Those faboulous fish

For those of you lucky enough to be on the Yarra River during the Commonwelath Games, there's no doubt you got equally excited about those fabulous fish. With Melbourne's perfect weather, over half a million people gathered on the banks of the river to watch a spectacle of light, colour and water.

We were fortunate to secure a spot on the roof of Transit at Fed Square, where we had an unbeatable view. So with a glass of champagne in hand, friends by our side, we toasted Melbourne, our wonderful city, and those fabulous fish.

Well done Melbourne, for a superb Commonwealth Games experience!

How important is your workspace?

Working at BISON's studio, we're at the centre of our own little creative hub... Shooting interior design photography, we see the environments other people work in is quite different from our own, which lead us to think about how important our workspace really is.

Now that we're spending more time at work than ever before, bright colours and interesting design elements are featuring in most new developments.

Oliver recently photographed a few very different work spaces in Melbourne. Which one suits your personality?

Drop us an email about your workspace.

Climbing in the Austrian Alps

With the Commonwealth Games truly underway, and with Australia generally 'cleaning up' in the gold medals tally, we thought it was time to blog some of our best sports photos!

It's great to see so many countries represented and enjoying our beautiful extended summer. Blue skies most days, and warm nights (well sort of) are adding to the atmosphere... don't say it too loud though, we all know Melbourne's weather!

Oliver recently photographed Joerg in Austria, climbing in the Austrian Alps.

Commonwealth Games - 2006 Festival

A love for Australian food...

When a friend recently visited Melbourne for the first time, we thought what better way to show him around, than by taking him on a tour of our stylish bars and restaurants!

Coming from Barcelona, he was accustomed to the best in food, especially great cheeses and their famous cava and wines. What he didn't expect was Melbourne's incredible diversity in cultures.

Many international people comment on Melbourne's food scene; this especially evident when you look at the availability of produce and variety of styles of cafes and restaurants.

From the institution that is THY THY's Vietnamese restaurant in Victoria Street, Richmond, to the best in fine dining with Michael Lambie at TAXI, Fed Square... there really is something for everyone's budget.

He couldn't believe that you could have Japanese for lunch, and Greek for dinner, and all at under $20 per meal.

Without sounding like an advertisement for Tourism Victoria, yes, whether it's Indian, French, Malaysian or Nepalese - it's all on offer in our great city. He even added that our Spanish food was 'not bad'.

Oliver heard about our foodie tour and sent through some mouth-watering photos from a few photo shoots last year... love those Laurent Patisserie cakes!

Windows are the new walls.

Oliver's trip to Austria and Germany last month was all about architecture (more than snowboarding - or so he tells us)! Looking at the new portfolio it's obvious that reflections, seriously caught his eye.

It all began with Watergate in the new Dockland's precinct (Melbourne), where he captured the 'sun setting in the balconies'.

Now again in Europe, he photographed the landscape seamlessly blending into the building's exterior. It does seem that a number of new developments are using glass (and mirrored materials) more than before. Gone are the times of peering through small windows, and being surrounded by four walls. It seems now, windows are walls.

Do you think this new design concept would be equally popular for residential developments, or really is suitable only for the business world?

Save the Emu

Oliver recently returned from 6 weeks travelling and taking photos in Europe.

Arriving back with over 40 rolls of films, and quite an array of photo's I was struck by this portfolio; of an Emu living in a metre of snow (without shelter), in a private zoo.

Those of you that know about Australian wildlife, are probably quite familiar with the conditions emus usually live in... i.e. NOT SNOW!

They say a picture speaks a thousand words, and you don't have to be a wildlife guru to see that this Emu is visibly distressed. Speaking with Oliver about this shoot, he also returned equally upset by the conditions he saw the Emu living in.

We thought we had to act, and raise some awareness... So one thing led to another, and we began talking to the people that are 'the animals' voice' in Australia.

Maryland Wilson, President of the Australian Wildlife Protection Council, and Pat O'Brien from the Wildlife Protection Association of Australia sent us some very interesting information. We started a dialogue as to how we can help, using our photos.

The same day the Sunday Herald Sun (an Australian national newspaper) contacted us to publish the photos, and journalist Adrian Tame got on board, and wrote a great article.

We thought how incredible the power of the photo and one little email was. But then all you have to do is look at the photo of the poor Emu to realise, bad news sells, and hopefully also helps Australia's precious wildlife living overseas.

Early next month I am meeting with Pat, who is coming to Melbourne, to meet and discuss how we can work together using our wildlife photos to develop strategies and improve public awareness of wildlife issues.

Is seems that everyone we speak to has a few ideas, please post yours!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

All of us at the BISON studio in Melbourne would like to wish you a very happy 2006!

Weird and wonderful wildflowers

We were given an interesting brief recently. Design a number of DVD/CD covers for a company that specialises in producing relaxation music for stressed corporate employees, patients in rehabilitation, and people that require motivation in the workplace.

Oliver produced a series of stunning photographs which some say have a supernatural theme. Others have tried to interpret the photos with male and female features! Either way, we think they are just a little different Australian native flower photography you typically see...

Who is OLIVER?

A number of you have recently asked, "Who is Oliver?" Good question.

Read his bio which attempts to demystify this elusive character.

Also see his favourite photos from his private PBO fine art portfolio.

Oliver is a professional photographer based in Melbourne, Australia with a state of the art photo studio in Brunswick East. His spectacular Australian landscape and wildlife work, and numerous corporate clients has earned him quite a reputation.
Oliver is truly passionate about his craft. Always striving for excellence, he travels considerably throughout the world in search of the stunning nature and wildlife - for which he is best known.

Recognised internationally as a exceptional landscape and wildlife photographer, Oliver still describes himself as striving to put on paper what he sees with his eye, as exactly as possible. This is his art. Oliver does this with his own style and his outstanding ability to portray the essential nature of a place at a particular moment in time.

Oliver has established his favourite photographic niche in the landscape and wildlife and category. His work is featured in private gallery collections, online and in print publications.
He is a highly respected photographer with extensive contacts throughout the Australia, the USA and Europe.

Great Buildings of the World

Oliver's architecture portfolio is your starting place for exploring famous architecture in Melbourne, Australia. Read though our links to facts and photos for great buildings, bridges, and other structures.

FEDERATION SQUARE - right in the heart of Melbourne.

Federation Square offers a great diversity of attractions for locals and tourists alike.

From its spectacular architecture, international restaurants and cafes, to Victoria’s National Gallery which houses an exceptional collection of Indigenous art, visitors from all over the world are fascinated and enticed by Fed Square’s charm.


WEBB BRIDGE - simply great design.

Part of the new Melbourne Docklands, this new sculptural pedestrian and cyclist bridge crosses the Yarra River, and links Yarra’s Edge with Docklands Park and Harbour Esplanade.

The bridge design is based on the concept of an eel entering a traditional fish trap.

The existing disused rail bridge has been clad in curved perforated steel plates that will shimmer during the day and glow green and yellow at night when lit from within.

The bridge is often described as an integrated artwork that functions as a pedestrian/cyclist bridge, it's hard not to agree. The roof is designed beautifully and transformed into a sculptural object; Oliver has captured this perfectly in a crisp, clear shot.

Australia’s Crumbling Coast

Standing on the edge of a cliff, the powerful force of Victoria’s rugged coastline is captivating. Australia’s most travelled (and also most scenic) stretch of road, winds along the coast and ends for many at the 12 Apostles in Port Campbell National Park.

We challenge any geographical destination to offer a spectacle as this; standing on a wooden bridge jutting out above Australia’s roughest ocean.

Overlooking massive sandstone rock faces, Oliver, (BISON’s photographer) fixed his camera on the stacks of rock that had broken off the mainland. Through the natural course of time Victoria’s coastline was changing, it seemed rapidly. Just 15 years ago another of the site's main attractions, the London Bridge, fell into the sea. Tourists at the time remained trapped on what was left of the bridge, and had to be rescued.

We noticed a reflective, somewhat silent mood had filled the air. A number of people silently arrived to experience a sunset at the 12 Apostles. Hushed discussions surrounding the latest event of yet another apostle crumbling. A few people pointed to the pile of rubble that remained after the collapse.

Oliver kept shooting as the light changed, and the apostles began to glow. Locals and tourists alike were struck by the rock formations' beauty.

It’s hard to pin point exactly what it is that draws so many people each year. Is it the open space, is it their sheer size, or is the realisation that people are so small in the grand scheme of things?

Looking around, we noticed people from all over their world; Japan, America, Germany, Russia and the ever present surfers that ‘came down to just watch the sunset’.

The sky changed from deep blue, to a hazy pink, then to a remarkable purple. The enormity of these giants rising from the sea becoming more apparent as darkness fell.

There is a tranquillity captured in a frozen moment only to be broken by a child that asked, “What are we waiting for?”

Fine Art Photography

The Bison Studio, Melbourne
Colour Photography 110 pages

Description: Fine Art Photography from the Bison Studio, presents a selection of 90 works from our extensive collections of work.

The photography reveals a captivating insight into how world class photographer Oliver has captured the Australian animal world.
- Illustrated with superb photography from the east coast of Australia.
- A complete and absorbing natural history of native Australian wildlife.
- A fascinating insight into the recent developments in Australian conservation and research.

Contents :
1. Introducing Australia
2. Amphibians & Reptiles
3. Birds
4. Crustaceans & Molluscs
5. Insects & Arachnids
6. Mammals
7. Marsupials
8. Endangered species
9. Conservation & Research
10. Glossary
11. Further information

Reviews: ". . . wonderful photos. They are inspirational in their own right and very beautiful…” Wendy Blaxland, Author, Australia, 18 October 2005

Photographer Information: Oliver is a professional photographer in Australia with a state of the art photo studio in Melbourne. His spectacular Australian landscape and wildlife work, and numerous corporate clients has earned him quite a reputation.
Oliver has established his favourite photographic niche in the natural history category. His work is featured in private gallery collections, online and in print publications. He is a highly respected entrepreneur with extensive contacts throughout the Australia and Europe.

Beautiful Tasmania

Tasmania’s beauty is never more richly expressed than in winter, when cool climate paints the forests with cool greens, endless blue skies, and clear waterfalls. BISON's photographer Oliver, spent a week shooting the West coast of Tasmania, discovering lush forests 'off the beaten track'.

With our spectacular National Parks mass of colour, not a visitor in sight, he captured the beauty of the most southern part of our great land, and produced a breathtaking portfolio.

Now part of our fine art portfolio, international customers are becoming more and more interested in the landscapes collection from the unique dense forest of picturesque Tasmania.

A description posted on the Tourism Tasmania website says it best...

Separated from mainland Australia by the 240 km stretch of Bass Strait, Tasmania is a land apart – a place of wild and beautiful landscapes; friendly, welcoming people; a pleasant, temperate climate; wonderful wine and food; a rich history; and a relaxed island lifestyle.

According to experienced travellers who’ve criss-crossed the globe in search of excellence, Tasmania has one of the world’s ten best beaches (Wineglass Bay, US-based Outside magazine), the world’s best little town (Strahan, Chicago Tribune) and is rated as 'the best island in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific' (Travel + Leisure magazine) and ‘the world’s best temperate island’ (Condé Nast Traveler magazine).

Discover what Oliver saw and plan your next holiday to beautiful Tasmania.