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Significant Queensland documentary photographer Glen O’Malley visited Toowoomba over the last few days to catch up with old friends and acquaintances. On the evening of April 12 he made a presentation and showed recent work to students from the Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE.

Glen is one of Queensland’s great photography characters. Well known for his street documentary photographs which go back to the earliest days of ‘art photography’  – his first solo exhibition was held in 1975. Coming from way up north, near Babinda, Glen has for years been a master of traditional black and white. In recent years he has ‘crossed over’ to the digital and that has opened up a whole new vision for him – one that is very coloured. Originally trained as an artist Glen considers his ‘colourist’ background has re-emerged in his digital capture.

Another aspect to the O’Malley style is that he is a surrealist. Images in recent exhibitions ‘Hotplate Heaven’ and the ‘Pet Show’ feature prosaic home environments which are inhabited by ordinary looking people who do the most bizzare things. His latest work for a new show at the Queensland Centre for Photography in June. The exhibition is entitled ‘What a night!’ and features not only his own work but also images by Kellie White.

Students viewing Glen and Kellie’s works

Glen and Kellie’s work feature images made at night or dusk with flash or torch work illuminating the subject. Technique is one thing but the images are something else – they are, as you might expect, surreal but there is more! The images appear as spontaneous, serendipitous and intuitive moments. Intrigue and mystery are embedded in each image and do demand intense and prolonged viewing

Glen frames his point

Some of Kellie’s images

Some of Glen’s work

Written by Doug Spowart