Wendy McDougall
Wendy McDougall - REVISITED…. [Featured in April 2022]
1. What gets you out of bed every day?
Cats and coffee, and my ‘Morning..’ photo series gets my feet on the floor.
2. Are there any new photographers on your inspiration list?
Being part of the team who co-ordinate and judge the photo comps at CCP as well as being in the shop/lab to see first hand prints comes off the machines I’ve now had the privilege of seeing great work by many Charing Cross Photo customers and there are some fantastic images being made out there. Everyone who enters the comps inspire me, and every conversation I have with photographers who come in to the lab inspire me. I’m fuelled by their passion to keep going with my own work, to help build and grow the photo and art community.
3. Have you changed the equipment you use?
Because cameras have become heavier than when we used film - the more they do the bigger the battery needs to be and heavier they become [are you listening camera makers!!] - I have taken to using my phone camera for my ‘Morning…’ series for the lightness factor. I shoot and post a new photo every day. It’s a habit I can’t shake but I love it.. keeps my eye working, keeps me looking, and I like that I can choose a square format, just like in my Hasselblad years back. I do miss that camera!
4. What is the music you are playing these days?
Funny you should ask.. I’m actually playing music which means I get to re-listen to my favourite songs on a deeper level so I can work out how to do that. Newer artists that I enjoy are Grace Cummings [Australian], Michael Kiwanuka [British], and incredible new Rolling Stones albums [2 in the past few years!]
5. In the digital world how important is the print?
The print to me as become more important than ever.. Screens have robbed us seeing the hard work by photographers, and probably all of us photographers [sorry to assume for everyone] have suffered from not being able to print as often as we would like.. But like vinyl records, they will never go away.. I just have to dig deep to make sure I get as many done as possible whilst I can. If only I had my darkroom!! Sigh..!
6. B/W - Colour - Analogue - Digital.
Put these words in your order of preference and tell us why.
I still prefer B/W but I have to confess I am using colour more often these days due to the equipment and how digital works.. I prefer to mess up the colour, I’m not a fan of reality so these two have equal placement in the list these days.. I get too sad when I think of analogue because I don’t and can’t have a darkroom so I’m not going to mention the other two!
7. Have you exhibited your work, and other than the print, how important was the framing process to you?
I currently have my 23rd solo exhibition on at the Raglan Gallery in Cooma. Its titled FREQUENCY OF FLOATING.
Charing Cross Photo made all the prints and the custom frames for me. Framing is always the last comment around the work so it’s really important to choose well and have them made well. I was very happy to be in a position to use ARTGLASS in my frames as a lot of work is on black. I didn’t want people to look at the work hanging on the wall and just see their reflection. The attention to detail on how the frames were made is awe inspiring to be honest. After all the effort I gave my images it’s good to know the final steps of framing had the same level of care.
8. What defines a great image?
This never changes for me - It’s all about the instant connection to the idea, the composition and the execution.. they blend in a way that sometimes makes it hard to know which is more important, but you just know that it is an image that makes you look again and again.. it’s like a great song you want to hear over and over. And it doesn’t matter if you are the only one who thinks that, a great image for me is still great because it moves ME..
9. Have you got a new favourite photo? Why?
All the images in my new exhibition are currently my favourite. They all made the cut to be worthy of printing and framing so that makes them hard not to love…
10. What is the best photography advice you can give to others?
Whilst I always appreciate advice from others no matter when I hear it, at this time in my life being the age I am, I would advise those starting their careers to look at the work of those who came before them. Research the history and historic images, and ideally do this by looking at books and in galleries not just on screens. They hold so much information and inspiration. Plus don’t be afraid to make mistakes. You can learn more from them than you might imagine.
11. When you are not taking photos, what are you doing?
I’m looking at photos every day, either for work or my own pleasure and interest. I also play and listen to music a lot, enjoy the antics of my cats, and I’m possibly watching too many great films and TV shows.. in my defence they are all photos, they just move a lot, but I take onboard the story and camera work. They all filter to my imagination your honour!! J
High Point in career?
See next question….
Low Point in career?
COVID stopped my natural flow of work and promotion of a book I published at the time. It’s been hard to recover ever since, but I am believer of ‘there’s always good in the bad’.
Within that time I was given the opportunity to work with Iain at Charing Cross Photo and I haven’t yet stopped.. so my work at CCP has become one of my highlights that just keeps on going…!! A connection to the medium I love , a way of helping to keep it going, and an ongoing connection the people in this community that I never thought possible.
Wendy McDougall is an award-winning freelance photographer and photo-based artist. She received a 2024 Australia Day Award for services to Arts & Culture in the Monaro Region, NSW.
Wendy began her photographic career in the Australian music industry, photographing iconic musicians. From this foundation, she then expanded into theatre, film, television and documentary photography, all which continue to inform her personal art practice.
In 2018 Wendy won ‘Best Photographer’ at AWMA [Women in Music Awards] which resulted in an retrospective exhibition of her images, shown in Sydney and Melbourne, and a book.
Since 1984, Wendy has exhibited in 21 solo exhibitions and 58 group exhibitions.
Her photographs are held in the collections of the National Library of Australia, NSW State Library, Museum of Sydney and the Powerhouse Museum.
In 2023, Wendy was appointed to the Board of the Raglan Gallery in Cooma, NSW
Selected Awards
2024 ~ WINNER - Australia Day Award - for services in Arts & Culture, Monaro Region NSW
2021 ~ FINALIST - ‘Olive Cotton Portrait Award’ - Tweed Regional Gallery
2019 ~ SEMI FINALIST - ‘Moran Prize’
2018 ~ WINNER - AWMA [Australian Women in Music Awards] – Best Music Photographer
2013 & 2006 ~ FINALIST x 2 - ‘HEAD ON Portrait Prize’ + Shortlisted x 5 other years
2003, 2004, 2007, 2008 ~ FINALIST x 4 - ‘Art & About’ - Sydney Council, in Hyde Park
2008 ~ FINALIST - ‘National Portrait Prize’ – National Portrait Gallery in ACT
2004 ~ FINALIST - `Josephine Ulrick Photography Prize’ + won Highly Commended prize
1996 ~ FINALIST - `ACMP & Fuji - Collection’ - Sydney Opera House
1988 ~ FINALIST - `Diamond Awards’- Brussels, then travelled Europe
Selected Exhibitions
2026 ~ ‘Frequency of Floating’ - solo, Raglan Gallery, Cooma
2024 ~ ‘Shot’ - group, NSW State Library
2023 ~ ‘Time For A Moment’ - solo, Raglan Gallery, Cooma NSW
2023 ~ ‘Viewfinder - photography from 1970’s to now’ - group - National Library of Australia, ACT
2022 ~ ‘Sydney Contemporary Art Fair’ group, Carriageworks, NSW
2020 ~ ‘Pub Rock’ - group, National Portrait Gallery, ACT
2019 & 2021 ~ ‘it’s only rock’n’roll but I like it…’ – solo shows Sydney, Melbourne, Wollongong
2013 & 2014 ~ ‘Paul Kelly Portraits’ - group, National Portrait Gallery in ACT.
2011 ~ ‘Alice - through my Looking Glass’ - Part of Head On Festival, solo, Paddington NSW
2009 ~ ‘An Unread World’ - solo - Head On Festival, Newtown NSW
2005 ~ ‘Architectural Dreaming’ - solo - Australian Technology Park, NSW
2001 ~ ‘So You Wanna Be A Rock Star’ - group, National Portrait Gallery, ACT
2001 ~ ‘Portrait of a Park’ - group, Museum of Sydney
1996 ~ ‘WOW’ - group show & co-curator, Stills Gallery
1996 ~ ‘S’urreal Thing’ – group show with Lewis Morley, Brendan Read & Bill Mosely, Annandale
1995 ~ ‘…and then there was man’ - solo, Toast Gallery, NSW
1994 ~ ‘Real Wild Child’ - group, Powerhouse Museum, NSW
1993 ~ ‘Love & Instincts… the Girls’ - solo, POD Theatre Gallery, NSW
1991 ~ ‘Still Noise’ - group shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, and Paris
1984 ~ ‘Five New Photographers’ - group - Images, Glebe Sydney