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HomeShop at BookSurgeEducationEducational Policy & ReformAcross Australia from East to West |
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Addicted to Australia Jul 13, 2009
By Sebastian Albu
In his latest book, Across Australia: From East to West, photographer Thomas Palfy seeks to produce a prodigious omnibus of his many travels across Australia. Fans of Palfy's work will recognize some memorable photos published in The West of the West and The Hub of Australia and Beyond with new commentary by the author.
Across Australia shows Palfy's development as a photographer and as a writer. While it's true that his muse is a land of breathtaking natural beauty, Palfy manages to successfully transfer the variegated landscape into tangible matter. What sets Across Australia apart from his previous books, however, is an improved attention to detail. Though it would be nice to admire his photos on sharper glossy paper, his talent in framing shots is indisputable and poignant even on matte.
Palfy does his best work outside of cities when he is exploring the heart of his country. At times, he is like a chromatic Ansel Adams, able to capture more than just a mere snapshot of a rock formation or a waterfall. A close-up of a blushing desert rose seems simple enough at first, but closer inspection reveals the delicately rippled surface of the petals and a dark maroon epicenter. East of Perth, in Hyden, he presents a unique picture of Wave Rock that puzzles the eyes. The ambiguous impressionist curves of this bowed granite slab look more like the work of Van Gogh than a wall of stone. And strangely, as the brain struggles to process the gray and peach-colored crescent streaks, it's the emerald bough of the tree in the foreground that seems to be otherworldly.
Palfy has also revised his commentary in this latest book. His photographs have always been accompanied by his own observations and that is what gives his books a markedly warm and personal feeling, like flipping through a box of a friend's old postcards. In Across Australia, the commentary is boiled down to more pithy, professional captions. Palfy has struck a nice balance between the diary feel of The Hub of Australia and the curt accompaniment of The West of the West.
It seems likely that Thomas Palfy is a contented man. His indefatigable journeys across a vast, rugged and often lonesome continent produce distinctly positive documentaries that beckon readers to come and experience the land for themselves. His photographs betray the optimism he must feel every time he realizes that each day of his travels will provide him with a new feast for his camera and his readers.
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