Steve Parish
| Steve Parish | |
|---|---|
| Born |
15 July 1945 Great Britain |
| Occupation | Australian Photographer and Publisher |
| Known for | Steve Parish – 50 Years Photographing Australia |
Steve Parish OAM is a photographer and publisher.[1] Born in Great Britain in 1945, he is the founder of Steve Parish Publishing, which specialises in printing photographic books on nature for adults and children, as well as travel books and souvenirs.[2]
Early life
As a child he was a keen spear fisherman and at seventeen a practiced hunter who had bought his first rifle at age 16.[3]
Steve was first introduced to photography when he was given the opportunity to join an expedition to Kangaroo Island led by pioneering Australian underwater photographer Igo Oak. Igo was a mentor to Parish and a cofounder of the South Australian Underwater Photography Society.
Due to his disinterest in school and lack of formal qualifications but with competency with firearms he started an apprenticeship as a gunsmith in Adelaide.[2]
In 1963, when eighteen, Parish joined the Royal Australian Navy, where he learned to dive.[3]
Navy years
While in the Navy stationed in Sydney, Steve joined the New South Wales Underwater Research Group. Here, he met Neville Coleman and Walt Deas who, like Parish, would later become renowned photographers in their field.
Steve was later transferred to Jervis Bay on the New South Wales central coast. The area around Jervis Bay is well known for its natural beauty, as are the surrounding coastal waters. His time photographing in the area provided much of the material for his first book Oceans of Life.
Photography and publishing
Steve Parish traveled extensively from 1981 to 1984. While doing so, he noticed the absence of photographic material for the tourist market featuring Australia. In 1985, he set up Wildlife Publishing, later renamed Steve Parish Publishing.[2]
Steve uses an array of 35mm, medium format and panoramic film formats in addition to digital video. He uses Fuji Velvia.
Steve Parish Publishing went into liquidation in March 2012 following losses associated with the 2010–2011 Queensland floods. During the flood, their Oxley, Queensland, warehouse lost tens of thousands of dollars of stock and 36 filing cabinets drawers of their photo library.[4] The company failed to receive an insurance payout.[5] Also in 2011, several major customers went bankrupt and owed Steve Parish Publishing lots of money: Angus and Robertson, Borders and Calendar Club.[4] Pascal Press [6] purchased all the publishing assets of Steve Parish Publishing Pty Limited.
References
- ↑ Steve Parish :: ABC Queensland
- 1 2 3 Talking Heads - Steve Parish and Bill Bristow
- 1 2 Steve Parish Publishing
- 1 2 "Wild about Nature", issue 940, 17–23 July 2013, p. 10-11, Brisbane News
- ↑ "Brisbane floods liquidate publishing firm" 15 March 2012 Patrick Stafford smartcompany.com.au
- ↑ http://www.pascalpress.com.au