Australia's first photographers were opportunistic entrepreneurs, who wielded cumbersome equipment and charged a guinea for each sitter, even in group portraits! Today they flaunt the latest electronic marvels and manipulate megapixels, but the captivating quality of photography remains. From daguerreotypes to digital imagery, the development of photography in Australia is both a reflection and an intriguing record of technological, social and artistic change over 150 years.
Alan Davies charts the journey of the camera in Australia with authority and insight. His focus on varied photographic forms including portraits, postcards, panoramic views, family holiday snaps and documentary shots demonstrates the breadth of vision made possible through this ever-evolving medium.
'An Eye for Photography' features a remarkable selection of over 160 photographs from all over Australia, drawn from the vast collection of the State Library of New South Wales. It includes treasures such as the oldest photograph in Australia, extraordinary nineteenth-century masterpieces, classic images from Max Dupain and David Moore, a wealth of twentieth century colour and pioneering digital photographs.
'An Eye for Photography' is a celebration of photographs and of the people who have taken them.
Contents:
Foreword
Acknowledgements
1. A miniature likeness: the portrait revolution
2. The personal print
3. Virtual tourism
4. A long look around: the panoramic view
5. Capturing change
6. Something more
7. A world of colour
8. Digital imagery
Notes
Bibliography
Index
