Photography and Colonailism



Aborig. [sic.] Natives of the Clarence River District New South Wales Photographed By J. W. Lindt, Grafton 1875, State library of New South Wales, 10^th November 2011, <http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/album/albumView.aspx?acmsID=446829&itemID=846102>.



I have chosen this particular image, because I like the way it depicts the Aboriginal man to be in his natural environment (or as close to as possible).  Also, in comparison to portraits by some of the other photographers, the images in this series, portray their subjects being highlighted as strong and having a sense of leadership. I personally like how this is done, as it helps to preserve their cultural ways and a sense of identity.

The reading by Alana Harris reads ‘Aboriginal people were living physical relics from the dawn of human time'.  I believe the way in which the photographer has captured the portraits, reflects this.

Looking at this image from technical point of view,  I’d imagine that at the time the photograph was taken, photography would have been in an era of time when image exposures were extensively long. Looking at how the Aboriginal man is posed in the photograph, you can tell that he is positioned so that he will move as little as possible; the way his feet are positioned shoulder width apart, to help keep his balance, and how the stick that he is holding, is resting on his shoulders to minimise movement. The fact that these long exposures would not have been very comfortable for the subject says that the photographer had obviously gained trust with the Aboriginal community, and is evident in the images.