Paper Tigers: Spotlight On Australian Women Photojournalists
A selection of images the 'Paper Tigers' exhibition by Australia's best women photojournalists capturing news stories around the world
By Head On Foundation
Paper Tigers
Photojournalism, a mirror on society
Celebrating the best of Australian photojournalism, the Paper Tigers exhibition presents 60 images from 60 of the best Australian photojournalists. It is through the lens of these photographers that we understand and experience much of the world's events.
"The images selected represent a small snippet of what Australia was like over the past four decades. Images that defined modern Australia, images that reflect the culture we live in, images that make political statements and images of diverse aspects of our world." Moshe Rosenzveig OAM, Founder and Artistic Director
Our Dancers: Bangarra in Sydney’s Hyde Park (2015-03-31) by Barbara McGradyHead On Foundation
Barbara McGrady
Our Dancers: Bangarra in Sydney’s Hyde Park 31st March 2015
Barbara is a Gamilaroi Murri Yinah (woman) from North Western NSW and Southern Queensland. A meticulous Sydney-based photographer, her images capture the passion and achievements of contemporary Aboriginal history.
Her work shows male dancers with shields from Bangarra Dance Theatre at the launch event, in Sydney’s Hyde Park, south of Girramay artist Tony Albert’s Yininmedyemi Thou Didst Let Fall, a monument made in honour of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander servicemen and women.
Levi and Keneisha by Martine PerretHead On Foundation
Martine Perret
Levi and Keneisha
Martine Perret started as a freelance photographer and editor at The Australian Financial Review. After forming a working relationship with the United Nations (UN) spent the next decade covering UN peacekeeping missions in conflict zones.
In Martine Perret’s project, Ngala Wongga (come and talk): Cultural Significance of Languages in the Western Australian Goldfields, she had the opportunity to meet Martu speakers.
Glenys Williams took Martine on a bush trip with her family to the steps of her childhood, around the Wiluna Mission and the clay pan. They took ‘roo tails, made dampers, and sat around the fire watching the landscape and the slowly approaching storm, as her grandchildren Levi and Keneisha floated in the clay pan.
Hell yes it hurts (1991) by Helga SalweHead On Foundation
Helga Salwe
Hell yes it hurts
Helga Salwe (b. Australia 1960) is a freelance photographer based in Melbourne, Australia. Helga has worked for major metropolitan newspapers and magazines including The Age, The Good Weekend and The Times on Sunday.
"In 1991 I travelled from Melbourne to Arnhem Land, along the Roper River in the Northern Territory, I met and camped with Bessie and Jacob Riley. They had been living rough for many years in Darwin, before deciding to return to their ancestral country as part of the Homeland movement. Life had improved for Bessie and Jacob and they had no desire to return to a town or city with all the associated problems."
The Homeland movement was initiated by Indigenous Australians to establish small decentralised settlements by reoccupying land traditionally held by their communities. More than 10,000 Indigenous Australians choose to live on 500 outstations in the Northern Territory, usually in small family groups of less than 20 people.
The Homeland movement is generally considered to be successful and provides much needed social, spiritual, cultural and health benefits and yet government support is virtually non existent.
Nancy wonders if she should stay or go (2020-04-01) by Tracey NearmyHead On Foundation
Tracey Nearmy
Nancy wonders if she should stay or go
Australian photographer and videographer Tracey Nearmy has worked for numerous publications throughout Australia and overseas over the past 20 years.
In Nearmy's photograph we see Nancy Allen and Brian Allen, who used garden hoses to wet down their house as high winds pushed smoke and ash from the Currowan fire towards Nowra on 4th January 2020.
Signs of the Times (1989) by Illana RoseHead On Foundation
Ilana Rose
SIGNS OF THE TIMES, New York 1989
Ilana Rose has worked as a professional photographer and photojournalist for nearly 30 years working for some of the most respected media outlets.
"As I walked through Times Square in New York for the first time, I was fascinated by the famous electric news ticker displaying news headlines as they happened, and the steam permeating the streets from the subway below."
"When I saw the headline ‘Syria apologizes for attack’ and the billboards, ‘The only way to get higher is illegal’ and ‘I Madman’, combined with the ghostly images of the people walking through Times Square, I knew that I had an image that for me, perfectly encapsulated New York during that time."
A Teenage Boy and His Monkey by Jessica HromasHead On Foundation
Jessica Hromas
A teenage boy and his monkey in Mumbai, India.
Jessica Hromas, is a freelance photojournalist and portrait photographer. She was most recently a Picture Editor and photographer for The Guardian Australia.
"I’ve travelled to India a number of times. This image summarizes some of the magic, theatre, and hardship facing so many people who live there."
Sudanese Protest, 2008 (2008) by Angela WylieHead On Foundation
Angela Wylie
Sudanese Protest, 2008
Angela Wylie was a photojournalist at The Age for 26 years, where she hand-printed photographers’ works in the darkroom before taking on a cadetship. Angela has covered environmental and political stories across South East Asia and the Pacific.
In Sudanese Protest, a woman weeps during a protest by members of Melbourne’s Sudanese community. They are upset at the lack of action by the United Nations towards increasing violence in the oil-rich disputed hot spot of Abyei, between North and South Sudan.
Melbourne’s Sudanese community are mostly refugees from South Sudan who have fled the 22 year-long war between the north and south. Approximately 1.9 million people have been killed.
The Tragedy of Rana Plaza by Nicola BaileyHead On Foundation
Nicola Bailey
The Tragedy of Rana Plaza
Across her portfolio of travel, lifestyle, current events and portrait photography, Nicola Bailey’s work speaks volumes about her love for people, connectedness and community.
In her photograph, family and friends hold up photos of their loved ones missing after Rana Plaza collapsed in Bangladesh.
Dreaming of becoming the first Muslim hijabi ballerina in the world (2016-01-31) by Edwina PicklesHead On Foundation
Edwina Pickles
Dreaming of becoming the first muslim hijabi ballerina in the world, 31st January 2016
Edwina Pickles is a staff photographer for The Sydney Morning Herald from 2000 to present. She is a Sydney born photographer who is interested in environmental portraiture and documenting Australian life.
In this photograph, taken in her family's backyard in Sydney, Stephanie Kurlow, 14, aspires to become the first professional hijabi ballerina in the world.
The Bodybuilder by Janie BarrettHead On Foundation
Janie Barrett
The Bodybuilder
Janie Barrett has been a staff photographer at The Sydney Morning Herald since 2005. She has won a PANPA award for best feature photograph and two Kennedy Awards for her long term photographic essays.
In her photograph, a bodybuilder flexes in front of a line of young girls who were just waiting for the next act, a children’s entertainer, at the Coogee Fun Day, in Sydney, Australia.
Getting Dressed by Penny StephensHead On Foundation
Penny Stephens
Getting Dressed
Penny Stephens is a Melbourne photojournalist who worked for The Age for 22 years, until 2017. Stephens now does a mix of media and corporate work, and believes great photojournalism is more vital than ever.
This image shows the challenges of contemporary fatherhood. James Canty and his wife Dr Christine Canty get the family ready for the day. James and his wife Christine, of Melbourne, both work full-time.
"It's a difficult thing when you're stressed to be present and to be mindful, to just be with them.” James said. This image was a finalist in the 2015 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize.
Desire for Change by Sylvia LiberHead On Foundation
Sylvia Liber
Desire for Change
Sylvia Liber began her career as a photojournalist in 1995 for The Lake Times, before working as a staff photographer with the Illawarra Mercury from 1998.
Desire for Change captures Charlotte and Aley, two people on very different journeys of self-discovery. After years of torment, they come together in a love that transcends gender.
Charlotte describes herself as trans, a gender with a hint of girl, while Aley identifies as a transgender female, who was assigned male at birth.
Marriage Equality (2017-12-01) by Louise KennerleyHead On Foundation
Louise Kennerley
Marriage Equality
Louise Kennerley is a staff photographer with Fairfax Media, working for The Sydney Morning Herald and the Australian Financial Review for over 20 years.
Kennerley's Marriage Equality captures Ian Fenwicke with his partner Neville Wills in their Greenwich home on 1st December, 2017.
"I'm glad I lived this long to see it."
At 98, Neville could finally marry the love of his life. This photo was taken a few days before the Australian Parliament finally passed same-sex marriage into law. They were both excited and nervous about the prospect of finally marrying after being together for 39 years.
Explore more iconic imagery from Australia's best photojournalists, in our series of Paper Tigers stories.
