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welcome to the news page, with recent commercial & portfolio photography nla publication, martin doherty, george golla & bruce mathiske, sydney writers' festival, commercial - tanna partners, lithgow valley springs, the greens of leura, blackheath family shoes, blue mntns wonderland magazine, john moran, michael edwards homes, dryridge estate images copyright pa cosgrave photoswordspeople.com My image from the October 2002 bushfires in the Grose Valley of the Blue Mountains was acquired in that year for the Permanent Collection of the National Library of Australia. The image is to be published in a new NLA book of wilderness photography, Wild Australia. Wild Australia will include images from Australian photographers such as Harold Cazneaux, Olive Cotton, Peter Dombrovskis, Frank Hurley & David Moore, and is expected to retail at $34.95. Róisín was for many years the fullest expression of Irish music in Australia and Martin Doherty was the band's founding member. Now, Martin has put together a fine new band, which has been coming for a while, and recalled the Róisín banner.
The hotel's charming ambience is perfect for live music - there are images below from an excellent recent jazz concert.
He's just released a magnificent cover of Don MacLean's Vincent and a tribute album to the CFMEU's late organiser, John Cummins. Mostly, though, the band plays traditional Irish airs and ballads.
Leigh also contributes harmonies and backing vocals in the band, and looks after its graphic design and marketing.
Eden has a background in folk bands, though not exclusively Irish - in fact, his ancestry is mainly Scottish. Eden has known Martin for some time but only joined the band a month ago, after a chance meeting and rehearsal in Lithgow.
You'll never hear a finer or more authentic Irish voice.
Almost a hundred jazz lovers heard a concert from heaven in Blackheath on June 22. Australia's jazz guitar legend, George Golla, has just released an album with the great Bruce Mathiske and they came up to play together at the mountains' home of jazz, Blackheath's New Ivanhoe Hotel.
The new duo album is available online at Bruce Mathiske's website, bruceguitar.com.
Many thanks to the Rays at the New Ivanhoe for their continuing support of high quality jazz, and for an excellent supper included in the ticket price of just $25.00.
The Blue Mountains module of the 2008 Sydney Writers' Festival was staged by Varuna: The Writers' House at Katoomba's renowned Carrington Hotel on May 19th & 20th, with a cinema and discussion event on 21st. I was delighted to provide the conference photography for Varuna, and here are some selected images.
Gleebooks in Blackheath was on hand, too, with copies of all the books in discussion for author signing.
He charmed everyone with both his literary flair and his personal warmth.
Here, Shearston reads from his novel, Dead Birds, published in 2007.
She spoke compellingly and with whimsical sensitivity about the American writer, Edith Wharton, the subject of her latest biography.
Toltz has worked as a camerman, security guard, private investigator and teacher - but he gets my vote for not making fun of me when I slipped over taking this shot.
Burnside lived a tough life and from it has taken great warmth and gentleness. His Dad took him out at age 12 to "learn to drink like a man", and he spared few details in recalling his difficult early years. They are best described in his memoir, A Lie About My Father.
The ambience of The Carrington, one of the Blue Mountains most splendid old hotels, was the perfect setting for the Festival. Between sessions patrons gathered for conversation and refreshment in the main lounge with the winter sun streaming through its glorious stained glass windows.
The discussion between these two women, for me, was a highlight of the Festival.
The Sydney Writers' Festival has become a major event in the cultural calendar of the Blue Mountains, thanks to the skill which Madeleine Dignam and the Varuna team bring to its staging. Madeleine was formerly the Director of the Hong Kong Writers' Festival, a ten day event, and her expertise shows in the superbly alternating flows and energies of the Sydney Festival sessions. Many thanks to all at Varuna and The Carrington for another successful event. Books featured are available at Gleebooks of Blackheath and Megalong Books in Leura. Verse, editorial and business writing by Paul Cosgrave
greg tanna
angelika radevska
This one's from a series covering the new range for Lithgow Valley Springs mineral water, which a friend told me he'd recently bought in Vanuatu.
LVS website (under construction)
The store's located at 4 Govetts Leap Road and stocks elegant labels such as ecco, rohde, rieker and josef seibel.
(+612) 4787 6870
The Wonderland magazine comes out each quarter and it's the definitive guide for a holiday in the Blue Mountains. It's a pleasure collaborating on the publication with Editor, Mick Ticehurst, and sales people James Lewis (0414 715 668) and Lorraine Bowerman (0418 457 132).
a view from mount blackheath
read online at bluemountainswonderland.com.au
The oil painting is called Victory Man and the album title refers to the last day of European hostilities in WW2. John's music, all recorded at his home audio studio in Blackheath, has been getting some impressive international reviews, including a splendid critique from Ed Ka-Spel of the Netherlands-based UK band, Legendary Pink Dots.
myspace.com/thejohnmorancorpEration
This is from a portfolio series commissioned by Michael Edwards Lifestyle Homes.
They've themed each room for a major English romantic poet and the result is charming.
(+612) 4784 3241
Bob and Barbara have created a perfect place to escape to, with fine wines, vistas and accommodation just 120 minutes from Sydney.
(+612) 4787 5625 Thank you for reviewing these recent commercial images. If you'd like me to email you a portfolio covering your special imaging needs, drop me a line or call (+612) 4787 6870 and let's discuss your requirements.
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NLA Publication
Róisín Reforms
The band will maintain its close association with Sydney's Mercantile Hotel, but played its first Blue Mountains concert recently at Blackheath's New Ivanhoe Hotel. 
Martin writes, sings and plays guitar & bohdran. 
It was a great thrill to be invited to take some new promotional photographs for the band, and the hand you see in the image above, and in this one, belongs to fiddler, Simon Watts.
Simon is perhaps the mountains' most accomplished violinist in this idiom, and a very fine singer of harmonies, too.
One of the most delightful features of the evening, for me, was the haunting interplay between Simon's fiddle and the guitars and mandolin of Leigh Birkett. 
On bass, bouzouki and electric guitars is multi-instrumentalist, Eden Mackenzie.
If you haven't seen Martin Doherty & His Band, Róisín, yet, you can find a list of upcoming gigs at 
George Golla, Bruce Mathiske
Mathiske opened the show before being joined by Golla for tunes that included standards, new compositions and imaginative medleys.
Golla is most famous, of course, for his work over many years with the Don Burrows Quartet.
Only two outstanding masters could blend electric and acoustic guitars quite so perfectly.
George takes a break to listen to a set from Bruce. 
Gillian Appleton (right), Chair of Varuna, with Madeleine Dignam who did such a fine job of organising the Festival.
Varuna's professionals were strongly supported by a team of volunteers and Jenny looked after the Varuna stall of antiquarian books - only $5.00 each, if you can believe that.
The Festival opened with the work of American writer Forrest Gander, one of the most esteemed poets of our time.
Gander is an author, poet & essayist and holds the Chair of English and Comparative Literature at Brown University.
The ABC's Pacific Correspondent, Sean Dorney, hosted a session with Trevor Shearston, who has has travelled and worked extensively in Papua New Guineau.
British biographer, Hermione Lee, is Goldsmiths Professor of English Literature and Fellow of New College, Oxford.
The first novel from Steve Toltz, A Fraction of the Whole, has been called the Australian novel of the year by some critics.
The session was compered by Sydney Morning Herald writer, Malcolm Knox, himself an award-winning novelist and journalist.
For the second year in succession Edmund Campion, author, Jesuit priest and thoroughly nice bloke, added his impressive conversation and impeccable research in the chairing of sessions.
His first session was a revealing conversation with the Scottish author, John Burnside.
Craig Billingham was one of three Blue Mountains poets (with Deb Westbury and Mark O'Flynn) who joined Forrest Gander and John Burnside in the final session of day 1, reading new poetry. 
Tegan Bennett Daylight hosted a delightful conversation with her long standing friend and fellow writer, Charlotte Wood.
Wood's new book, The Children, is her third novel and is concerned with the hold that childhood retains in our adult selves.
The Festival ended with a conversation between three Australian authors who have all written about obsession and its dangers - Vicki Hastrich (The Great Arch), Toni Jordan (Addition) and (pictured) Camilla Noli (Still Waters). 
As is the tradition, the final session was expertly chaired by Varuna's Creative Director, Peter Bishop.
I had the great pleasure recently of a portrait assignment for Tanna Partners, the executive recruitment specialists based in Sydney and Melbourne.
The studio's been busy, too, with some new product photography.
Also shot in the studio was this series of fashion images for the mountains' best known footwear and accessories location, Blackheath Family Shoestore.
You'll be well looked after, too, by Annette, Leanne, Kaye and Kathleen. Who said personal service is dead?
The images formed the basis of a display advertisement which I designed for the store's regular advertising space in Blue Mountains Wonderland Magazine.
As well as writing editorial and feature pieces, I get to supply the occasional landscape, too. These are a couple of recent cover images.
autumn avenue, blue mountains
This album cover was also shot in my studio - it's a painting especially created by artist and musician, John Moran, for his limited edition release 8th of May. 
Excellence in interior design is always rewarding to photograph. 
Another glorious mountain home - The Greens of Leura Heritage Guesthouse.
Hosts Hayley and Richard Clifton asked me to describe the authentic atmosphere of their lovely establishment, and it was a pleasure.
Bob and Barbara Tyrell have an interesting story to tell. They retired from the business world to the Megalong Valley and decided to learn winemaking.
The Dryridge Estate was created as the Blue Mountains' only vineyard, right next to the 6 Foot Track. They've now released three vintages, all with distinct cold climate characteristics.
Over the last 18 months I've enjoyed doing their product photography, helping with website copy and completing an accommodation series with model engagement.