'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

August

Canberra: The works by the 34 selected finalists provide a powerful visual record of the year, reflecting a particular time in Australian culture, both socially and artistically.

Sydney: The exhibition features over 90 photographs that shine a light on the astonishing array of flora, fauna and landscapes that can be found across the Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea bioregion.

Sydney: The exhibition brings together close to 100 of the artist’s most important works dating from the 1970s through to the present day.

Sydney: The photographs in Max Dupain: Student Life were taken at the University of Sydney in the early 1950s, a period of rapid change marked by the politics of the Cold War.

Sydney: First exhibited at the Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh) in 2023, ZAHALKAWORLD – an artist’s archive brings together key bodies of work from Zahalka’s renowned photographic practice.

September

Canberra: This collection-in-focus display highlights William Yang’s photography of Sydney Mardi Gras festivals between 1981 and 2003.

Melbourne: Featuring 50+ prints by some of the most important photographers of the 20th Century including Cartier-Bresson, Weegee, W Eugene Smith and Arnold Newman.

Melbourne: The William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize 2024 features more than 70 images including digital and analogue photography, large-scale installations and daguerreotypes.

October

Melbourne: Come celebrate the thought-provoking work of 10 talented members of the Club's Conceptual Photography Group. Their collective exhibition, "Interesting Times," showcases a wide range of unique and diverse artistic perspectives through the medium of conceptual photography.