Steve Parish

The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is photography and publishing and bookselling. Places of work recorded in the authority are United Kingdom. Work by Steve Parish is recorded in the collections of International Institute of Social History.

• Name — Steve Parish • Born — 15 July 1945 • Birthplace — Great Britain • Occupation — Photographer and publisher

His attraction to nature observation and study began at an early age as he papered his bedroom with posters of animals and drew and coloured his own wildlife creations. As a child he was a keen spear fisherman and at seventeen a practised hunter who had bought his first rifle at age 16. He had 17 firearms by the age of 18 and worked as an apprentice gunsmith. Parish was first introduced to photography when he was given the opportunity to join an expedition to Kangaroo Island led by pioneering Australian underwater photographer Igo Oak. Oak was a mentor to Parish and a co-founder of the South Australian Underwater Photography Society. Parish left school to work halfway through his first year in high school, choosing to educate himself and focus on gaining an understanding of how nature works. He worked with scientists from all disciplines, focussing on the ecology of natural systems, the behaviour of marine fish and Australia's fifty remaining Macropods (Kangaroos and wallabies). He continued to photograph marine life for the Australian Museum. His diving skills increased when he joined the Navy at the age of 18. In 1965 the Navy stationed him in Jervis Bay on the New South Wales coast. The work he was doing for the Australian Museum and the encouragement he got from museum leaders gave him a sense of purpose. While in the Navy stationed in Sydney, Steve joined the New South Wales Underwater Research Group. Here, he met Neville Coleman and Walt Deas. His time photographing in the Jervis Bay area provided much of the material for his first book Oceans of Life.