ANZAC Day Brisbane
anzac daybrisbaneparadedocumentaryevent photography

ANZAC Day Brisbane

Chris Harvey
The red cape against grey-green uniform. She was mid-conversation and didn't know I was there. The best portraits rarely do.

01 / 05

A column of soldiers marching in formation is one of the few subjects where perfect synchrony is the point. You want everyone in step.

02 / 05

The horse was entirely unbothered by the crowd, the noise, the drums. I envied it the composure.

03 / 05

Willys jeeps lined up along a Brisbane street with ANZAC Day scrolling on the sign behind them. Some images write their own captions.

04 / 05

The city reflected in the bell of a tuba. I spent five minutes waiting to see if the reflection would resolve into something. It did.

05 / 05

From the Author

ANZAC Day is the one occasion each year when Brisbane’s CBD becomes genuinely quiet before it becomes loud. The dawn service draws thousands to the Shrine of Remembrance before the city wakes up, and by the time the sun is fully up the march is assembling on Anzac Square. I have photographed it several times and I keep finding new things to look at.

The veteran portraits are the heart of it. There is a particular dignity in the way people wear service medals — with deliberate pride, but not performance. The man I photographed this year had a full row of campaign medals and a single red poppy pinned above them. He looked directly at the lens without flinching and I got exactly one frame before the march moved him on. That is often how it goes.

On the uniform details: ANZAC Day is full of visual detail if you slow down enough to find it. Regimental insignia, campaign ribbons, the specific cut of different uniform eras, the way ceremonial dress differs from working dress. I find myself getting closer with every year, more interested in the particulars than the panorama.

On the nurses’ contingent: The Army nursing uniforms — grey dress, white cap, red cape — are some of the most visually striking in the whole march. Against the khaki of the military units and the civilians lining the street, they stand out completely. The woman in the cape I photographed was smiling at someone in the crowd, head slightly turned. The shot happened because I had pre-focused and was just watching.

On the military vehicles: The column of vintage Willys jeeps waiting to move off is one of my favourite images from the day. Shot from low and to one side, the depth compression makes them stretch all the way back into the frame. The ANZAC Day sign on the building behind them was an accident I noticed while reviewing the image later.

On the band: The military band is loud and close and produces interesting compression shapes when you shoot tight on individual musicians. The tuba player who had the whole city reflected in the bell of his instrument did not know I was there. He was focused entirely on his sheet music, which was the right place to be.

More ANZAC Day coverage: ANZAC Day Photos 2010 · How to Photograph Anzac Day · ANZAC Day Brisbane 2013 · Capturing the Essence of Anzac Day

Chris Harvey