The rise, fall and rise of Steve Parish

‘Photographers want to capture what they see, but more importantly these days, also what they feel.’

To say that Steve Parish has been a phenomenon in Australian photography is no exaggeration. In fact it’s an understatement.

At its peak in the mid- and late-1990s, Steve Parish Publishing was wholesaling up to $15 million worth of greeting cards, postcards, books, calendars, wrapping paper and novelty items each year to 3600 retail outlets, including 1700 post offices.

All of that mountain of product bore Parish’s trademark signature and was based on his photos of Australian flora, fauna, and natural landscapes. Hundreds of thousands of them.

In 2008 he was awarded the Order of Australia medal for his life’s work in publishing.

I’ve interviewed Parish before – 22 years ago, when his already successful business was ramping up fast. He was candid and talkative then, and he still is.

Looking at your website, it seems you have been very busy. What are you doing right now?

My partner and I recently bought four hectares of bushland at Mount Mellum, near Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. It came with