Description

Title: Sydney: A Book of Photographs by David Mist
Author/Publisher: David Mist (Paul Hamlyn)
Publication Year: 1969
Format: Hardcover

Photographer David Mist (b. London 1937) was a leading Sydney-based fashion, documentary and commercial photographer. Today, the photographs he shot for his two books, Sydney: a Book of Photographs and Made in Australia, both published by Paul Hamlyn in 1969, provide a lasting and iconic record of life and style in 1960s Australia. David migrated to Australia in 1961, after working for a time in John Cole's Studio Five in London, where he met and worked alongside some of Britain’s most well known and influential photographers of the day - Anthony Armstrong Jones, Cecil Beaton, Norman Parkinson, John French and David Bailey, who was French's assistant at the time. After arriving in Sydney, he joined the studio of the Le Guay and Nesbitt studio in the Grand United building at 149 Castlereagh Street, right in the heart of the Sydney CBD. Here Le Guay and Nesbitt had a top floor studio with an outdoor area and an indoor studio in the basement. The photographers also shot on location in the parks and suburbs of Sydney.

Soon after Mist became a partner in Le Guay and Nesbitt, he renamed the business Studio 10, after Studio Five in London. Studio 10 moved to 7 Nickson Street, Surry Hills in 1982. During these 1960s, 70s and 80s, David honed his skills technically to develop a style that is simultaneously highly commercial and documentary. His photographs are always carefully lit and crafted for visual maximum impact. With his many cameras and lens (the Mamiya and Hasselblad's were favourites), David captured Australia's leading models and photographed a prolific number of fashion and commercial still life product shots, especially for large Sydney Department stores like David Jones, Waltons, Anthony Horderns and Myers. Some of his work is quite experimental, like the 'Face of the Future' series for Philips, the Dutch technology company for which he used a solarisation technique. His lens covered a broad range of subjects - from the Grand Prix circuit to Australian Ballet

Synopsis

Published in 1969, 'Sydney: A Book of Photographs' is a seminal work by David Mist, offering a compelling visual narrative of Australia's vibrant harbour city during the late 1960s. This non-fiction photography collection stands as a significant document of a pivotal era.

David Mist, a prominent Sydney-based photographer, used his lens to capture the essence of the city's life and style. Intended for an adult audience, the book provides a unique photographic insight into Australian culture and society as it stood on the cusp of a new decade.

• A Visual Chronicle of 1960s Sydney: This photographic book is a deep dive into the visual landscape of Sydney, showcasing the city's architecture, street life, fashion, and people. It offers a candid and evocative portrayal of daily existence and the prevailing mood in 1960s Australia through Mist's distinctive photographic perspective.

As a vintage photography book from 1969, this work by David Mist holds considerable appeal for collectors of Australian photographic history, enthusiasts of mid-century design, and anyone interested in a curated visual journey through Sydney's past.

Condition

This item has been professionally inspected and is in Acceptable condition. Please refer to the photographs for detailed visual assessment.

Specifications