'This is The Lost Ones' podcast #5 - The Future State of Australian Photography
Baby John (c) Raphaela Rosella 2017
With economic and political pressures upon the traditional news media bringing about sudden changes to the photographic sector, The Lost Ones Contemporary Art Gallery is examining the future state of Australian photography by hosted a seminar with some of Australia’s leading documentary photographers.
Speakers included Raphaela Rosella, Morganna Magee, Heidi Romano and Penny Stephens. Internationally awarded photographer, educator and curator of photography, Ying Ang, facilitated the seminar.
This seminar looked at how the slow death of one sector may be helping to bring about the rise of another. In Australia, as photo desks are squeezed by economic pressures, Australia is witnessing the birth of photographer-led networks that seek to change the status quo by driving a new set of creative standards.
Heidi Romano - independent artist with over 15 years of experience within the field of photography. In late 2009 she founded UNLESS YOU WILL, an acclaimed online photography magazine. In February 2015 she directed the inaugural Photobook Melbourne festival. In 2017, she directed a conference ‘A weekend of conversations, inspiration & insights’, presenting a collection of notable photographers from around the world.
Morganna Magee - an Australian social documentary photographer and educator based in Melbourne, Victoria. Co-founder of the Lumina Collective. Finalist in the Maggie Diaz prize, finalist in the National Portrait Prize 2013, finalist 2012 and the 2016 headon portrait prize. Morganna’s work centres around long term projects, challenging the traditional relationship between photographer and subject.
Raphaela Rosella - an Australian photographer working in the tradition of long-form documentary storytelling. Raphaela has exhibited in Photoquai (France), Noorderlicht Photofestival (Netherlands) and Photo Ireland (Ireland). Attendee of World Press Photo’s prestigious Joop Swart Masterclass. First Prize (Portrait Singles Category) World Press Photo Contest (2015) and Australian Photobook of the Year (Momentro Pro) (2015).
Penny Stephens - Penny Stephens is a photographer in Melbourne. She worked for The Age for 22 years where she witnessed the daily rawness of life. In 2011 she went to Afghanistan with the ADF. Her work on the effects of climatechange in the Solomon Islands won a UN media award. Penny was also a finalist in the Moran Photographic Portrait prize. In an increasingly fractured news media, she believes great photojournalism is more vital than ever