Folio: Rory Bliss
I am a 22 year old landscape photographer and environmental activist, specialising in documenting the remote, wild areas of Tasmania. My work is influenced by Peter Dombrovskis, Rob Blakers, Chris Bell, William Piguenit, Ansel Adams and others.
My interest in photography was first sparked four years ago when I was gifted a Nikon FM2 film camera for my birthday. Over the years I have moved away from the Nikon to a Hasselblad medium-format camera and now a 4×5 field camera system. The 4×5 system is a precise camera that allows me to have full control, due to the camera’s bellows, when photographing these landscapes.
It’s my love and passion for the natural environment that ultimately led me to photography. I believe that using the 4×5 camera has allowed me to fully appreciate these wild areas. For me, this is because it’s very slow to set up and use, you have to find your composition then wait often for hours for the perfect light. It is this waiting time that I love, sitting down and taking in the grandeur of the environment. Using this camera to create images is a challenge that I enjoy. I take my 4×5 camera along with another 6kg of camera equipment when undertaking multi-day hikes, (along with all the necessary items for venturing into the remote areas), carrying up to 20+ kg in the winter months. Depending on the length of the hike, I will typically take 5 film holders (allowing me to make 10 photographs) loaded with Fujifilm transparency films as well as the odd sheet of colour negative film. Due to the often challenging weather conditions in these areas, there is never really a guarantee of exposing any of these sheets of films whilst out in the field.
These are some of my favourite photographs captured with the 4×5 field camera.
More of Rory’s photographs can be seen on his Instagram page.
What a stunning collection of images, really beautiful.
Thanks Bianca
Rory, a great set of photographs, all very well seen. Congratulations.
Thanks for the kind words David. I appreciate you reaching out and giving me the opportunity to share some of my work here. Thank you
Beautiful work, Rory. I can appreciate both the joys and challenges of working with a view camera out in the wilds.
Thank you Mark, it’s very rewarding when everything comes together.
Hi Rory. Some terrific images well suited to recording in colour. You might want to think about getting some of them reproduced in dye transfer or even tri-colour carbon. There are still labs who make prints this way. Prints in those processes will outlast the colour tranny film and anything else.
Rory your work is simply stunning it is like the return of Peter Dombroviskis you have the feel and touch of a great photographer, the capture of light is magical and we congratulate you on understanding low light long exposures. We have also walked the Tasmania Wilderness and understand your love of the environment.
Gary and I hope to see more of your work in the coming future.