One hundred years in the making, a new coffee table book shows exactly how South Australia’s landscapes – and coastlines – have changed.

Words Zoe Rice

Following in the flightpath of famed aerial photographer Douglas Darian Smith, fellow aerial photographer Paul Dare has been up in the air capturing South Australia from above. Darian Smith became a pioneering aviator and aerial photographer in the 1920s after returning from World War I, and he photographed the state with a bird’s eye view. He did this well into his mid-70s, capturing striking images.

In homage to Darian Smith’s work, Paul, who specialises in airborne remote sensing, took to the skies to recapture some of the same landmarks, sometimes 100 years on. Paul has combined the results beautifully in his book South Australia from Above: Views from Now and Then, published through Wakefield Press, which shows the incredible growth of the SA landscape over that time.

The book recounts Darian Smith’s fascinating history
and legacy, as told by his granddaughter, Professor Kate Darian-Smith.

Paul reflects on the project – one that was far more complicated than they ever imagined, despite initially thinking “How hard can it be?”.

“Unlike Darian’s glass plate camera and harness to attach himself to the aircraft, we had the luxury of a top spec digital camera and modern navigation systems,” Paul says. “It should be easy, right? In fact, we faced a few unexpected challenges.

“The weather was one: we always want good weather for flying, and especially for aerial photography.

“But you can’t control the weather, so you have to pick your days carefully. Another challenge, and one that Darian did not have to face, was the busy Adelaide airspace. Air traffic control was extremely helpful in giving us clearances to operate over the city, but we could only do that when there was no arriving or departing jet traffic.

“I’m really proud that after many years of work, we have managed to create a beautiful coffee table book that will give a lot of people a lot of pleasure.”

One hundred years in the making, a new coffee table book shows exactly how South Australia’s landscapes – and coastlines – have changed.

 

This article first appeared in the February 2024 issue of SALIFE magazine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This article first appeared in the February 2024 issue of SALIFE magazine.