By Callum Ludwig
Yarra Junction Library is welcoming a published photographer to discuss the inspiration and process behind his contribution to Dr David Lindenmayer’s ‘The Great Forest’.
Dr Chris Taylor is one of three photographers who helped collate the 148 photographs used to put the book together, which aimed to capture the ‘rare beauty of the Victorian Central Highlands.’
Dr Taylor said for him the book is a celebration of the spectacular region of what is known as the Central Highlands of Victoria.
“For me, photography is trying to capture a slice of what it feels like to be in the landscape. It’s my own personal experience of being in this incredible landscape and trying to convey part of that experience and the story of my experience in the photos,” he said.
“One of my favourite places is the Baw Baw Plateau, there is something very unique and special about that place and it features prominently in the photos I’ve taken. It’s an incredible landscape of extraordinary biodiversity and it’s probably one of the more undervalued and underappreciated areas of Victoria.”
Dr Taylor has been photographing and researching forests for years in his role as a research fellow of the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University.
Dr Taylor said getting involved in the project was a long journey.
“It was a journey of getting to know, the forest and the extraordinary landscapes over many years, I’ve also been a keen bushwalker for pretty much all of my life so I have spent a lot of kilometres, walking along trails and coming across places,” he said.
“It’s just thinking about what will look great as a photo and setting up the tripod, taking the photo, and often going back down multiple days to try to get the right light as well, there’s an art to it.”
Dr Lindenmayer himself has spent almost 40 years working in the mountain ash forests the book features, as an expert on forest conservation.
Dr Taylor said there are a number of photos of the Yarra Valley which feature in the book.
“Some of which I’ve taken, particularly of the Birarung or Yarra River, which is one of the most important rivers of the region, so some of the photos I’ve taken are of the river and the area more broadly,” he said.
“The book is our own personal perspective on the landscape and for David, it’s his journey as a scientist. For me, it was a journey as an academic researcher, photographer and bushwalker, and my own personal relationship with the landscape. It’s an attempt to try and convey to a broader audience just how incredible of a place this is that is so close to one of Australia’s most populous cities.”
Dr Taylor will be at Yarra Junction Library on Monday 26 September from 2 to 4pm.
