Focus: Australian government photographers

[Freakscene]

A photo exhibition ‘Focus: Australian government photographers‘ opens today at the National Archive, Canberra. It is worth contemplating that this program finished in 1996 and what this means for creating and curating a cohesive collection of photos of Australian history.​

https://www.naa.gov.au/visit-us/events-and-exhibitions/focus-australian-government-photographers

Eighty years ago, the government hired photographers to capture a slice of everyday life. Here's what they produced

Between 1939 and 1996 the government hired dozens of photographers to document Australian life. Now many of their works of intimate nature photography, striking architectural shots and captured everyday memories are displayed in a new exhibition.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Richard G]

Terrific stuff. Thanks for drawing our attention to this. A sort of Australian FSA plus photographic record. That kid catching the fish emphasises what you said about uncorrupted yellow with Kodachrome in Lynne’s 1979 US road trip thread.

 

[Archiver]

I'd love to see that, but getting to Canberra is going to be a bit tricky for the forseeable future. It's really surprising that the government hired photographers to document the country! If only such a position was still open, it's what I already do. I wonder how many photographs exist in that government collection, there must be thousands and thousands.

 

[Freakscene]

I'd love to see that, but getting to Canberra is going to be a bit tricky for the forseeable future. It's really surprising that the government hired photographers to document the country! If only such a position was still open, it's what I already do. I wonder how many photographs exist in that government collection, there must be thousands and thousands.

I am going to try to make a trip to see it. I recall when the program got cut, but it still seems strange in a modern context that it ever happened. Documenting our history is very important as a measure for gauging and understanding change. I bet the collection is huge, and breathtaking. I wonder if I’m in it, or anyone I am related to or know? I wonder if it will ever be digitised?

So much wondering.

 

[Archiver]

I am going to try to make a trip to see it. I recall when the program got cut, but it still seems strange in a modern context that it ever happened. Documenting our history is very important as a measure for gauging and understanding change. I bet the collection is huge, and breathtaking. I wonder if I’m in it, or anyone I am related to or know? I wonder if it will ever be digitised?

So much wondering.

That's a really good point. With Instagram, it is easy to see oneself in photos taken by others in the same social/work circles. But what of random photos taken at other times? With street photography being what it is today, surely someone knows the people in the myriad photos. Consider this one I took on the corner of Lonsdale Street in Melbourne: someone must know this guy.

GM1 - Beats [explore 2014 07 05] by Archiver, on Flickr

Some years ago, I was on a trip to Hong Kong, and took a random photo in an underground train station. I sent some photos to Dad, who was surprised to see his friend's son in the train station photo. I was shocked as well, because I didn't notice him at the time, but there he was.

On a similar note, I was going through old photos taken at a Christmas party, and found that I had images and video of a woman I later went out with. I didn't know her at the time, and I was taking photos of the people behind her, using her shape as foreground framing.

There was a recent auction of two Kodachrome slides taken of the Beatles when the visited Melbourne. I know someone who was definitely in that photo, in the crowd, because she went to see the Beatles standing on the balcony of the hotel. And coincidentally, it turns out that our friend's mother was also there at that time - there is an old black and white newspaper photo of her being helped by police because she fainted that day!