Celebrating Australian Icons
Brim grain silo art mural in Brim in Victoria, Australia.
There are many Australian icons worth celebrating. But are all relevant to our fast challenging and evolving society?
I photographed this spectacular silo art mural in the tiny town of Brim in the Wimmera region of Victoria in rural Australia.
The mural celebrates the contributions made to this country by hard working farmers and points to the value of family and mateship.
I love the use of earthy colors and the quiet, intimate moment explored in the artwork.
What it is to an Australian is not what it once was. And that’s as it should be. The demographics of this country are radically different to what they were just a few decades ago.
The same is true for our economy, the way we communicate and entertain ourselves.
We are an ever more connected and yet more fractured society.
We seek experience and engagement, yet many are in desperate need of a more purpose driven, meaning rich existence.
Iconic Australian sunset featuring wheat field and sheep near Mildura.
Iconic Australian Landscapes
I'm not sure if there is any one particular subject matter or scene that says Australia. More likely there are many.
The Australian landscape is varied and diverse including rainforest, the arid outback, fertile agricultural farms and mineral rich reserves.
We certainly have our share of iconic landscape locations that offer incredible opportunities for photography.
The above image is all about mood which is why, at this stage, I haven't done too much to clean up the uneven sky.
My friend Ashley and I were nearing the end of a six hour drive from Melbourne to the regional city of Mildura on the marvelous Murray River.
As the sun began to set we pulled the car off the road and began photographing over the fence. It was exhilarating and provided a climatic finish to a long drive.
I actually quite like the imperfect nature of the photo as it provides a dream-like, pictorial look and feel to the image.
It really was a beautiful scene to behold and I’m really happy with the nostalgic look that reminds me of an old faded color print from days gone by.
I've cropped the photo to further concentrate attention on the flock of sheep, as they moved through the dry, dusty wheat field.
Australia’s Unique Wildlife
Australia’s wildlife is indeed iconic. This country’s most unique wildlife offerings include the following:
Needless to say not all he wildlife you’ll find in Australia is cute and cuddly. It’s an amazing country to explore, but you do need to keep your wits about you.
Four time world boxing champion Kostya Tszyu in Melbourne, Australia.
Australian Sporting Icons
Aussie rules football is certainly an iconic sport and, over the years, Aussie sports stars, across many sports and codes, have reached the status of icon.
Here’s a few names you might remember.
Rod Laver
Ian Thorpe
Greg Norman
Dennis Lillee
Layne Beachley
Jeff Fenech
Kostya Tszyu
Cathy Freeman
Luc Longley
Jack Brabham
I had a lot of fun photographing four time world boxing champion Kostya Tszyu in Melbourne, Australia.
Kostya was super easy to get along with and, given the fact that I only had a few minutes to work with him, I was really happy with the result.
As you can see I opted for a muted color palette for this image, pulling out most of the color from Kostya’s skin and amplifying the cool bluish light reflecting onto his leather jacket and throughout the background.
Iconic Australian Movies
Australia has a rich and culturally strong movie industry. Here’s just a few ground breaking films that come to mind.
Picnic At Hanging Rock
The Chant Of Jimmy Blacksmith
Crocodile Dundee
Muriel's Wedding
These films have challenged our perception of ourselves and what it is to be Australian.
The Australian Songbook
The Australian songbook is both wide and diverse. My favorite era for Aussie music is the seventies, but we’ve been well represented across the decades.
Here’s just a few classic songs from the Australian songbook.
Pub With No Beer
Friday On My Mind
The Real Thing
Eagle Rock
I Was Only Nineteen
(I Come from a Land) Down Under
Many of those songs are uniquely Australian and of their time. And there’s so much more.
Aussie singer/songwriter Richard Clapton and rock bands like Skyhooks, Cold Chisel and Midnight Oil have both celebrated and challenged the perception of what it is to be Australian.
Perhaps that fact is central to their most important contribution and their greatest legacy.
Gravestone, Christian cross and rainbow at Lake Bolac Cemetery in Victoria, Australia.
A Nations Identity
In this country, while most of us live in cities on or near the coast, we tend to revere farmers, graziers and rural folk.
After all the wealth of this country was built initially on gold, then wool and, more recently, on mining.
Minerals such as iron ore and coal have made substantial contributions to our economy.
But coal is hardly a sexy commodity these days and I live in hope that we’ll move to a sustainable, energy efficient model based upon clean and green alternatives.
Sun, wind and waves, we have it all.
We need governments to get out of the way and provide the confidence and incentives for these green, world saving industries to thrive.
Politicians Playing Tall Poppy Syndrome
Elon Musk answered a challenge to support critical power supply issues by installing the world’s largest battery in South Australia.
And for his efforts he was ridiculed, for short term political advantage, by our national leaders.
What a disgrace!
The perception is that much of our relative wealth has come from the land and the farmer/grazier, like the American cowboy or the Icelandic Fisherman, has been elevated to near icon status in this country.
It’s probably for this reason that farmers feature so heavily in commercials that promote potentially controversial projects undertaken by large mining and oil companies.
Iconic Australian Photos
As far as photography is concerned SunBaker by Max Dupain is perhaps the most iconic Australian photograph.
However, like so many other icons, it promotes a certain myth.
Take the lifesaver as a case in point. While a valued and potentially heroic figure, the Aussie lifesaver is very much in the minority.
The average Aussie is neither a digger, a lifesaver nor a surfer. We are an extremely diverse bunch of individuals living in a multicultural society in a very ancient land.
A Ned Kelly lookalike in the town of Chewton, Australia.
Hail The Aussie Larrikin
We are, in the main, a country of migrants with indigenous peoples very much in the minority and, all too often, disadvantaged and under represented.
Australian’s live in cities and towns but, despite the ravages of political correctness, an element of the Aussie larrikin prevails.
It's that peculiar trait that allows us to punch above our weight in sport, politics and, I’d like to think, the provision of financial assistance to the less privileged.
(Though of course we can and should do more).
It's why we stand up to bullies and back our friends.
We are a loyal people. And that's while I pray that particular part of our national character, the larrikin, remains with us, long into the future.
Statues and red flowers at the Shrine Of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia.
The Loss Of Myth
With the coming of science the role of religion, for better or worse, has diminished over the centuries.
As more and more people perceive the world around them via the accumulation of fact and rational conclusions, much of the mystery associated with religion and myth has been lost to us.
It's my belief that photography and nature can provide us with a link back to a simpler understanding of our world and our place and purpose within it.
After all how can we truly understand or know something without first experiencing it.
While there are plenty of locations that scream Australia, perhaps it's your own unique understanding of the location that will allow you to make a truly iconic Australian photograph.
Just remember that, when it comes to telling a story that expresses the unique nature of that landscape, you must first experience it.
