Viewfinder: Exploring the changing face of Australia

Posted on 6 October, 2022

It’s a tall order, sifting through tens of thousands of images taken from 1970 to now, but in the depths of a Canberra lockdown that’s just what National Library of Australia curator Matthew Jones did.

The result is an exhibition which provides a fascinating glimpse into the changing face of Australia.

Viewfinder: Photography from the 1970s to Now is being exhibited at the National Library of Australia and features 125 images from the last 50 years, all uniquely captured by celebrated documentary photographers.

Walk through the exhibition and you’ll see the faces and stories of migrants, shearers, dancers, miners, gardeners, surfers and bronzed bodies at the beach. Each room in the gallery displays images around a different theme, including people at work, play, natural environments and built environments.

One of the photographers featured in the exhibition is Dave Tacon, who has expertly captured the beauty in everyday moments for the younger community, like the intensity of a soccer game outside a block of flats in Melbourne or the concentration of a professional skateboarder performing a method air on a half-pipe ramp to a crowd of young onlookers.

Flemington Eagles Striker Osman, representing the Flemington High Rise Housing Commission Flats, Atherton Reserve, Fitzroy, Victoria, 10 September 2005. Photo: Dave Tacon.

Dave says the exhibition reveals how much photography has evolved over the years, from black and white captures to the vibrant high-definition images of today.

“Many of the photos pre-date the iPhone, and that really transformed photography,” he says.

“In a period of one year, more photos were taken than the entire history of photography. There was a saturation of images we hadn’t seen before.”

Dave says his images were often a case of being in the right place at the right time, but he also enjoys getting to know his subjects.

“I’m a journalist as well as a photographer, so a large part of my job is getting to know the people I photograph, which is always interesting to me.”

The images also reflect the social change rippling through Australia in the last 50 years, from winged angels at Mardi Gras, significant moments in the journey towards reconciliation and COVID protests.

Rainbow Angel Wings, Mardi Gras 2003. Photo: William Yang

While curating the “50,000 or so” images for the exhibition and its accompanying book, Matthew was struck by how contemporary some of the older images looked.

“Some of the photos made it hard to tell when they were taken, which was surprising – it could be 1988 or 2020. The faces and activities were remarkably similar to now,” he says.

“I like that this is an exhibition that people wouldn’t need explaining to see the significance of the material, so they can say ‘Wow, this is the Australia I know’.”

Above all, Matthew hopes this will be a “reflective” exhibition for Australians.

Madelaine and Eileen Nom Chong, Braidwood, 1990. Photo: William Yang

“There are many everyday moments that can be captured with a camera but may not be significant enough to be accessioned into the collections of other libraries which we have used here, and often they’re the most fascinating,” he says.

“Sometimes a photo album is something you use to remind you of your own story, so I hope people can do the same here and come and see an Australia they recognise.”

Feature image: Surfer Boys and Girls on Beach, Lorne, 1975. Photo: Rennie Ellis