John Ogden is a photographer, cinematographer, author, publisher, and educator based in Sydney, Australia.
Ogden’s career began as a photojournalist in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, before going on to study literature, anthropology and filmmaking at WAIT, graduating in 1979. Over the next three decades he worked as a Director of Photography in multiple genres of filmmaking and is an accredited member of the ACS. After losing his right eye in a surfing accident in 1998, he established Cyclops Productions Co, an independent publishing company dedicated to telling Australian stories. He is the author of nine books.
2013John Ogden at ‘Slightly Dangerous’ Photo Exhibition Sydney NSW.
John ‘Oggy’ Ogden: While working as a photojournalist during the last days of the Vietnam War, I met the Australian cinematographer Neil Davis in Bangkok and after seeing his work I became interested in filmmaking. Heading to the UK with a plan to study at the London Film School, a series of misadventures left me feeling like a character out of Orwell’s ‘Down and Out in London and Paris’. When Gough Whitlam was sacked by the Queen’s representative I had a new mission, returning to Australia to join the revolution. Sadly, there was revolution.
Finding myself in Perth in 1975, I enrolled into a degree course at WAIT the following year and started work as the west coast correspondent for Tracks magazine. My first child was born in Perth in 1977. Doing full time study and working odd jobs to survive left little money to buy camera equipment and taking surf trips south or north, so I had to be a bit inventive to get material for Tracks magazine. Often my photos and stories had little to do with surfing, and I was developing a reputation for quirky images. During the time I worked for Tracks I tended to concentrate on people and their stories.
Some of the people who once hunted the waves around Yamba had moved to the south-west corner of the continent and built homes in the forest near Margaret River, including Robert Conneely, Chris Brock and Gary Keys, who had all appeared in Greenough’s classic film The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun.
I have been going through some old negs and found some more stuff from WA. Not much surfing or high art….mainly just portraits.
I have attached a catalogue of images from Perth and Down South during 1975-80.
You may have seen some of them already in Tracks Magazine and Surfing Down South book.
1978-80 Down South images
1978 Robert Conneeley with Outpost Surfboards in his first dwelling on the edge of the Margaret River. 1978 Robert Conneeley in cottage with Outpost Surfboards at Margaret River.1978 Rob Conneeley & friend going surfing Margaret River.1978 Chris Brock with surfboard/board cover at Margaret River.1978 Sadie and Gary Keys country living at Margaret River.1979 Country cottage at Margaret River.1979 David Hattrick watching Tom Hoye air spray his new Precision Equip Surfboard at Tom’s surf factory Cowaramup.1979 Tom Hoye air spraying David Hattrick’s new Precision Equip Surfboard at surf factory Cowaramup.1979 The walk to Bears#1.1979 The walk to Bears#2.1980 Feb Tony Hardy shaping Hardy Surfboards Margaret River.1980 Feb Tony Hardy shaping Hardy Surfboards Margaret River.
Thanks, Oggy for sharing your vintage WA surf images.
ABOUT JOHN OGDEN AND CYCLOPS PRESS
John Ogden is a photographer, cinematographer, author, publisher, and educator based in Sydney, Australia.
Ogden’s career began as a photojournalist in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, before going on to study literature, anthropology and filmmaking at WAIT, graduating in 1979. Over the next three decades he worked as a Director of Photography in multiple genres of filmmaking and is an accredited member of the ACS. After losing his right eye in a surfing accident in 1998, he established Cyclops Productions Co, an independent publishing company dedicated to telling Australian stories. He is the author of nine books.
John ‘Oggy’ Ogden: While working as a photojournalist during the last days of the Vietnam War, I met the Australian cinematographer Neil Davis in Bangkok and after seeing his work I became interested in filmmaking. Heading to the UK with a plan to study at the London Film School, a series of misadventures left me feeling like a character out of Orwell’s ‘Down and Out in London and Paris’. When Gough Whitlam was sacked by the Queen’s representative I had a new mission, returning to Australia to join the revolution. Sadly, there was revolution.
Finding myself in Perth in 1975, I enrolled into a degree course at WAIT the following year and started work as the west coast correspondent for Tracks magazine. My first child was born in Perth in 1977. Doing full time study and working odd jobs to survive left little money to buy camera equipment and taking surf trips south or north, so I had to be a bit inventive to get material for Tracks magazine. Often my photos and stories had little to do with surfing, and I was developing a reputation for quirky images. During the time I worked for Tracks I tended to concentrate on people and their stories.
Some of the people who once hunted the waves around Yamba had moved to the south-west corner of the continent and built homes in the forest near Margaret River, including Robert Conneely, Chris Brock and Gary Keys, who had all appeared in Greenough’s classic film The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun.
I have been going through some old negs and found some more stuff from WA. Not much surfing or high art….mainly just portraits.
I have attached a catalogue of images from Perth and Down South during 1975-80.
You may have seen some of them already in Tracks Magazine and Surfing Down South book.
1978-80 Down South images
Thanks, Oggy for sharing your vintage WA surf images.
Coming soon
More 1975-80 WA surf images by John Ogden
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