From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Robert McFarlane (photographer)
Robert McFarlane (photographer)
Robert McFarlane (born 1942) is an Australian photogra- and Pauline Hanson; renowned surgeon Sir Edward
pher and photographic critic. “Weary” Dunlop; jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli; boxer
Henry Cooper; and Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet
Early life Ertegun. His theatrical work has seen him cover a num-
ber of plays featuring Steven Berkoff, and he pho-
Born in Adelaide, South Australia in 1942, he was given tographed the early performances of Geoffrey Rush, Cate
a Kodak Box Brownie at the age of 9 by his parents, Bill Blanchett and Robyn Archer. McFarlane has also worked
and Poppy McFarlane. Five years later, while at Brighton as a stills photographer for film directors such as Bruce
High School (today known as Brighton Secondary School) Beresford, John Duigan, Gillian Armstrong, Esben Storm,
in Adelaide’s southern suburbs, he experienced the pow- Phillip Noyce, and PJ Hogan.[citation needed]
er of photography first hand,[1] when he used a recently In 1985, in the lead up to the 1988 bicentenary of Aus-
purchased Durst medium format rangefinder camera to tralia’s European settlement, McFarlane was among 21
capture an image of a teacher striking a pupil at the photographers chosen to live and work in remote Abo-
school assembly.[citation needed] riginal communities in a project that became known as
Though talented in English and History, McFarlane After 200 Years: Photographic Essays Of Aboriginal And
was an undistinguished student and left school at 16, Islander Australia Today. It remains the largest single
finding work as a trainee electric welder.[1] He was photographic project in Australian history, and was pub-
deeply influenced[citation needed], however, by the travel- lished both as a touring exhibition and a book.
ling documentary photography exhibition The Family Of McFarlane’s work is held in the permanent collec-
Man, which reached Adelaide in 1959. tions of the National Portrait Gallery (Canberra), the Na-
tional Gallery Of Australia, the Art Gallery Of New South
Career Wales, the Art Gallery Of South Australia and the Nation-
al Library Of Australia. His most prominent recent exhi-
Encouraged by his employers during a brief stint as a bition is Received Moments, a 48-year career retrospec-
copy boy in an advertising agency, he began to work tive, which began touring Australia in December 2009[2]
more seriously as a photojournalist, gaining a commis- and concludes in Adelaide in late 2011. McFarlane was
sion from Walkabout magazine to photograph Professor a significant contributor to Candid Camera: Australian
John Bishop, co-founder of the Adelaide Festival Of Arts. Photography 1950s–1970s at the Art Gallery Of South
On the same assignment he also made images of author Australia (May to August 2010) which also featured the
Patrick White, dancer and choreographer Sir Robert work of key Australian photographers Max Dupain, David
Helpmann, actor John Bell and painter Sidney Nolan.[cita- Moore, Jeff Carter, Mervyn Bishop, Rennie Ellis, Carol Jer-
tion needed] rems and Roger Scott.[1]
In 1963 McFarlane moved to Sydney, working for The McFarlane has written extensively about photogra-
Bulletin and Australian Vogue. With the artist Kate Bur- phy for a number of Australian publications, and was
ness, who became his first wife, he travelled to London photographic critic for the Sydney Morning Herald for
in 1969, where he freelanced for The Daily Telegraph more than 25 years. He currently writes and maintains a
Magazine, The Sunday Times Magazine[2] and NOVA mag- website called OzPhotoReview, a blog focusing primari-
azine. He returned to Sydney in 1973 and eventually to ly on fine art and documentary photography in Australia
Adelaide in 2007. McFarlane was later married to the the- while also discussing technical developments.
atre director Mary-Ann Vale and has two children, Mor-
gan (1974-1994, born to Kate Burness) and Billy (born
1990, to Mary-Ann Vale). The Received Moment
Though McFarlane specialises in social issues – he Though McFarlane has not written extensively on the
is currently working on a book documenting mental ill- subject himself, his idea of the “received moment” has at-
ness – and performance, he has also taken portraits of tracted media and curatorial attention. Related in some
a number of notable figures in Australian and interna- ways to Henri Cartier-Bresson’s “decisive moment,”
tional life. These include fellow photographers W Eugene McFarlane’s formulation is seen as being “gentler, more
Smith, Don McCullin, Jeff Carter, Max Dupain, David contemplative”.[3] By suggesting the need for the pho-
Moore, Trent Parke and Stephen Dupont; political figures tographer to remain open to the world around, it also has
such as Bob Hawke, Gough Whitlam, Charlie Perkins[2][1] the advantage of containing the seed of a photograph-
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Robert McFarlane (photographer)
ic method. Gael Newton, senior curator of photography • Newton, Gael “Robert McFarlane, Received Moments:
at the National Gallery Of Australia, has written about Photography 1961–2009”, Manly Art Gallery &
McFarlane’s approach and quotes him as saying “I see Museum catalog essay
making pictures as a receiving of the image. Where you • Newton, Gael “Shades of Light: Photography and
stand, both physically and emotionally, decrees the kind Australia 1839–1988”, 1988 Australian National
of picture you, through your camera, will receive.”[4] Gallery
• Robinson, Julie “Candid Camera: Australian
References Photography 1950s–1970s” Art Gallery Of South
Australia exhibition booklet
[1] ^ "Candid camera". Stateline South Australia. ABC
Adelaide. http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/
2010/05/28/2912657.htm?site=adelaide. Retrieved
External links
24 May 2011. • Robert McFarlane Photos
[2] ^ Steve Meacham (5 December 2009). "Bikes, ballet • OzPhotoReview
and heroes: five decades in focus". Sydney Morning • Josef Lebovic Gallery
Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/12/ Persondata
04/1259429478674.html. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
Name McFarlane, Robert
[3] Blain, Jenny “McFarlane Captures Received
Moments”, ABC Arts Blog Alternative
[4] Newton, Gael “Robert McFarlane, Received names
Moments: Photography 1961-2009”, Manly Art Short descrip- Australian photographer and photo-
Gallery & Museum (catalog essay) tion graphic critic
Date of birth 1942
References Place of birth Adelaide, South Australia
• McFarlane, Robert “Robert McFarlane Photos” Date of death
website Place of death
• Newton, Gael “Robert McFarlane – Celebrated
Australian Photographer”, page 69, Antiques & Art in
NSW, May–September 2009
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_McFarlane_(photographer)"
Categories: People from Adelaide, Australian photographers, Living people, 1942 births, Photography critics
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