PHILIP KURUVITA PHOTOGRAPHY

“Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again.”

~ Henri Cartier-Bresson

This is a series of posts which lay out when we think is the key moments in life that deserved to be captured by a professional photographer. Everyone has a camera or a smart phone and we are taking more photographs than ever. In fact, it is estimated that 10 % of all the photographs taken in the history of photography were taken in the last 12 months! so everyone has heaps of photographs of their lives. What you are employing when you hire a professional photographer is not a camera, or someone to operate it, what you are employing is the photographers vision, his or her expertise and experience, their understanding of light and their artistic vision. You are asking a professional to create an interpretation for you, and they will use their knowledge and experience to use the light, the location, and their people skills to coax out an expression and reaction that  shows each persons personality. It is a complex job that takes years to master, and goes well beyond just pressing the shutter button on a good camera. This interpretation is then continued into the production of your prints or canvases. The final image is often quite different to the original camera capture. There are many subtle adjustments that are made to bring the viewers attention to the important elements in the picture while drawing your attention away from distracting ones.

With the excitement of Christmas over, now is the perfect time to get your family portrait updated before the troops head back to school for another busy year. Everyone is relaxed and rested, and there are a number of different options available to you. Home, the shack, our studio or out and about in the parks around Launceston, there are some great options to create a relaxed family portrait that captures your family at this time of their lives. Contact us now to find out more.

There are still days, as I am returning home from a shoot, when the light gets that special quality that you see no where else in the world , when I feel a certain smugness. Next year marks 30 years since Vicki and I  packed up or lives in Sydney and moved to Tasmania. Not once have we regretted our decision, and we still marvel at the clarity of mind that our younger selves had about the move all those years ago. After 4 books devoted to the amazing produce grown in Tasmania and the talented people who turn it into world class food, it was time to look at what else this island had to offer. The food is important, and the wine has been well known around the world for decades now, but all of a sudden, its the single malt whiskey, the hand crafted gins and the experiences that are woven around these fabulous products that has been bringing more and more people to visit us.A field guide to an awesome trip around Tassie! If you get to experience, taste and enjoy half the things in this book you will have a trip to beat all others.

Take a look inside here

 Happy to sign and personalise it for you if you want to let me know what you want written

In April I had the pleasure of joining the Rotary Club of Tasman Peninsula on their annual fundraiser excursion to Tasman Island. Each Year the club organises a trip to this isolated lighthouse which stands just off the coast of Tasmania south of Cape Pillar.This year the weather gods were against the project and by about 10 am thick fog had descended and made helicopter flights impossible. With only a fraction of the people who had booked on the trip already on the island a decision was made to cancel the remaining flights, and to use whatever airtime was possible to get those already on the island back to the Tasmanian mainland. By the time the helicopter was grounded for good, there were still about 20 people still on the island, myself included, and we settled down to spend the night. As the friends of Tasman Island group had been on the island for the preceding week doing maintenance, we had plenty of food, sleeping bags and the 3 light house keepers cottages made for were comfortable accommodation.The fog lasted well into the night, so there was limited possibilities to take useful pictures at sunset , but the following morning we were met with a clear sky and I was able to take some images before the helicopter came to get us .The image of the lighthouse high on the cliffs ended up being awarded the Epson Signature Worthy Award at the Tasmanian Professional Photography Awards, and the portrait of Karl, who had spent time as a lighthouse keeper on the island, was also awarded a silver award at the awards.

Rotary has done a story about the excursion in the September issue of their monthly magazine Rotary Downunder, written by Rod Oliver which you can see here

Having your family portraits on the wall in your home is more than just decoration. It is an unequivocal statement that Family is important. Portraits encourage, nurture and promote a sense of Belonging  and celebrate the special  bonds and relationships of your family.   Contact us if you would like to chat about your family portrait

Your corporate headshot is how the rest of the business world will first meet you, and as the old saying goes, you only get one chance at a first impression!  Your image needs to convey in a clear and concise manner all the attributes you want your clients and potential clients to see in you. Charming , approachable, trustworthy , confident and professional are just some of the things that these people will either see or not see when they encounter your image. In the corporate world, a selfie shot with your iPhone just doesn’t do the job. Save them for your personal Facebook page and treat your corporate image with consideration and respect. There is still plenty of room to show your character, and the spark in your eyes while still adhering to a very high level of professionalism and sophisticationThe subtle differences that that a well executed professional portrait can make will go a long way towards enhancing the perception that the business world has of you.

Learn more here

Over the Easter long weekend we had the pleasure of photographing brass bands from all over the country at the Yamaha Australian National Band Championships. This is the second time that the Championships have been held in Launceston and it was a great pleasure to welcome over 3000 band members from right around the country to our city. The weather was amazing and the town was filled with the sounds of horns, tubas and drums.

The images we took over the weekend can be seen and ordered here

The Australian Good Food Guide just did a piece on my new book From the Menu Hobart

You can read it here

 https://www.agfg.com.au/blog/post/from-the-menu-hobart-through-the-lens-of-philip-kuruvita

WANTED : Grand parents and their grand kidsWe need grandparents and their grand kids to test a new camera system which we have on loan from the wonderful guys at L&P Photographics between 14th and 18th June.We are trialing the brand new Fuji GSX medium format camera system for a couple of days to bring the best possible quality to our studio portraits, and we thought, what better subjects than kids in the full blush of youth, and their grand parents who bring faces with hard won experience and a lifetime of smiles. We are offering a gift print to any grandparents and their Grandkids who are able to spend some time in front of the camera so that we can put it through it's paces, as a way of  saying thank you, and  if you want to purchase  additional images from the session, we will even offer you a further discount to make things easy for youIf you are interested in helping us out , or know someone who might, you can apply here

( and dont be fooled by the title, we want grand pa there too! )

Easter is another great time for families to get together. The weather is still fine, and the kids are relaxed having got their first term of school done.  As the kids get older, it gets harder and harder to get the whole family together so when it does happen, it is a great opportunity to do an extended family portrait.

This picture was taken in Sri Lanka probably in 1969 and shows my Dads extended family, with his parents, all his siblings and their children ( he is the one to the centre of my Mum, the only Austrian in the picture, and I am the short one next to him)

From the look on peoples faces , I don't think it was much fun at the time, but I am really glad that we have this picture. I am now the oldest surviving male in the picture, and only Mum and the Aunty to her left are left from the generations before ours.

If you want to capture your own bit of history, give us a call or leave a message here.

We all come across the same two problems every year, but because they occur 6 months apart its difficult to see how one can cancel out the other. No one likes paying any more tax than they have to, and most people aren't that fussed about shopping for corporate gifts at Christmas time. We can now offer a way to solve both of these problems at the same time! We now have a selection of 5 beautiful, hard cover books that make the perfect Christmas gift for all of your special clients. There is even a signing page so that you can personalise each one individually. By ordering your Chirstmas gifts before the end of the financial year, you can use it to reduce your tax liability and even better than that, you can tick of your Christmas shopping as DONE!

We can deliver them straight away, or hold off delivery until the end of November, which ever suits you.

We offer 25-30% off RRP ( $49.95 ) depending on the quantity that you order. Call us on 63342462 if you would like to look at the books or to order some.

because I am a photographer and not an accountant, you should probably check with your own bean counter to make sure this is going to be best for your business!!

Breakfast in bed and cuddles with the kids is a great way to start mothers day this Sunday. I bet your mother remembers when it was you giving the cuddles and making the dodgy breakfasts!.

She has been a beautiful constant in your life, isn't it time you let us capture that unconditional love ?

For May we are offering our Mum & Me session for just $50 instead of the usual $150

Book a session for you and your mum, invite your  grandmother, your daughter and your sister and lets celebrate the girls in your family.

Find out more here

The best thing about my job is that I get to photograph some families over a long period of time. It is such a joy to see the beautiful babies turn into intelligent, capable young ladies

The QVMAG is now at maximum capacity for our opening event on the 13th November. The response has been amazing and unfortunately they are unable to take any more RSVP's. They have created a wait list for anyone who is actually in the exhibition, but if you are not able to join us on the night, I will be doing a floor talk on Sunday 15th at 11 am and it would be great if you can join us then. I will also be signing books so you can pick up a copy or two at the same time.

photo: Les Dick Faces of Launceston 1995

We are approaching 1000 likes on our Facebook page so we have decided to have a competition and give away a $1000 family portraits All you have to do is like our page, answer a couple of easy questions and then share it with your friends. We will be drawing it at the end of the month To enter click HERE

Roccamandolfi Isernia Italy

The highlight of our 6 weeks in Italy was staying a week with our friend  Carmine in the hills of Isernia. South east of Rome at the bottom of the high mountains, this little hill town has been  going since the 1100's. Steep cobble streets, and beautiful,friendly people made this a great way to start the trip and to see what the real Italy is like , without the hoards of tourists. In this town, we were the attraction and all sorts of people dropped by to Carmines house to say hello.

GALLERY PEJEAN  
is delighted to announce it now represents
the acclaimed Tasmanian photographer
Philip Kuruvita

One of the oldest surviving buildings in Launceston, PatersonBarracks was built in 1828, and was described at the time as thevery best brick building in Van Diemen’s Land.

As a commissariat store, it was designed to house food and supplies for the militaryand government officials in the young settlement, as well as forthe free settlers and convicts.The building was used by the Tasmanian volunteer forces, andthe Launceston Volunteer Artillery Corps which used the buildingfrom 1860.

Today it is home to Launceston’s cadet units andthe 16th Field Battery of the Royal Australian Artillery, the oldestartillery unit in the Australian Army, and the longest continuallyserving unit in Australia.

From Launceston a sense of place , Philip & Vicki Kuruvita available here

Sitting at the confluence of three rivers, the North and South Esk and the Tamar, Launceston is the third oldest city in the Nation.