This photograph was taken at the Bathurst racecourse in New South Wales in 1999 and forms part of Trent Parke’s series Minutes to midnight. This is an early work from the series, which spans the period between 1999 and 2004. The majority of photographs from the series, however, were shot between 2003 and 2004, while Parke made an extended road trip around Australia. Focusing on natural disasters and social unrest, this series constitutes a dystopic vision of Australia at the dawn of the 21st century. In keeping with the traditional aesthetic of street photography, Parke used black-and-white film (Ilford FP4) and a 35mm camera to create this series. As is typical of his practice, he worked only with available light, often in situations where strong contrasts of light and shadow produce an air of moody uncertainty.
In 2008 Parke became the first Australian to become a Full Member of the Magnum Photo Agency and his series Minutes to midnight was a key component of his application for membership. In 2013, Minutes to midnight was published as a photobook by Steidl, Germany.
(2015)
Gelatin silver prints are black-and-white photographic prints that have been created using papers coated with an emulsion of gelatin and light-sensitive silver salts. After the papers are briefly exposed to light (usually through a negative), a chemical developer renders the latent image as reduced silver, which is then fixed and washed. This technique was first introduced in the 1870s and is still used today. Most twentieth-century black-and-white photographs are gelatin silver prints. They are known for being highly detailed and sharply defined prints with a distinguishable smooth, even image surface.
