pterostylis rubenachii (Arthur River greenhood). Only found around the Arthur River, this one was quite special to find.

The leafy greenhood. Another very rare species and one I simply would never have found had I not been a part of this tour. It is found only in the Arthur River on mainland Tasmania and it is hidden in coastal scrub. Another big thumbs up for Geoff’s Eco Tours

Another angle on the rare leafy greenhood

This was basically the first time I have spent a lot of time looking for orchids and really enjoyed the challenge of photographing these little guys. I have really been enjoying photographing the fungi each autumn these past few years and the orchids are a great spring subject.

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