Gallery release: ‘takayna 2026’
For the last several years, I have had the privilege of returning to photograph Tasmania’s takayna/Tarkine region, whether with workshop groups, on work assignements, or on my own time. As a result, it’s easily the area of Tasmania that I have produced the most work from thus far. It’s no secret that rainforests have become one of my favourite environments to photograph in (which has now developed into a long-term book project I’m working on), and what better place to do so than the largest temperate rainforest in the southern hemisphere. The coastal and river areas also offer up plenty of opportunities, with fascinating geology dating back 1.8 billion years - the oldest in Tasmania - as well as the snaking tannin-stained rivers that flow from inland to sea.
These environments are intrinsically linked in takayna, which for thousands of years was the home of the tarkiner indigenous peoples. Their ancient middens, hut sites and other artefacts scattered throughout the northwest coast make this region one of the richest human archaeological zones on the planet.
In this gallery, I arranged the images to flow from coast, to river, to rainforest. This year’s visit produced many of my favourite images that I’ve created in this region thus far, which has been a recurring theme as I get to know it better.
Despite the many incredible qualities of this region, to this day it remains under constant demolition and threat from logging, mining and industry greed. While I can only have so much impact as a single person, I hope that these images can help show just a tiny portion of what we stand to lose.
Half of the images you see here were photographed with my Tarkine Rivers Coasts & Forests Workshop group earlier this year. If you’d like to join me to explore, connect with and photograph this incredible part of the world, I’ll be returning for another workshop in April 2027 - I would love to see you there! Learn more about the workshop here.
