It was great to see the return of the annual Blue Mountains Winter Magic Festival at Katoomba on Saturday 24th June 2023. Nice sunny weather on the day attracted a big crowd of festival goers who enjoyed the parade and all the other activities and performancers throughout the day. It was nice to wander the festival and grab a few photos over the day when something caught my eye. Once again it was a great effort by all the volunteers who put in allot of time and effort to ensure we get to enjoy a great Winter Magic Festival….
Here a few images I captured during the day
Ben Pearse is a Blue Mountains photographer based in Katoomba-website
This image of artist Saskia Everingham is my entry into the annual Blue Mountains Portrait Prize 2023 exhibition held at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre in Katoomba, NSW. This image had been in my head to create ever since Saskia turned up in my studio to document these felt art pieces for an exhibition she was entering…
I’ve been documenting Saskia’s artwork in my studio for several years. Each time she arrives I am intrigued to see her latest artworks and hear the creative processes behind the new body of work. Artists are always fascinating to me as they take a deep dive into each new project, totally immersive in their creative pursuit…This time the artist and not the art, takes centre stage.
Saskia has been involved in the Arts all her life. Born in Australia, she grew up in Italy and England, which gave her exposure to many disciplines. She has an Art Diploma from TAFE and a degree in Creative Arts from Wollongong University. Moving through sewing and quilting, she settled on wool felting as her main medium, finding that it offered the sculptural qualities she was seeking. Her work has been featured in several publications including Felt Magazine, Textiles Downunderr and Oz Arts and she has won a number of awards, including the Eden Gardens Unearthed Award in 2021, the North Sydney Art Prize Site Award and in 2022 a Meroogal Women’s Art Prize, which includes a solo exhibition in the Shoalhaven Regional Art Gallery.
Saskia has lived in the Blue Mountains since 1995 and has raised her family there. Deeply immersed in the community, she has been Exhibition Coordinator at Braemar Gallery in Springwood, Community Arts Coordinator for Winter Magic and a presenter on 2BLUFM radio. She has also been a recipient of a City of the Arts grant, has sat on numerous committees and was part of the duo that set up Mind the Gap, a non-profit designed to activate empty shops for Creatives in Katoomba. The Mountains continues to inspire her.
Photographic print | A0 | Cotton Rag
Some Bts phone shots from the exhibition opening
Ben Pearse is a Blue Mountains portrait and wedding photographer based in Katoomba NSW.
Well it’s been a while since I posted a blog so I thought I’d just write a few words and post some images from a recent winter solo fishing day out west at Thompson Creek Dam (TCD).
I don’t often bring my camera along on my fishing trips, however sometimes you just know that the conditions are probably going to be great and you’ll be kicking yourself if you don’t…I knew that the clear skies overnight would probably mean a decent chance of a good frost….and it didn’t disappoint. I had, a bit of time to take some pictures as the trout wouldn’t be interested until the water warmed a little. The mount piper power station chimneys blew a magenta infused smoke on sunrise as the early light unveiled a frost laden landscape. As I wandered I took photos of scenes that caught my eye in the interesting frosty conditions. After a while the light warmed the cold, white ground, dissipating the frost, and it was time to put the camera away and start fishing….
Images captured on Nikon D850 & 85mm f1.4 prime lens. Thanks for looking,
In late late 2019-2020, you probably heard and saw dramatic and devastating footage of the bushfires that ravaged Australia. I posted images and footage in this blog post here about these bushfires in my local area of Katoomba, Blue Mountains, Australia. After the fires had gone through I was interested to see the impact on the local landscapes in my area. After the bushfires many of national park areas that were burnt remain closed due to the risk of falling trees etc. I was very interested in hiking out to Mount Solitary, however this trail is still closed at time of writing.
Altered lands
Life still remains…
Panoramic view looking past Ruined Castle (small outcrop in middle) to Mount Solitary (left) and Lake Burragorang just visible in the rear. Castle Head jutting out from Narrowneck on the right.
Looking down to Ruined Castle, where these bushfires originated in 2019. Allot of what is pictured here was burnt in the bushfires.
New growth catching the light
I decided on documenting one of my favourite areas, Narrowneck plateau in Katoomba. This area was impacted by the ruined castle bushfire in early December 2019. As I wandered through different areas of narrowneck plateau, it became apparent that certain areas were going to take some time to regenerate compared to others. In the gully of diamond creek, the unmistakable vibrant green regrowth stood out against the dull magenta and black of the surrounding burnt landscape. I couldn’t help but be drawn into this area due to the alarming contrast of colours on display. As diamond creek carves it’s way through the valley, it brought a lifeline, in the form of water, enabling new life to regenerate and grow.
Resilient Lands- Narrowneck plateau- March 2020
Return to Green- Diamond creek pathway
Narrowneck plateau, Katoomba, Blue Mountains.
Green returns to the landscape
Over the next few months I would see more regrowth appear across the burnt fireground. In the steep gullies and the tops of ridgelines where the fires burnt very hot and intense, it will take additional time for the regeneration to gather momentum. The flora and fauna that grow, dwell and cling to the sandstone formation that is Narrowneck plateau are resilient and should thrive once again in the years to come.
Wildlife returns
New buds emerge…
New growth after the fires
View from Narrowneck into megalong valley
Emergence- Kangaroo tails (Xanthorrhoea) catching the last light of the day…
Looking west from Narrowneck plateau over megalong valley on sunset
Regeneration- New growth returns after the fires…
Pink flannel flowers (Actinotus forsythii) in bloom on Narrowneck plateau- February 2021
Beautiful pink flannel flowers bloom a year after the bushfires, it’s actually the smoke and not the heat that makes these rare flowers germinate…
It’s always nice to wake up to snow covering the ground in my hometown of Katoomba, Blue Mountains, Australia. Over the last decade I’ve tried to capture a snowfall that has settled on the iconic three sisters in Katoomba. I’ve only seen an old postcard of snow that has properly settled on these sandstone ladies from the 1970’s. I thought this time I might be in luck as the snow really starting coming down on sunrise, however it just wasn’t quite enough. So the quest continues, perhaps 2020 will be the year I get the photo I’m seeking…
In late November 2019 the Blue Mountains in NSW Australia would see the start of a unprecedented bushfire season that would destroy approximately 80% of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage area. Drought conditions across Australia in the leadup to the fire season left the soil with very little moisture which helped fuel hundreds of bushfires across the nation. By the end of the fire season, 34 people would tragically lose their lives and over 46 million acres (186,000 square kilometres) of land would be burnt. Hundreds of millions of mammals, reptiles and birds would perish during the fires…This fire season would be known as the “Black Summer Bushfires”.
I first took note of a very small bushfire that was burning around the Ruined Castle on 27th November 2019 in the jamison valley in Katoomba, NSW. Over the course of the next few days this fire would spread onto the Narrowneck plateau and eventually into the megalong valley. Most of the images I captured are from the Ruined Castle bushfire.
The Beginning-Ruined Castle Bushfire- November 27th 2019
Small puff of smoke near ruined castle
Begrimed- Ben Pearse 2019
Thick dust laden smoke starts to choke the air on sunset in Katoomba. The setting sun takes on an eerie feeling, a forewarning perhaps of troubling times to come…
Eerie sunsets
On December 1st, 2019, the Ruined Castle bushfire flares up and races up the sheer sandstone cliffs on the Narrowneck plateau in Katoomba. Despite a strong prevailing breeze against it, the fire raged effortlessly up and down the sheer vertical walls and pushed closer towards the township of Katoomba. Precision water bombing from the RFS helicopter slowed the fire spread before nightfall. RFS ground crews worked throughout the night to control the blaze along the narrowneck plateau.
Fire rages on the narrowneck plateau cliffline
Fire engulfs the treeline on narrowneck plateau
Thick plumes of smoke choke the air
Fire climbs up and down the sheer sandstone walls in minutes
Dry conditions fuel the fires- December 1st 2019
At night concerned local residents would view the Ruined castle bushfire from Echo point lookout. At night you could clearly see the location of the fire as the flames would become visible in the darker conditions.
Night view of the ruined castle fire from echo point lookout
Line of fire in the jamison valley, Katoomba, Blue Mountains, Australia
Echo point providing a great viewing platform for the ruined castle bushfire
A wall of flames at night in the jamison valley, Blue Mountains.
Nightfire- Katoomba, Blue Mountains, Australia- December 3rd-2019.
Fire burns up into Pitts Amphitheatre, Katoomba, NSW.
Fire burns a path onto Mount Solitary. In the background the Kowmung river fire rages. This fire would go on to join with the the Green Wattle creek fire.
Ruined Castle fire flares up in gusty dry conditions- December 10th 2019. Planes and helicopters water bomb from above and bring the fire back under control.
Fire returns and burns in behind the iconic Ruined Castle sandstone formations. This was near the point where the fire originated 2 weeks ago.
A small flareup on narrowneck plateau as misty conditions permeate the night…
A backburn that was implemented to stop the spread of the massive Gospers Mountains fire, broke containment lines and entered the grose valley. The grose valley fire produced a huge pyrocumulus fire cloud that dominated the skyline…The Gospers Mountains fire was unstoppable and burnt over 1.2 million acres, becoming the largest forest fire in Australian history.
Pyrocumulus Cloud- Grose valley fire 2019
Gospers Breath- Grose valley fire 2019
Note: I would like to personally thank all the incredible and tireless work that the Emergency workers do across Australia each fire season. Thankyou!
So once again it’s quickly become that time of the year where I take a look back at some of my favourite photographic moments from the year just gone…2015. Wow that was fast! Are we sure there is still twelve months in a year or has it changed to about seven! This year, now nearly over, just seemed to fly by for me.
For me personally 2015 was a tough year as my father passed away on his birthday leaving me quite flat and uninspired at times. I made the decision to step back from taking allot of pictures in 2015 as I didn’t feel my usual drive. I’m glad of this decision as it allowed me to solidify my photographic business direction for the next few years. I got to work for some great clients in 2015 and I’m very thankful for those opportunities and I’m sure 2016 will be even better.
I hope you have enjoyed looking at my images from 2015 and I hope that you will continue to appreciate my photos for many years to come. Thanks to all of you that have viewed and perhaps shared my images online through the various social media platforms that I use. A big thanks to all my wonderful clients from 2015 and to the businesses that support my work as well. I’m looking forward to holding a joint photo exhibit this year in August as well as expanding my commercial photographic business to incorporate new and exciting opportunities for future and past clients. I wish everyone a very happy and safe New Years celebration and I look forward to bringing you much more of my photographic work in 2016. Thanks again for your support!
Here are a few of my favourite images from 2015
what goes up must come down..
Katoomba gets some snow
Three sisters on sunrise with a little snow
Blue Mountains winter wonderland
Three sisters in snow
Snow over three sisters
Winter Magic Festival 2015
Hands, heart & feet great winter magic annual performance
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