Tasmania. Heart of the North by Owen Hughes. Signed.

Published by Owen Hughes, Master of Photography, 1988. Text by Sir Raymond Ferrall. Foreword by Alderman A. Tsinoglou. 1st printing, SIGNED and inscribed by Hughes. Self-published monograph in color by Tasmanian author/photographer, with images of the island south of Australia.  Fine hardcover, brown cloth with fine protected dust jacket. Very uncommon signed, especially in this condition. 

Owen Hughes is an Australian photographer recognized as one of Tasmania's leading figures in commercial and landscape photography. Raised on a farm on Tasmania's East Coast near St. Marys, Hughes originally turned to photography to navigate the rural economic depression of the 1960s, a move that launched his full-time creative career. Operating out of Launceston, he developed an expressive, highly regarded style, earning national acclaim for his scenic landscape photography and wedding portraiture. Hughes achieved significant industry milestones, becoming Tasmania’s first Master of Photography (and Australia’s seventh) as well as a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Professional Photographers (AIPP). His accolades include winning Australian Landscape Photographer of the Year, Australian Portrait Photographer of the Year, and Australian Wedding Photographer of the Year. In addition to his fine art prints, his celebratory studies of his home state's wilderness and heritage have been featured widely in local press and photo books, such as For the Love of Tasmania.

Heart of the North (1988) is a self-published photographic monograph by acclaimed Australian photographer Owen Hughes, featuring text by prominent Tasmanian businessman and author Sir Raymond Ferrall. Produced as a high-quality coffee table volume, the book acts as a visual and narrative tribute to the geography, culture, and heritage of northern Tasmania.

Key Content and Themes

• Regional Curation: As the title suggests, the book shifts its focus away from Tasmania's southern capital of Hobart to celebrate the distinct identity of the island's northern regions. It extensively covers local landscapes, historic towns, agricultural districts, and rugged coastal vistas.

• Vivid Color Photography: The core of the volume relies on Hughes’s mastery as a landscape photographer. Utilizing high-fidelity color film, Hughes captures the changing seasons, rolling green pastures, misty river valleys, and distinct lighting unique to the Tasmanian wilderness.

• Historical and Cultural Context: Sir Raymond Ferrall’s accompanying text provides depth to the imagery. His commentary weaves together local history, civic pride, and reflections on the industry, communities, and architecture that define northern Tasmanian life.

Significance

Heart of the North is a celebrated regional time capsule from the late 1980s. By combining Hughes's crisp, scenic eye with Ferrall's deep local knowledge, the monograph remains a cherished collector's piece for those mapping the visual history and geographic beauty of island south of the continent of Australia.