John's temple of creativity

John Temple in his gallery in Westbury

JULY 2016 | Elizabeth Douglass

JOHN TEMPLE came to photography after his first successful incarnation as a farmer of angora goats.

His career in the world of wool production provided valuable experience in enabling him to create a successful business as a professional photographer.

And now, all these years later, John can stand in his Westbury gallery, surrounded by his amazingly beautiful images of Tasmania and the rest of the world.

His panoramic views show familiar townscapes as well as wilderness views that most people will never see for themselves, astonishing vistas of colour and form fixed with an artist’s eye.

Behind the scenes at the gallery there is a well-coordinated workshop through which John markets his own images as well as providing a professional design and print business for other clients.

There is everything a photographer needs including a cherrypicker for those otherwise impossible vantage points!

Time spent in the gallery is necessary for running a business, but after 20 years travelling the world and taking photographs, John still prefers the days when he is free to be outside, looking for landscape and light to capture through the lens.

Still using traditional film stock, John nevertheless welcomes the proliferation of digital photography rather than seeing it as an encroachment on his profession.

His optimistic view is that the sheer volume of digital photography disseminated through 'the Cloud' can produce memorably brilliant images also. And producing brilliant images will always be John’s motivation for getting up in the morning.

He strongly believes that after all this time, he has still achieved only a small fraction of what he wants to photograph. The urge to be out there with his cameras remains stronger than ever.

John doesn’t believe he has created his best image yet and intends to keep trying for a long time to come.

Photo | Mike Moores