Lorrie Graham: Photojournalist
Explore five decades of extraordinary photography by one of Australia’s most important and influential photojournalists, Lorrie Graham.
Recently acquired by the State Library, Graham’s complete photographic archive comprises more than 100,000 images and negatives created between 1975 and 2025. Together, they document her remarkable career and distinctive visual storytelling.
Curated by Graham herself, this major retrospective brings together significant events, remarkable people and everyday moments, alongside intimate interviews in which Graham shares personal reflections on her career and the stories behind her photographs.
Lorrie Graham became the first female photography cadet at The Sydney Morning Herald in 1975 before moving to London three years later to work at The Observer. In 1980 she returned to Australia, working as a staff photographer for leading publications before embarking on a successful freelance career. Her work over the next four decades includes photographic commissions, solo and group exhibitions, books and film stills. She has also completed many assignments for AusAID in the Asia–Pacific region.
The State Library of NSW holds the complete archive of her photographs, negatives and digital files. Her photographs are also held in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, National Portrait Gallery, National Library of Australia and Museums of History NSW. In 2017 Lorrie Graham was inducted into the Australian Media Hall of Fame.
