For anyone living on the Mornington Peninsula before the lockdowns started, Tash Carah’s photography is emblematic of the sea meets tree lifestyle. Her take on The Pillars at Mount Martha or Wategos in Byron Bay capture carefree moments where sunshine and water are the antidote to routine and monotony.
It’s easy to walk from the beach….
Growing up in Mount Eliza’s Woodlands was the perfect breeding ground for the appreciation of nature that figures in her work. "We would spend hours in the backyard climbing trees, building cubbies and riding our bikes around the neighbourhood.”
As Tash reminisces about her childhood, a sense of calm, ease and delight in the everyday beauty of our surrounds comes through in measured and thoughtful phrases.
“We had sport, but less structure. That’s what we’re finding kids are doing now – playing with more kids of different ages outside and around. It reminds me more about how I grew up, how kids are playing during lockdown.”
… to the bush in Mount Eliza.
Travel played a significant role in Tash’s life growing up in Mount Eliza, as did her father, who was a prolific amateur photographer. A stint in Port Moresby, holidays in Queensland, and a grand tour of Europe as a child inform the timeless narrative of her images.
“I got my own camera in primary school and started photographing friends.” It was at Toorak College that her passion gained a footing and whilst she followed a childhood ambition to be a nurse, the pull of photography eventually led to her pursuing a diploma at the Photography Studies College in the evenings whilst she nurtured a career in cardiac nursing during the day.
“Photography didn’t seem like a real job. I didn't see photography as a career at the time, which is why I pursued nursing. I tried commercial work, weddings and portraits but I didn’t love it.”
“Pieces from local artists and friends Deb McKenzie, Liza Zeni Baker and Atley & Co.”
Artwork by local artist Emma Cleine
Today, Tash is one of the Mornington Peninsula’s most prolific photographers with a studio at The Nook in Mornington. A Mount Eliza North Primary School alumni, her work will be featured in this year’s show from 22-28 October, 2021.
Brooking the divide between commerce and art, Tash successfully manages her childhood ambition with her life-long passion. “Today, I’m a clinical research consultant as well as a photographer. Five years ago, I started my print business up. My other job allowed me to build the business with the security of an income.”
Is this something she recommends to budding photographers?
“If you genuinely love what you do, stick at it,” is her advice. “I probably didn’t see myself being where I am five years ago, I just kept photographing things I love that resonate with me.”
Her work has found an audience throughout the Peninsula and further afield by designers and collectors.
Bold, focused, and confident. For this icon of the local arts community, childhood ambition and lifelong passion have come together for a life where transformative pleasure is shared with a generosity of spirit landing gently at just the right time.
To view Tash’s work or to contact her for an appointment, head over to https://www.tashcarah.com/
For more on the MENPS art fair, go to https://mtelizaart.com/
Five Live Loves of Tash Carah
Being close to family “We looked at a few different places and couldn’t picture ourselves living without space, trees and a backyard. My mother is still here, and although it was new for my husband, but home for me.”
Access to the beautiful beaches and bush “Within 5km of my home I can be standing on the beach or surrounded by gum trees”
Artistic community “I’ve found in the last few years people are moving to or returning to here: painters, photographers, ceramicists, who are really supportive of each other.”
The produce “Accessibility to beautiful local produce from farms. The eggs and apples, seasonal food. I love visiting the Mt Eliza Farmers Market with the family and stocking up.”
The lifestyle “The space we have and I think we have more freedom in general than if you lived in the city or a suburban area.”