VIDEO: Tasmanian Tree Project

By AG STAFF December 15, 2016
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Behind the scenes photographing a living giant – an 84m swamp gum in the depths of Tasmania’s forests, home of the world’s tallest flowering plants.

GANDALF’S STAFF IS an 84m tall swamp gum in the depths of the Tasmanian forest. The living giant is 17.23m in circumference at its base, and – situated along the popular Tolkien Track – was home to a five-month-long tree-sit campaign in 2003.

It’s an iconic tree for a number of reasons, which is why it was chosen for this ambitious project, dubbed the Tasmanian Tree Project, to capture a full-length portrait of all 84 metres.

The logistics of this undertaking can’t be underestimated, the camera set up alone took a total of two weeks – nine days longer than originally planned – and several more weeks to capture the all-important portrait, with the aim of elevating these giants into the cultural consciousness of all Australians.

“We’d like these trees to be recognised as icons of our natural heritage, alongside Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef,” says Tasmanian Tree Project photographer Steve Pearce.

Watch the video for a behind the scenes insight into photographing one of the world’s tallest trees, and read the latest issue of Australian Geographic (AG#136) for more about the project, and to see the impressive end result.