PHOTOGRAPHERS’ technical information

Matthew Abbott
Untitled #2 2008
type C photograph
32.6 × 48.6 cm
courtesy the artist

MATTHEW ABBOTT ISTANBUL

What camera was used to shoot this series?

I use a Leica M6 with a 35mm f/2 lens. I use this camera because the view-finder is so bright and the
shutter so quick. I set the exposure and focus, and wait for the exact moment. I find automatic cameras
are a distraction, especially digital.
Did you use a film or digital camera? If film, what type and speed?
I use Kodak 400 Portra VC, it’s ok but I am sure any film would do the trick. I like to use fast film (i.e.
400 ISO) as it gives me more flexibility when I work on the street with depth of field. I usually expose
the film 1 f/stop extra (i.e. rate it as 200 ISO) sometimes even more. This brings out the colours of the
negative film and makes it easier to print.
What type of lens did you use?
I use a 35mm lens and always shoot in landscape. I love this angle of view and will probably never
change. A 50mm I find has too little depth of field for the type of compositions I make and the 28mm is
just too wide. Using just one lens really makes me focus on that angle of view and I find this important
to making effective compositions. It forces you to move your feet to get closer most of the time.
How long did you work on this series?
I spent three weeks on this series, shooting every day all day, except from 11am–2pm.
What were some of the challenges you faced in shooting this series?
There were no challenges really, except for my camera breaking and getting robbed. I love
photography because it gives you an excuse or opportunity to experience different people and
cultures–even if I don’t get pictures I am always satisfied. This project was a lot of fun and I really fell in
love with Istanbul.
Is there a particular artist or artists who have influenced your work?
Most of them are in or have been in Magnum. They include Alex Webb, Trent Parke and Antoine
D’Agata, to name a few.
Is there anything else you would like to add about your work?
I find I am happiest with my photos when I shoot things that I am passionate about. This is the most
important thing for me.

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Paul Batt
Untitled #1 2008
type C photograph
34.0 × 50.0 cm
courtesy the artist

PAUL BATT service station portraits

What camera was used to shoot this series?

Nikon D200’s.
Did you use a film or digital camera? If film, what type and speed?
I shot with digital SLR cameras in RAW format at 3200 ISO.
What type of lens did you use?
A Nikon AF 300mm F2.8 telephoto lens with a Nikon TC-201 2x tele-convertor.
How long did you work on this series?
On and off for about a year and a half.
What were some of the challenges you faced in shooting this series?
In the beginning of the series, different technical problems arose each time I attempted to make
a picture. Often, even as one technical problem was solved, another more difficult one seemed to
replace it. Subjects with wry expressions, blinking, camera shake, over exposure, colour casts and
misjudging focus had been the main reasons, explaining why so much time and so many pictures
were needed to be taken to make the series work. In some way this explains why the shooting ratio
was so high.
Is there a particular artist or artists who have influenced your work?
There are a lot of photographers I admire and consider influences, although William Eggleston and
Walker Evans are amongst my favourites. With Eggleston it’s his sense of colour and compositional
balance, coupled with his ability to make the most mundane of subject matter appear as though you
are seeing it for the first time–that really inspires me. More directly Evans’ Subway Portraits were an
inspiration for the series. His portraits of subway passengers are probably the first real photographic
series that consciously documented everyday people using a concealed camera. Since the late 1990s
concealed cameras have been used and other photographers like Paul Strand have worked in this
way. It really took a photographer like Walker Evans in the late 1930s, to realise the documentary
possibilities of using a camera in this way.

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James Brickwood
Untitled 2008
type C photograph
33.0 × 50.0 cm
courtesy the artist

JAMES BRICKWOOD WAREHOUSE

What camera was used to shoot this series?

A Voigtlander Bessa R2M and a Nikon F5 with a Nikon SB26 flash.
Did you use a film or digital camera? If film, what type and speed?
Film. Mostly Ilford HP5 rated 400–800 and Neopan 1600 rated 800–1600, both 35mm format.
What type of lens did you use?
28mm and 35mm prime lenses.
How long did you work on this series?
It’s a work in progress, which I’ve been working on for the last four years on and off. These parties are
few and far between.
What were some of the challenges you faced in shooting this series?
A lot of my work on this project is shot at sunrise. These parties are illegal and usually attract
unwanted attention from the police–cutting these parties short.
Is there a particular artist or artists who have influenced your work?
Bruce Davidson, Garry Winogrand and Bruce Gilden.

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left:
Darren Clayton
Preah Vihear
Gopura #3 2008
inkjet print
40.0 × 40.0 cm
courtesy the artist

right:
Darren Clayton
Cambodian Woman
Ascending Temple
Stairs 2008
inkjet print
40.0 × 40.0 cm
courtesy the artist

DARREN CLAYTON IMAGES FROM PREAH VIHEAR

What camera was used to shoot this series?

I used a Bronica SQ-A medium format SLR camera (6x6) with waist level finder.
Did you use a film or digital camera? If film, what type and speed?
I used Kodak Tri-X 400 ISO black and white film for these photographs.
What type of lens did you use?
Two lenses were used; they were a 80mm F2.8 and a 50mm F4.
How long did you work on this series?
I was in the right place at the right time to be aware of the story and I made my mind up to photograph
Preah Vihear while I was staying in Siam Reap in Cambodia. I made the 800 kilometre or so round trip
three times to the temple staying for roughly two nights and three days each time. So the series was
made up of short stays over a period of three to four weeks.
What were some of the challenges you faced in shooting this series?
There were a few small challenges, like enduring a rough, 200 kilometre ride on the back of a small
motorbike on a dirt road that was either very muddy or dusty. Overcoming the language barrier to
make a connection with the people and soldiers at the temple. Also there was a risk of armed conflict
between Thai and Cambodian soldiers stationed near the temple to consider. But I found these and
other challenges were overcome along the way as I became more determined to photograph the story.
The biggest challenge for me personally, was to do justice to the people involved and to make great
images that could say something about them. Thoughts went through my mind both of (avoiding)
stereotypical images and using the inspiration from great images by photographers who had been in
South East Asia before me.
Is there a particular artist or artists who have influenced your work?
Max Pam, Blenkinsopp, Stephen Dupont, Roger Ballen, Larry Burrows, Gary Winogrand, Ed Van Der
Elsken and Diane Arbus are a few.
Is there anything else you would like to add about your work?
I did not use a lot of film considering the time I spent there. I used only ten 120mm rolls of film plus a
couple of 35mm colour rolls. But I got over 100 images that I eventually got down to 20 photographs
that told the story.
Part of my passion for documentary photography is creating a narrative with the images to inform
and get some response from other viewers. It may not seem much in the scheme of world events but
showing these images is a start.
A few weeks after I left the temple for the last time in August 2008 there was a short intense fight
between Thai and Cambodian forces that left many dead on both sides. Further fighting has also
destroyed the temple market place and the guesthouse where I stayed. This dispute over land and
borders is still an ongoing problem between Cambodia and Thailand.

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left:
Georgia Metaxas
Untitled #3 2007
archival pigment print
60.8 × 50.8 cm
courtesy the artist

right:
Georgia Metaxas
Untitled #5 2007
archival pigment print
60.8 × 50.8 cm
courtesy the artist

GEORGIA METAXAS LOWER YOUR EARS

What camera was used to shoot this series?

A Mamiya RZ67 6 x 7cm format.
Did you use a film or digital camera? If film, what type and speed?
I used black and white Kodak T-Max 400 film 120 format. The film was hand processed in my darkroom
(at the time). The film was then scanned at a very high resolution to produce the final prints.
What type of lens did you use?
110mm f/2.8.
How long did you work on this series?
A free haircutting service is offered to the clients of St. Mary’s House of Welcome on the first Friday of
every month. I photographed this service every Friday over the course of four months.
What were some of the challenges you faced in shooting this series?
There were many considerations to attend to as I have a considered approach and although the
portraits may seem quiet, if not serene, the room that they were taken in was quite chaotic. Each
haircut lasted approximately three to four minutes and there were two hairdressers available to the
clients to deal with demand and also providing each participant in the portrait project the choice of
being involved.
I was deliberate about my use of the lighting and background in each image being the same. The
background in this case is a ping-pong table found in the room at the time of shooting.
Is there a particular artist or artists who have influenced your work?
August Sander, Irving Penn, Diane Arbus, Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans are important influences.
The images also reference the archive of Dr. Barnardo.

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Simon O’Dwyer
Coming of Age #4 2009
archival inkjet print
40.6 × 50.8 cm
courtesy the artist

SIMON O’DWYER COMING OF AGE

What camera was used to shoot this series?

Canon EOS Mark IIN digital camera.
What type of lens did you use?
Most of the works were produced with a 17–35mm 2.8 lens.
How long did you work on this series?
To produce this series I followed the girls throughout a whole day starting with them getting made up,
hair done, collecting dresses, official photographs and finishing with the formal dance and party. All up
I started at 10am and finished at midnight. The following day was spent in post-production getting the
images ready for the paper.
What were some of the challenges you faced in shooting this series?
Many of the girls could not be identified; this made documenting the day in its natural form incredibly
difficult. The girls also came from very abusive backgrounds and I needed to gain their trust in a very
short amount of time. By the end of the night I had made great connections with the girls and I feel
that this comes through in the work.
Is there a particular artist or artists who have influenced your work?
Originally I was trained in painting so my first influence was artist Robert Ulmann. Other influences
have been Salvador Dali, Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso. My photographic influences have been
Jan Saudek and Sebastião Salgado. I was very lucky also to work with two great Australian press
photographers John Lamb and Bruce Postle. As a young photographer starting at The Age newspaper
they were a great source of knowledge and wisdom.
Is there anything else you would like to add about your work?
My work in journalism has taken me to all corners of the world to live and experience all cultures.
Over 20 years I have photographed much of what life can throw at you. I have been in war zones
and riots, photographed Prime Ministers and Presidents, sat with the Dalai Lama and travelled to
countries as extreme and distant as Iceland. I live a very privileged life in many ways, as each new
day and my camera allows me to live in worlds that many people would never get to see.

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Andrew Quilty
Untitled, Kinglake
West #1 2009
Giclée print
18.5 × 50.0 cm
courtesy the artist

ANDREW QUILTY VICTORIAN BUSHFIRE AFTERMATH

What camera was used to shoot this series?

Hasselblad X-Pan (panoramic).
Did you use a film or digital camera? If film, what type and speed?
Film. I used a rare Czech black and white film called Fomapan 400 ASA in 35mm.
What type of lens did you use?
A fixed 45mm lens, the only lens I have for this camera. It gives the horizontal format of a 28mm lens
on a regular 35mm camera.
How long did you work on this series?
These pictures were shot over the course of only one day.
What were some of the challenges you faced in shooting this series?
Accessing the bushfire affected areas was a challenge. Much of the area was closed off to the public
and media.
Is there a particular artist or artists who have influenced your work?
For this series there are a couple of major influences. They include Josef Koudelka, for his amazing
panoramic landscape work and Larry Towell, a photographer who is very connected to the land. Dean
Sewell is also an influence. His ability to capture beauty amongst devastation is unmatched in Australia.
Is there anything else you would like to add about your work?
This series was focusing primarily on the environmental aspect of the Victorian bushfires rather than
the human side of things. I had seen much of the social coverage of the disaster in the days preceding
my series and thought that there was a hole in that coverage that needed to be looked at.

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Leah Robertson
Framed #4 2008
Giclée print
32.5 × 48.8 cm
courtesy the artist

LEAH ROBERTSON FRAMED

What camera was used to shoot this series?

A Canon EOS 30D.
Did you use a film or digital camera? If film, what type and speed?
Digital.
What type of lens did you use?
Canon 50mm f/1.4
How long did you work on this series?
I worked on observing locations and their corresponding lighting conditions for a few weeks, then shot
the series in one afternoon when the two came together.
What were some of the challenges you faced in shooting this series?
I generally feel conscious of my intrusiveness and slightly uncomfortable when shooting on the street.
Also, this series’ heavily selective shooting and editing process (to portray mood) made me consider
the boundaries of artist subjectivity in documentary photography.
Is there a particular artist or artists who have influenced your work?
I’m inspired by the stillness and narrative in Jeff Wall’s staged documentary, and by Trent Parke and
Paolo Pellegrin’s use of light. I realised the similarities to Philip-Lorca diCorcia’s street work after
completing this series, and am now very much inspired by his ideas and work.

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Dean Sewell
Tractor with Flag,
Kinglake West 2009
archival pigment print
41.0 × 54.0 cm
courtesy the artist

DEAN SEWELL AFTERMATH—VICTORIA’S BLACK SATURDAY BUSHFIRES

What camera was used to shoot this series?

A Mamiya 7 (6 x 7cm).
Did you use a film or digital camera? If film, what type and speed?
Film Camera. Kodak Portra 160 ISO/400 ISO.
What type of lens did you use?
65mm f/4.0.
How long did you work on this series?
It took three days.
What were some of the challenges you faced in shooting this series?
The challenges were mostly logistical. The Victorian Police were the biggest hindrance. Contrary to
popular belief, in times of disaster the police force often find themselves at the lowest point in the
chain of command. To create the necessary illusions of empowerment to nourish their egos, they
turn their gaze to the press and documentary practitioners to exercise what little power they hold in
those circumstances. It is a rather bizarre game they force upon you. The police will often force you
into extremely dangerous situations in terms of personal safety, all the while telling us they are trying
to ensure ‘our’ safety. They can put in place as many road blocks and excise entire towns under the
guise of a ‘crime scene’, but when a story of this magnitude calls we will take whatever steps we deem
necessary to navigate around these road blocks to ensure coverage. Technically, the police would
consider this series as being produced completely without authorisation as would be the work of all
the major television networks and newspaper groups. On the days that this work was produced I was
continuously told that no media access was permitted and I was refused entry to the fire zone no less
than eight or nine times at police blockades.
Is there a particular artist or artists who have influenced your work?
Bruce Davidson, Eugene Richards, Josef Koudelka, Marc Riboud and Philip Jones Griffiths.

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Laki Sideris
Little Crowds #7 2008
type C photograph
40.0 × 50.0 cm
courtesy the artist

LAKI SIDERIS LITTLE CROWDS

What camera was used to shoot this series?

Canon EOS 5D.
Did you use a film or digital camera? If film, what type and speed?
Digital at 1600 ISO.
What type of lens did you use?
A 28mm and a 50mm.
How long did you work on this series?
I have worked on the series for over a year and it is ongoing.
What were some of the challenges you faced in shooting this series?
Finding an interesting face in a crowd and then waiting for something to happen.
Is there a particular artist or artists who have influenced your work?
For this series Larry Fink, Garry Winogrand and Nicholas Nixon, predominantly for how they beautifully
organise chaos.
Is there anything else you would like to add about your work?
Most of the images came together as a series some time after I had taken them. It often felt that
the images were being created ‘post-capture’ by selective cropping, burning and dodging. While the
shooting was often in noisy busy environments, the actual photography was performed quietly at night
on a computer screen.

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left:
Tom Williams
Tony ‘Fingers’ Randall,
Vietnam war veteran and
security guard 2007
inkjet print
39.0 × 39.0 cm
courtesy the artist

right:
Tom Williams
Kristal and Derek,
James Cook Building,
Waterloo 2007
inkjet print
39.0 × 39.0 cm
courtesy the artist

TOM WILLIAMS NEIGHBOURHOOD:

THE REDFERN–WATERLOO PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATE

What camera was used to shoot this series?

A Rolleiflex TLR 6x6.
Did you use a film or digital camera? If film, what type and speed?
Film, Kodak Tri-X, 400, 800 and 1600 ISO.
What type of lens did you use?
Planar 75mm f/3.5, Carl Zeiss.
How long did you work on this series?
Two years.
What were some of the challenges you faced in shooting this series?
I spent a lot of time getting to know people, which was a pleasure rather than a challenge. I am in
debt to a large number of people who trusted me, helped me and allowed me to photograph them.
For example, when a row of units were about to be demolished just before Christmas in 2007, three
different families let me into their homes to get to know them and take pictures. I am still in contact
with many of these people and return to see them (and sometimes take more portraits) from time to
time. In an era when there is increasing suspicion of photography and photographers, I was surprised
and encouraged by the acceptance, generosity and energy I was given.
Some subjects, especially children, are disappointed these days when they can’t see a photo shot with
film straight away. But often they love the prints!
Is there a particular artist or artists who have influenced your work?
Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Walker Evans, Diane Arbus, William Eggleston, Bruce Davidson, Mary Ellen Mark
and Maya Goded.
Is there anything else you would like to add about your work?
This is an ongoing project that will continue indefinitely.

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Krystle Wright
Deep Dark Depths 2009
archival pigment print
36.5 × 54.8 cm
courtesy the artist

KRYSTLE WRIGHT OCEAN SWIM RACING

What camera was used to shoot this series?

Canon EOS 1 Mark IIN and Canon 5D.
Did you use a film or digital camera? If film, what type and speed?
I used a digital camera. I shoot RAW uncompressed images and try to shoot at the lowest ISO possible
depending on light. If it’s a dark cloudy day and I know I’m shooting in the water I usually go up to
400/500 ISO, as it can get dark very quickly underwater.
What type of lens did you use?
24-70mm f/2.8, 16-35mm f/2.8 on land then I predominantly used a15mm fisheye on the 5D for the
underwater shots.
How long did you work on this series?
I’ve been shooting the sport for the past one and a half years and it’s ongoing.
What were some of the challenges you faced in shooting this series?
Some races attracted hundreds of entrants so parking was a shocker. One of the biggest decisions
that happens every race is deciding on whether to stay on land or go into the water. In the water there
were multiple challenges though during one particular race, I had a full-length wetsuit on to keep
me warm and even though I had little skin exposed, my hands and ankles were covered in bluebottle
stings. Later I found out that I was swimming in an area nicknamed ‘shark point’, which might explain
why I felt spooked.
Is there a particular artist or artists who have influenced your work?
It’s hard to name only a few as many photographers inspire me. A few photographers who have had an
impact on me and the way I shoot would be Tim Clayton, Adam Pretty, Ted Grambeau, Trent Parke and
plenty more.
Is there anything else you would like to add about your work?
I have a strong background in sport which I believe gives me a better understanding when it comes
to shooting it. The physical presence becomes a major impact in the image and in order to get that
particular image sometimes, you really have to consider your own physical (and mental) capabilities
as you can easily put yourself in danger. It’s a great feeling when an athlete in the sport comes up and
tells you that you’ve captured how they feel and given the viewer a better insight into their sport.

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