Time exposures - the photography of Fred Smith

Curated by Sam Malloy

Fred Smith spent all his life in Bathurst. Born in 1919, the son of a painter sign-writer on the New South Wales Railways, his education was cut short because of the effects of the Great Depression. Leaving school at thirteen, he pursued numerous jobs until gaining an apprenticeship as a linotype operator and compositor at the ‘Bathurst Times' newspaper.

It was while undertaking military training in the early 1940s that Fred began to experiment with the camera - his photographs recorded everyday camp life while at the same time expressing artistic qualities such as the juxtaposition of light and shadow and camera angle.

On his return to the newspaper, Fred took on the additional role of freelance photographer, thus opening up the new field of photo-journalism. Marriage and two children during this period also provided Fred with much family material to document through his camera lens.

Throughout Fred's professional career, he continued to take photographs of Bathurst and the natural surrounds together with civic occasions, which included the city's 150th celebrations in 1965 and the annual car races on Mount Panorama.

Following his retirement in 1984, Fred welcomed the technological advancements in photographic design and production that computers had introduced - for him it was another form of artistic expression. These years were also filled with journeys into the surrounding district to photograph historic villages and natural landscapes.

When Fred Smith died in 2003, his legacy was a comprehensive photographic record of the city and its region during the 20th century.
This exhibition is a snapshot of his works which forms part of the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery's permanent collection.