Frank Hurley: A Photographer's Life

by Alasdair McGregor

Frank Hurley was once a household name in Australia. Now most famous for his photographs of the Shackleton Endurance and Mawson Antarctic expeditions, he was also a visual chronicler of many of the major events of the 20th century and of a rapidly disappearing non-Western world. He was an official photographer in two world wars, a pioneering documentary-maker, participant in early feats of aviation, and cinematographer on major Australian feature films of the 1930s. At the height of his fame he even knocked on Hollywood's doors. In his later years, he traveled the length and breadth of his country to produce illustrated books eulogizing Australia and its people. Hurley was a man of ceaseless energy and unbounded enthusiasm for his craft who scorned authority and would stop at nothing to obtain what he deemed to be a "perfect" result. He was an enigmatic and sometimes contradictory character—a loner who courted publicity, a curmudgeonly perfectionist, a pragmatic sentimentalist. He craved adventure, excitement, and accolades, often forsaking his family and business commitments to travel and work all over the globe. In this definitive, superbly illustrated biography, Alasdair McGregor vividly describes the character, achievements, and disappointments of a driven and remarkable Australian.

Genres: Photography, Biography, Nonfiction

468 pages, Paperback

First published March 2, 2010

About the author

Alasdair McGregor is a writer, painter and photographer based in Sydney, Australia. His professional and creative interests range across a number of fields and include natural history and the environment, architecture and design, and the history of exploration.

http://www.alasdairmcgregor.com.au/pa...

Reviews

[Monica Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book about Frank Hurley I have read, and the most definite and comprehensive, by far.

The author did a great job of researching Mr Hurley's life, with all its twists and turns and complexities. This man was clearly a man of contradictions and a man of his time, nevertheless, his photographs are beautiful and, in many cases, a record of a life that no longer exists. Amazing when you think of the cumbersome equipment he had to lug around to capture the images that he did, under the conditions he did. We take it for granted, I think, that we can just snap off a picture on our phones these days but Frank Hurley had to contend with extremes of climate, being in war zones, politics etc etc.

I wish there were more photographs in this book, but that is probably just me. I enjoyed seeing some photos of Mr Hurley's family in this book as well, his wife was one long-suffering woman, it seems to me! I had a father who set up a darkroom in nearly every house we lived in (and my father had the same restless, adventurous spirit as Frank Hurley), so I understand that drive for perfection that Mr Hurley had. My father was a little less neglectful of his family, however, I think.

Highly recommended reading, if you want to learn more about Frank Hurley's life and how he came to be the photographer that he was.

4.5 stars from me.