Image: Bill HARRIS
New Holland Honeyeater
Gallery Shop
1—30 November 2026
Throughout November, Bill Harris presents Birds in Focus, a series of photographs celebrating Australian birdlife in the Gallery Shop.
Born in Victoria and raised on a farm in Western Victoria, Bill first developed an interest in photography in the early 1970s, photographing life on the farm and developing his images in black and white. After raising a family in Western Australia, he returned to Melbourne in 2005. In 2009, his interest in photography was rekindled, and he quickly developed a passion for capturing images of birds.
Following retirement in 2014, Bill took the opportunity to travel and focus more deeply on photographing birds in the wild. After initially selling some of his images at local markets, Bill began exploring ways to achieve a higher standard of print quality and eventually decided to print his own images whenever possible.
Bill has a strong appreciation for printed images, both for the satisfaction he finds in producing them and for the way printed works invite viewers to pause and truly look at Australia’s remarkable birds.
In 2020, a gallery owner in the nearby town of Violet Town encouraged Bill to hold an exhibition, marking the beginning of a series of regional Victorian exhibitions.
Bill’s exhibitions have since been held in the following towns across regional Victoria:
Violet Town – October 2020
Kyabram – December 2021 – January 2022
Violet Town – April 2023 – May 2023
Marysville – March 2024 – April 2024
Meeniyan – February 2025
A number of Bill’s images have also been published in magazines locally and overseas, and several artists have drawn inspiration from his photographs for their own works.
All works in the Gallery Shop are available for purchase from Pop-Up Benalla Art Gallery, or by contacting the Gallery on: T 03 5760 2619 or gallery@benalla.vic.gov.au.
