Bill McAuley
Where have you worked and over what time period?
- The Melbourne Age/Newsday 1969-70 [Cadet Photographer]
- The Sydney Daily Telegraph 1970- 1973 [Photographer]
- London News Service [London] 1973-1974 [Photographer]
- The Sydney Daily Telegraph 1974-1976 [Senior Photographer]
- The Australian [Melbourne] 1977 [Senior Photographer]
- The Valley Voice 1978-1980 [Pictorial Editor]
- The Sunday Observer 1980 [Senior Photographer]
- The Melbourne Age Community Newspapers 1982-1984 [Senior Photographer]
- The Star Weekly [Canberra] 1985 [Senior Photographer]
- Freelance 1986
- The Australian 1987-1989 [Senior Photographer]
- The Sunday Herald 1989-1991 [Pictorial Editor]
- The Sunday Herald Sun 1991-1997 [Pictorial Editor]
- The Sunday Magazine 1997- 2002 [Pictorial Editor]
- The Herald Sun 2002-2009 [Senior Photographer]
How did you get into press photography - what was your big break?
Day editor of Newsday John Lahey was a friend of the family and arranged an interview with Newsday and I was hired as a cadet reporter later on that same day. Ron Lovitt The Pictorial Editor of The Age hired me as a cadet photographer.
What is your favourite photograph of all those you have taken and why?
A picture I took of two brothers outside their log cabin house in Dargo, Victoria. I lined up the brothers outside the cabin and took what I believe to be one of the strongest photographs of my career. Though the picture was taken in 1988 it had an 'olde worlde' quality ─ like something taken in the 1800s. It could have been the clothes and hats they were wearing or the rich textures of the wood and tin on the log cabin that made the image so strong, but I think it was because of the purity and integrity of the two characters peering into the camera lens. Looking at the image today, they are direct, unafraid and honest and, I believe, they instantly connect with anyone looking at the photograph. That picture was used right across page one of The Weekend Australian.
What is the biggest change you've seen in press photography over your career?
Digital
What was the first camera you used and what camera do you use now?
Nikon and Nikon.