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How Does Max Dupain Explore Australian Identity

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Every photograph accommodates a piece of the photographer’s identity within the picture. Photographers explore the Australian identity throughout their photos by using themselves and their own identity as a basis. Ideas of this are outlined in the work of Max Dupain, Rosemary Laing and Trent Parke. They have represented Australian individuality by using various techniques to create their photographs. The artists above and how their work resembles Australia, will be explored within this essay. Max Dupain was one of Australia’s most appreciated modernist photographer. Considered the pioneer for modernism, he is famous for his black and white photographs. His work has been collected by many Australian and worldwide galleries. Born in Sydney and …show more content…

He is considered one of the most original and challenging photographers, being the first Australian to become a full member of the renowned Magnum Photo Agency. Parke was brought up in Newcastle and started photography at the age of twelve. His work is a mixture of both reality and fiction as he offers a portrayal of family and Australia. One photograph that distinctly communicates the idea of Australian identity is Shark Bay, from the series 'Welcome to Nowhere'. Within this picture, the focus is on the emus that are positioned towards the right of the foreground. The image was taken outside in a town located in Western Australia. The whole subject is in focus; therefore, the image has a large depth of field. By judgement, Parke has used natural lighting from the sun to compliment the surroundings. The emus look as if they would be parading through Shark Bay, creating the image of what Australia culture looks like. The image has been manipulated by using a filter, as the colours seem to appear saturated. “For me it’s all about emotional connection. I love this country, love the people, everything about it … I am not really interested in any other country … I have always been interested in why I am drawn to something and why I eventually push the camera button. Most of it comes from memory, the subconscious and events I experienced growing up. The beach, the outback, the suburbs, I could never leave any of it. So much to do here in Australia, there is just no time for anywhere else anyway.” (Trent Parke, 2014). Parke explores the Australian identity through his emotion and interest in relation to the

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