I know I've written about this before (and probably will again), but we must never underestimate the value of our photographs.
Most people do - and I think this is why they don't preserve them.
It's long been my view that any photograph can have value, for any or all of the following reasons:
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Sisters of Charity Washington |
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Sydney Opera House under construction 2 |
And look what else is in the image: the 1962 Sydney skyline, a ship tied up at the passenger terminal, The Rocks - and the old ferry.
Important stuff - and worth recording!
The other exhibition is Suburban Noir at the Sydney Museum. This is a commentated slide show of forensic photography. Yup - photographs taken by the Police at various scenes covering theft, accidents, murder and suicide. And I was mesmerised!
No, it wasn't the gore (of which there wasn't much, by the way). Neither was it the photographs. They were workmanlike shots, but made for coroners and courts - not for exhibition.
The fascination was the recording of a place that's gone forever: Sydney in the 1940s, 50s and 60s.
It's a place that's as exotic as any third world country today - and unlike Nepal or Amazonia, it's not on any airline's route map. It's gone forever - except in these images - and many others surviving in photo albums around Australia.
So - treat your photographs with respect. They are a repository of people, places, things and events that will one day be gone - except in your preserved images.
Have a happy and productive 2014.
Shane Baker
PS: If you're still not convinced, invest 15 minutes to watch Kevin Gilbert's Ted Talk: The Lost Generation.