Seeing The Forest and The Trees

‘Ansel Adams once said that he never made a single environmental photograph. Though David Tatnall’s pictures have often featured in conservation campaigns, it is similarly true of his work that its main purpose is not to make a political point, but to invite the viewer to explore the spirit of the place presented: the context in which the picture is taken may generate a political meaning, but Tatnall’s vision is wider than that of the narrowly political purpose. It celebrates the detail of places long protected, places in contest and places that are still overlooked as worthy of aesthetic consideration. The photographs live on as reflections on landscapes whose land use status has changed but whose spirit still challenges response and interpretation.’

From Seeing The Forest and The Trees exhibition catalogue.

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River Red Gums, Kara Kara National Park
508 x 406 mm silver gelatin photograph.

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Forest in mist, Mount Difficult
305 x 240 mm silver gelatin photograph.

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Rodger River forest, East Gippsland
508 x 406 mm silver gelatin photograph.
Made in 1983 while the future of these pristine old growth forest was under threat from clear fell logging. This photograph has been exhibited a number of times including at Monash Gallery of Art, Warrnambool Art Gallery, Wilderness Society Gallery, Cyclone Gallery and Castlemaine Art Gallery. This forest was projected with National Park status in 1989.

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Moonahs, Blairgowrie
406 x 508 mm silver gelatin photograph.

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Casuarinas, Royal Park, Melbourne
406 x 508 mm silver gelatin photograph.
From The Last Summer body of work, made in the summer of 2013-2014. At that time Royal Park was threatened by the massive East-West Link toll road. The Last Summer was exhibited at Fortyfivedownstairs Gallery, Melbourne in 2014. On election of a Labour Party government the toll road project was scrapped.