'Shot' – 400 photos from the archives from NSW State Library

Visit the new underground photography gallery and follow the fascinating journey of the photographic image in Australia. 

Shot delves into the Library’s extraordinary collection of two million images and delivers a visual feast of 400 captivating moments — many displayed for the first time — with nearly every photographic format and every year between 1845 and 2022 represented. 

The exhibition features Australia’s oldest photograph, the earliest examples of colour photography, iconic works by some of our most acclaimed photographers and contemporary images and commentary by over 30 living photographers. 

On display for the first time are 25 large glass plate negatives from the Holtermann collection which form an astonishing 9-metre panorama of Sydney in 1875. 

Due to the delicate nature of numerous works, this may be the first and only time to see some of these rare images of Australia’s pictorial history on display.

Upcoming Events Submit an Event

July

Canberra: The photographs in Nan Goldin’s The ballad of sexual dependency depict the everyday lives, often in intimate detail, of people in Goldin’s immediate community during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

September

Sydney: The first major solo exhibition by one of Australia’s most innovative and unflinching photomedia artists.

October

Melbourne: Photography – Real & Imagined is the largest survey of the NGV's Photography collection and features more than 270 photographs from the past 125 years.

November

Sydney-based photographer Tony Maniaty's latest exhibition features large-scale images from travels (2020-2023) in France, Britain, Greece, Turkey and Australia exploring concepts of beauty and fragility.

Showcasing the work of Advanced Diploma of Photography graduates, and second year Bachelor of Photography students Photography Studies College

December

Melbourne 9 December. Lingam.K has exhibited internationally, including in Iceland, China, Singapore, and Tokyo. Free event