Journeys Into the Wild: The Photography of Peter Dombrovskis | My Photo Bookshelf
If one of my all-time favourite landscape photographers, Joe Cornish talks highly of any photographer, I take notice and after watching some videos a few years ago featuring Joe talking about the late Peter Dombrovskis and discussing his work, it quickly became apparent to me this was a photographer I needed to know more about.
Peter Dombrovskis was a landscape and conservation photographer known for taking pictures of Tasmanian wild places and was instrumental in preventing the damming of the Franklin River in the 1980s. Peter died in 1996 while photographing the Western Arthur Range in southwest Tasmania, but even now, 30 years later, he still has a strong following in the landscape photography community. After reading this book, I can see why.
Author’s synopsis
Journeys into the Wild is a poetic escape to a fragile and breathtaking wilderness, with celebrated photographer Peter Dombrovskis as your guide. Commentary and an extended introduction by Bob Brown allow readers to engage with the photographs on a deeper level.
Bob Brown and Peter Dombrovskis forged their friendship in the battle to save the Gordon and Franklin rivers. As a founder of the Wilderness Society, Bob organised the blockade of dam works on the Franklin, recruiting Peter and his iconic photography to make the case for conservation over profit.
During the campaign, Bob accompanied Peter on one of his kayak trips down the Franklin and observed his process as a photographer. Peter would go on to take one of the most famous photographs in Australian history, Morning Mist, Rock Island Bend, Franklin River, an image that featured in calendars and diaries across Australia and that was integral to the success of the campaign. The two remained friends until Peter’s death in 1996.
My thoughts about the book
I’m so glad I purchased a copy of this book because it tells such a compelling story about the power of passion, perseverance and photography, and how, when used together, they can bring about meaningful change for the better.
Created by former Australian politician and environmentalist Bob Brown, Journeys into the Wild tells Peter Dombrovskis’ story, about his emigration from Latvia to Australia when young, his first camera, the friendships he made and how all of that forged a path for him to become one of the most influential conservation photographers of his time His work was used in a campaign to help protect thousands of square miles of unspoilt Tasmanian wilderness and for that story alone, it’s a book worth reading.
Dombrovskis was equally known for his large format, landscape photography and this book includes much of his work, with a particular focus on the National Parks of Tasmania. From wide, landscape vistas such as the peaks of Cradle Mountain to close-up, intimate compositions of a leaf’s skeleton at Mount Mulu, this book is a feast for anyone who appreciates natural landscape photography. The Tasmanian landscape is incredibly diverse and quite different to what I see photographed today. Dombrovskis was able to tune into the finer details and record them on film so future viewers of his work would get a glimpse into how the national parks of Tasmania looked many decades ago and as a result of the work he and Bob Brown undertook, how those national parks thankfully, still look today.
I know I’m a relative latecomer to Peter Dombrovskis’ photographic party, and many who read this will already be aware of his work or have a copy of one of his books. Still, none of that matters, as after finishing this book, it’s clear that like many of the landscape photography greats, his story and accompanying work has and will continue to stand the test of time for future generations to discover.
Book Details
Hardcover
Size: 280mm x 220mm
Pages: 200
Availability at the time of writing: Limited availability in Europe but there are some about. I purchased my copy from https://www.abebooks.co.uk/.