I recently had a day out photographing the Upper Florentine Valley in south west Tasmania. The valley is a stunning valley of tall eucalypts and intricate deep green rainforest. The valley is very picturesquely surrounded by the mountains of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage area, with the Thumbs being the range that dominates the view whenever you have a clear view of the horizon on the way in. It was a bright sunny day which doesn’t lend itself well at all to wide landscapes so the day became a leisurely macro photography session, looking closely at dew drops on ferns, tiny little myrtle leaves and the wonderful gnarled bark and tree shapes. When shooting macro photography it is important to frame your subject carefully and ensure that the background is clear from litter and distractions. A great accessory for this type of photography is a light diffuser which you can use to brighten your subject or even out the light.

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Myrtle forest, Upper Florentine Valley Tasmania

Myrtle leaves

Fern detail, Upper Florentine Valley

Dew drops and fern, Upper Florentine Valley

Macro photography, Upper Florentine Valley

The Upper Florentine Valley has recently been nominated for inclusion on the World Heritage list. This area has been the scene of protest action and intense lobbying against logging operations which threaten the pristine nature of these forests. The Tasmanian State Govenment is currently considering legislation to reserve this and other areas of forest while restructuring the forest industry into less sensitive forests such as plantation. The nomination for World Heritage will be decided by UNESCO at their annual meeting in mid 2013.