Ron Ryan is Coo-ee Picture Library, and has been since 1978, and was joined by founding staff member Maureen Emmerson in 1981. As we proudly say, Coo-ee is Australian owned, staffed and operated with the support of specialist Australian Photographers.

Coo-ee Picture Library is determined to remain truly independent, with no association, connection with or endorsement by any other library.

Ron Ryan of Coo-ee

Ron's Personal Story

Ron arrived in Australia from Ireland in 1956 and grew up in Colac, Victoria. He studied fine arts, became a photographer for newspapers and magazines, news photographer for ABC TV, worked in audio-visual and multimedia production, and later in advertising.

He is motivated to an incredible degree, passionate about photography, history and the future of the visual image, and just as passionately devoted to Coo-ee Picture Library.

His favourite place is the South West Tasmanian wilderness, and his favourite activity is planning photography shoots, but he also loves the challenge of research and what it reveals, and keeping ahead of what is expected. Holidays and retirement are not even on the radar, but he does have time to enjoy music, especially live music – country, Celtic, soul, trance and bluegrass.

One of Ron’s many memorable highlights in nature photography was when he was sitting next to a lyrebird mound in the Victorian Alps, and the male bird’s tail hit his camera lens while at the frenzy stage of dance with the female.

Some of his favourite shoots were the Melbourne moratoriums in 1970 and the Stolen Generations Government Apology event on the parliamentary lawns of Canberra in 2008.

He is a founding member of APACA, the Australian Picture and Copyright Association. 

But his special talent – finding parking spots when rushing to shoots in the CBD.