ANZAC Day in Brisbane is one of those rare events where the city’s usual informality drops away completely. The march draws veterans from every branch and era, and in 2010 the route along George Street was lined several deep with people who had shown up to pay attention. That kind of crowd gives the photographs a weight they would not otherwise have.
I came with one camera and a mid-range zoom, which is enough for a march. You do not need long glass — the parade comes to you. What you do need is patience and a position that lets you see faces rather than the backs of heads.
On the veterans in the jeep: Two men in a WWII-era jeep, talking to each other with complete ease while an entire RAAF formation stood at attention behind them. The image works because of the contrast — the ordered precision of the rank and the relaxed familiarity of the old soldiers. That gap in register is where the picture lives.
On the formation shot: The RAAF dress uniform from behind is a geometry exercise — belts, buttons, peaked caps, all the same, all aligned. I have made this kind of image at many marches and I keep coming back to it. Uniformity is its own kind of composition.
On the crowd: A tattooed father holding an infant up to see the march over the heads of the crowd in front. The child could not have been more than eight months old. He held her up anyway. Some photographs are complete before you press the shutter.
On the light: The 2010 march fell on a Sunday with clear skies and low-angle morning light. By the time the main body of the march passed, the sun was high enough to give separation between figures without the harsh shadows that midday produces. I had about forty-five minutes of good light before it went flat.
The march ends and the crowd disperses quickly. Brisbane does not linger on ANZAC Day — it pays its attention and then goes home. I always find that restraint appropriate.
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