I want to share a set of images with you from the Flinders Ranges, in South Australia. I've been planning this journey for over 3 years, and although it was less than a week in duration it proved to be a milestone in my photography.
You can jump direct to the photo essay here if you like (http://ewenbell.com/editorial/Flinders+Ranges) or please read on.
There is one simple objective I have with my camera, "to share what makes the world beautiful." I want everyone to see the beauty I see. The camera is a powerful tool to help you share your vision of the world, with the entire world.
Nested within this intention is another simple idea. Never ever never never miss an opportunity to make the world a better place, a more compassionate place, a more peaceful place. Any chance you get to bring some light into the world is a gift. Please don't waste it.
When I was first starting out in photography, back in the early 90s, I drove from Melbourne to Alice Springs and home again. I drove through the outback and along some dirt roads in the Flinders Ranges. I've been going back ever since.
The landscape is amazing, but the people are treasures. There's a little town on the northern side of the Flinders called Parachilna. It's got 6 permanent residents, and a cracking little pub. The Prairie Hotel looks like nothing from the outside, just a tiny dot on the landscape. Then you step through the doors and enter a sophisticated oasis of culture and charm.
The owners are locals, they have a cattle station 30 minutes up the road on the flat land between the Heysen Range and Lake Torrens. It's difficult land and they took over The Prairie Hotel to help make a better go of things. It's been a great success that still presents challenges, but has brought incalculable joy to so many visitors. For me, their presence in Parachilna is the reason I keep going back.
I want my photographs to encourage others to visit Parachilna. And the Flinders Ranges. And see the Yellow Footed Rock Wallabies. And fly over Wilpena Pound at dawn. And wait for the setting sun next to a windmill.
This is why I take photos. To share what makes the world beautiful. Please join me.
