What is PAUSE and this campaign about?

Hello! I am Paul Fleming, a Tasmanian photographer based in Hobart, and PAUSE will be my first book. It is a compilation of my photography and prose, and is due to be published in late 2016.

Dr Bob Brown, retired Senator and Leader of the Australian Greens, will contribute the Foreword of the book.

I’ve been told my passion for Tasmania is infectious. I’m fairly confident that’s a compliment.

I’m mostly known for sharing my love for this island through my significant social media presence, as @lovethywalrus on Instagram and Twitter. Yes, I know that’s a weird username. Thankfully, I like weird.

Working with tourism organizations, operators and media outlets, I have earned a reputation for my professional quality photography and positive stories, which combine to inspire people to visit Tasmania. Some people call this ‘influence’. I prefer to say I offer ‘inspiration’. Whatever we call it, it’s simply me sharing places that I love and hoping others will too.

PAUSE will be my first significant venture in taking my work ‘offline’ and into the physical world, after years of success online sharing my passion for Tasmania. It’s a giant leap, but one I am excited for. Plus, I can’t remember the last time I actually printed a photo, despite there being many thousands on my computer; I’m going old school on this one.

The book represents some of my favourite images from around the island; though this is not a traditional landscape photography offering. My style is laid back and inclusive, focusing on those stunning views, vistas and experiences most people could also find themselves enjoying; Amazing moments that may require only a short walk, a scenic drive or the ability to function before the sunrises.

Why the name, PAUSE? Because when we find ourselves in a beautiful place or perhaps under a magical sky, we need to slow down; take a deep breath and be in the moment - in other words, press pause on our busy lives, and just enjoy the moment.

A short piece of prose accompanies many of the images, evoking a feeling or imagined experience borne of that moment. There is no order, no plan that a reader of the book must follow; PAUSE is best enjoyed as a moment of peace and calm, an escape from a busy day.

It would be perfect as a gift for a friend. Or a colleague. Maybe buy ten so you always have a present at hand for those birthdays you always forget until the last minute (sorry mum).

This book is also a huge step for me personally – I’m sharing with you a side of me that people haven’t been able to connect with previously.

Does that scare me? You bet! But the excitement of setting part of myself free is far stronger, and a journey worth embarking on.

Additionally, if I reach my funding target then the supportive team at Arts Tasmania will chip in an extra $2,000 through their Crowbar program. 

Who are you, and why do you want my money?

I am Paul Fleming, which you may have read already. If so, hello again.

If not, hello. And thank you for taking the time to check out my Pozible campaign!

Originally from the picturesque Tamar Valley, just north of Launceston in Tasmania, I have resided in Hobart for seven years now – although I detoured via Brisbane, and Indiana, USA, before settling here.

I am husband to Justin, lick-receiver to puppy Diego, and annoyance-yet-food-provider to cats Lukey and Hudson. All prefer to have food on the table and a roof overhead, but there’s no pressure on me to make this book work. None. Nada. Zilch…

My parents nurtured a deep appreciation in me for our stunningly beautiful Tasmania at an early age, with family holidays spent in the wilderness for days at a time. In hindsight, perhaps six years old was too young to climb Cradle Mountain, nine to walk the Overland Track and eleven to complete the magnificent South Coast Track. Actually, that’s quite a terrifying thought now – what were they thinking!

To be fair, they did meet in the Launceston Walking Club and had an even deeper connection to the environment than I, so I was always in good hands. And therefore it is no wonder that I was likely to also fall in the love with our natural places – though as a child, perhaps my love for endless days of bushwalking was not quite as evolved as it is now. My appreciation for what we have here certainly was sown in those early years, and I am forever grateful to them for that guidance.

In more recent years, I have completed a Bachelor of Tourism with First Class Honours, and worked extensively within the tourism industry from small consultancies to government agencies in Tasmania and interstate. At one point I co-authored a handbook for using sustainable tourism in developing countries to alleviate poverty; though my embarrassingly liberal use of Clipart means we do not speak of this period in my life…

For the past four years my work has been concentrated on social media, all for tourism. I have been able to combine my photography and passion for Tasmania into a job I could not have dreamed about before. Additionally, this work has been recognized by other destinations, leading to photography and social media and press work throughout Australia and Canada. Although, Tasmania is where my heart beats the warmest, so this book is all about Australia’s island paradise.

Through my photography, I feel I have been able to tap into the creative side of myself – expressing a moment, capturing an emotion or telling a story – in a way that I maybe have struggled to connect with in the past. I seek out colour and vitality in the world around me, and try to record this in still images; with my own interpretation of the moment weaved within the scene. I don’t strive to be a classic landscape photographer or have interest in pursuing that style; I prefer to seek my own style, finding and creating moments as I feel them, and sharing the images and the experiences they represent.

Why do I need your support now? Great question! I see this book as an opportunity to share and reveal more of my personality, my humanness, beyond some bits and bytes of the online world. Gaining ‘likes’ and ‘followers’ online is nice, but it’s not a tangible endeavour; by opening up more of myself through this book, I feel I am able to let people connect with me, and Tasmania, on a beautiful – hard cover, full colour – level.

Why a book?

PAUSE is the result of thinking about a book, over-thinking a book, and rethinking what that book should be, and marrying that with advice from friends, family and trusted associates.

I feel that the time is right to bring this work into the physical world, to bring life to my work that has always had a warm and welcoming home online.

Nothing beats the feel of a well-crafted book, filled with joyous colours and scenes.

What are the details of the book?

PAUSE is an 11.5 x 8in (about A4 size) landscape-orientated, full-colour, hardback book.

The book will be approximately 100 pages, including 32 captivating ‘moments’ of prose (over 4,000 words!) and more than 50 beautiful photographs of Tasmania, from a range of views and compositions you may not have usually seen.

Dr Bob Brown, former Senator and leader of the Australian Greens, will contribute the Foreword of the book. 

How much will it retail for?

PAUSE will be AU$49.95 (+ postage and handling).

When do I get my Reward?

Thank you so much for your support.

Rewards that don’t include a book will be posted as soon as practical after the campaign ends – allow up to a month (might be sooner, might be later).

When do I get my book?

Well first of all, thank you for choosing a reward that gets you a book – yay you!

Books will be printed ASAP once the campaign ends, and you will have your book before the end of the year. Printing a volume of books takes time, so does transporting said volume of book. I will keep you updated as best I can during the process though.

How can I purchase extra books after the Campaign ends?

I was hoping you’d ask this question!

I plan to have PAUSE available:

• Directly through my website ‘www.lovethywalrus.com’
• At Hobart’s famous Salamanca Market (casual basis)
• Local bookstores in Hobart and Launceston
• Through contact via my social channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter &LinkedIn)
• Other outlets – being negotiated

Apparently I’m not allowed to buy puppies with your money, so I will instead be spending the bulk of the funding like this:

• The most expensive part of this process is printing the books (including an assortment of fees)
• The remainder will go towards;

Editing, refining and preparing the book for print.

Marketing – I will use existing channels, but going beyond my own audience will be critical to success.

Fulfilling rewards – The prints and books won’t print and post themselves, unfortunately.

Puppies (hey, I can try!).

The main challenge with this campaign is that I am a first time author – but this is not a challenge that can’t be beaten. It just means more ground work is required to keep momentum and raise the needed funds within the campaign timeframe.

I have a large social following and convincing people to step up from ‘follower’ to ‘contributor’ will be a difficult task, but one that I am looking forward to overcoming.

The most expensive part of this campaign – printing the book – brings with it a range of potential challenges; however I am engaging with trusted colleagues who have been through the process before and taking on their advice and direction.