Body Surfers (Queenscliff 1975)
Photographer
Roger Scott
Date1975
Object number00027105
NamePhotograph
MediumSilver gelatin print, paper
DimensionsSheet: 510 x 610 mm
Image: 378 x 555 mm
Display dimensions (frame): 660 x 895 x 45 mm
Mount / Matt size: 630 x 866 mm
Image: 378 x 555 mm
Display dimensions (frame): 660 x 895 x 45 mm
Mount / Matt size: 630 x 866 mm
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionBlack and white image by Roger Scott depictin two boys bodysurfing.
Inscription on reverse reads 'Queenscliff 1975'.HistoryScott's interest in beach photography began in the 1970s while bodysurfing in Manly. He spent hours in the water watching fellow swimmers floating around waiting for waves. At the time Scott was living in North Sydney, frequenting Manly Harboard, Queenscliff and Palm Beach on the Northern Beaches. He later moved to Double Bay, which led to a focus on Eastern Suburbs beaches.
The photographs evoke the exuberance and energy of swimmers on the Australian beaches in the 1970s and 1980s. They convey the spontaneity and splash of the surf, and the surge of adrenalin surfers experience when catching a wave. Scott used a Nikon 'Nikonos' underwater 35 mm camera with a wide angle lens. He believed in the full frame, and would not crop out parts of the scene. He swam around with the camera hanging from his neck, seeking out both the odd and the typical. Although he focused on people, his subjects were generally unaware of the camera and he would catch them off guard. In the chaos of the surf the photographer managed to get very close to his fellow swimmers, and Scott describes this method as 'sneaking up like a shark'.
He was awarded a Visual Arts Board grant in the mid 1970s, which enabled him to travel to the USA. During the 1980s and 1990s his subject interests broadened, and he held a number of solo exhibitions during this period.SignificanceStreet photography, made famous by French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, was a popular genre for Australian photographers such as Roger Scott, who focused on sporting events, demonstrations and the beach. Scott used an underwater camera to photograph people during visits to New South Wales beaches between 1974 and 1981. His pictures capture the exuberance and energy of swimmers who were unaware he was photographing them.
