Journeys North

~mage to emphasise the flatness and immensity of space m western Queensland. Lin Martin uses composition to reflect the differences between her subjects. Fred Robinson and Jim Egan are both farmers from Rathdowney. The casual arrangement o~ the portr~it of Jim Egan reflects the nature of Egan himself, while Fred Robinson, who Martin sees as a very formal man from a long established family of farmers, is placed centrally within the picture frame. The activity in scenes such as Cheer squad by Graham Burstow is heightened by the angle from which the photograph is taken. In Canstructionforces, the viewer ~ooks u~ at the heroic image of a labourer set against an mdustnal scene. The angles of the labourer's limbs parallel the angles of the machinery behind him to suggest that'. ..right from the beginning, we've learned so much from our own muscles, and our own systems, our human leverage and we've used those principles in the machinery we've made'. 14 Charles Page found that, working within the constantly fast pace of activity at the mines, he did not often have the opportunity to arrange the composition of his photographs. However, he was still able to capture ~nteresting arrangements as he saw them. For example, m a photograph of two miners drilling into an ~nd~rground face, the diagonal stress of the miners' legs is heightened by the circles and crosses which have been marked out on the rock wall. In outdoor scenes, such as the photograph of a church at Ravenswood, Page has been able to carefully select the positioning of the building against the expansive landscape to reinforce the solitude of the scene. The photographers in Jov.,rneys North use variations of light and shadow to create particular effects. The light in north Queensland is particularly strong and has influenced how people live as well as creating special problems for the photographer. Glen O'Malley deliberately uses light in a way which reflects this. 'When you're up in that hot area, people sit in the shade and look out into the sun and as a result, not only the subjects do that, but the photographer gets to a point where he does it too'. 15 In many of Charles Page's photographs, shadows are the only evidence of human presence, a reference to the transience of people in Queensland mining areas. Page states that photography, '. ..records change unlike any other artform. Because, a fraction of a second after that image was taken, it's changed; ...the light's changed so it's gone forever. And the people who are in these areas are the_same, they go there to make money, they don't want to hve there - so the whole thing's just so transient'.16 Certain symbols and sub-themes run through the various portfolios. Glen O'Malley's photographs contain elements suc_h as mosquito ne~s, swimming pools and chookyards which are all recogmsable features of domestic life in Queensland. Charles Page says of his images of service stations and garages in western Queensland 'It's a little bit along the Walker Evan's concept of icons ~hich reflect society without actually showing people. The information there is very relevant to the outback environment- of things like radiators and windscreens which are the main problems out there'. 17 Robert Mercer has grouped his photographs so that particular ones are considered in relation to others. For example, one series deals with faces while another contains images of torso markings, which become portrait studies in themselves. The photographs are to be read as a continuing visual text rather than as indepe?dent images. Max Pam's works can be grouped accordmg to common elements such as legs and hand held objects or the use of blurring to create movement. For the six photographers involved in Jov.,rneys North th~ creati~n of t?eir portfolios has become an import~nt milestone m their photographic careers. For many of them, Jov.,rneJ!s North provided the first opportunity to devote a considerable amount of time and resources to the production of a body of work. The project has also acted as a stimulus to the photographers to pursue certain directions in their work in the future. The photographs which have now entered the Collection of the Queensland Art Gallery as part of the Jov.,rneys North portfolios provide a valuable opportunity for photographers, researchers and the public to gain an underst~nding of some aspects of contemporary Australian photographic practice. · 11