What I’ve learnt from: Robert McFarlane
3 January 2024
“The picture is it’s own reward.”
I learnt recently that the great Australian photographer, Robert McFarlane, passed away in 2023. I’d only learnt of him in 2015 after watching a wonderful documentary on him, The Still Point. In it, Robert’s takes us through his life and career, sharing with us his calm approach to observing life.
“When I photograph, I find myself unconsciously drawn to, quite often, the smaller moments that present themselves. A kind of counterpoint.”
He not only photographed actors, politicians and people at work, he also photographed, on numerous occasions, one of Australia greatest indigenous leaders, Charles Perkins. He was acutely aware of the lingering racism directed at this country’s first peoples would come to define us.
The dialogue between indigenous Australia and the other part of Australia, I think that’s the issue we need to resolve.
It defines Australia.
Robert was about reflecting our common humanity back to us.
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