Tasmanian photographers

[OldRoy]

I did a quick search and although there are a couple of threads relating to Tasmania, I was a little surprised to find no references (via the search engine) to either Olegas Truchanas or Peter Dombrovskis.

Having once lived on this beautiful island I often look at their work. Truchanas was an extremely interesting man, an immigrant from Lithuania, and one of the pioneers of conservation on the island, whose entire collection of absolutely unique photographs was destroyed in one of the Hobart bushfires in 1967. He took subsequent photographs which are reproduced (none too well) in "The world of Olegas Truchanas"; he was drowned on a canoe trip on the Gordon River in 1972, in the South West of the island a couple of years before I moved there.

Peter Dombrovskis, a Latvian, was Truchanas' protege, and also died whilst on a trip into the Western Arthur range in 1996.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olegas_Truchanas
http://www.peterdombrovskis.com.au/1-0.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Dombrovskis

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/wildness/gallery.htm
This site has some examples of their work. It shouldn't be too hard to find more.

Having a personal affection for the island and its inhabitants, and the work of these two men, I'd like to bring them to the attention of the Luminous Landscape's community. I think they are worthy of your attention on several counts.

[Josh-H]

I agree with your sentiments.

For anyone traveling to Tasmania you can see Peter Dombrovskis's prints in the Cradle Mountain Gallery - many of which are stunning in their beauty. His most famous shot 'Rock Island Bend' featured on the Wikipedia site was instrumental in the scrapping of a major dam/hydro project in the 70's.

I have a copy of  Olegas Truchanas's book - which unfortunately is not of very high reproduction quality - but the photos are excellent and its well worth keeping an eye out for this book in your travels. I have retraced some of the locations both of these photographers shot at and the photographic opportunities are wonderful in these locations.

[OldRoy]

I agree with your sentiments.
I have a copy of  Olegas Truchanas's book - which unfortunately is not of very high reproduction quality - but the photos are excellent and its well worth keeping an eye out for this book in your travels.

Hi Josh
I too have a copy of "The World of Olegas Truchanas" and it is indeed badly printed. At one time I had a first edition, purchased when I was living there, which I recall, possibly falsely, as having been better produced. Both of these photographers have a great legacy when it comes to the preservation of Tasmanian wilderness. I believe that Peter Dombrovskis' wife has now decided to stop printing his pictures, for what reason I don't recall.

Looking at Truchanas' photos of Lake Pedder and seeing the current reality make one wonder how this could have been allowed to happen.

I have something on my own conscience in this respect. I actually once lived on the west coast in what is now referred to as the "Tarkine Wilderness"; at the time I was involved in a small scale tin-mining operation there - although the site had been mined since the 19th century so it was already hacked about a lot. You can still see the consequences of my activities on Google Earth though. There's now a dirt road running down the west coast and it passes our airstrip in what was once a location that was all but inaccessible except by air during the winter.

A wonderful island! I hope to spend some time there with a camera once again before I shuffle off the proverbial.

Roy