Fred's photographer:

Michael Amendolia is a distinguished Australian photographer, who started out as a photojournalist, and went on to capture one of the most iconic photos of professor Fred Hollows. 

Michael has maintained a close relationship with The Foundation, producing numerous photos in some of the most remote and marginalised parts of Australia and the world. 

Michael’s ability to capture the significance of a moment is unmatched. He is able to distill the emotions and circumstances of some of the world’s most vulnerable people in the most respectful way possible. He allows us to share the significance of our sight-restoring work with our supporters and the Australian public in meaningful ways.

Below, Michael shares his journey as a photographer and offers insights to anyone interested in pursuing a photography career.

How did I get into photography?

When I was half way through Year 11 at Strathfield High School, I dropped the idea of being a tennis coach. Still, I loved tennis and sports in general, so I thought to myself: “these guys photographing the tennis from the side of the court seem to have a good job, surely it can’t be that difficult”. 

I figured I'd better choose something interesting as a job, as I was going to have to work for most of my life. It was at that point that I decided to pursue a career as  a newspaper photographer.

After convincing my parents I was serious about this, they gifted me a Pentax camera for my 17th birthday. Later they also gave me  a 70-200mm Zoom lens, which at the time was perfect for sports photography. 

Experimenting in the laundry at home I would process film and make prints in a makeshift darkroom that I'd set up at night until Dad eventually converted the old shed into a darkroom.

I started taking photos at the school’s swimming carnival and rugby league matches. On weekends my parents would take me to various sporting events where I’d capture the action from my seat in the crowd. All the while I’d be dreaming of being one of those guys on the sideline, working for the Sydney Morning Herald or The Telegraph. 

The NSW high school’s photography competition was an opportunity to see if any of my photos were any good. I was surprised and elated when my panned photo of a family on their bike with a blurry background won the colour section. This was a great bonus when showing my photos to photo editors later on.

I was worried that my high school certificate results wouldn’t be good enough to get a job after I had finished, I thought I’d better get a job before the results came in. My last HSC exam was on a Friday, and three days later (Monday) I started working at Georges Camera store on Pitt Street Sydney. 

How did my professional photography career begin?

Towards the end of my last year at high school, my cousin arranged through a friend of hers for me to speak to the photographic manager at News Limited, Max Ross. I also contacted the Sydney Morning Herald’s picture editor Kevin Berry to see if there were any opportunities at Fairfax.

After six months of selling cameras at Georges, I received a call from News Limited asking if I’d be interested in a job as a photographic copy boy. I would be in line for a cadetship but in the meantime I would deliver photographs, newspapers, and copy, and pick up lunch for the photographers. 

I had got my foot in the door at News Limited and my first big break came on my 20th birthday when I started a cadetship.  It was then that my younger self, a sheltered teenager, began the first of 14 years at what I now refer to as “the university of life.”

Working in the company of journalistic legends, role models, mavericks and ratbags, I gathered all the lessons, insights and mistakes any young person needed, let alone a photographer in preparation for the big world of independent freelancing.

I had been a copy boy for one year, a cadet for three years, working in the darkroom. Then I spent eight years as a photographer at the Daily and Sunday Telegraph, and three years at The Australian.

In late September 1992, I had my very first overseas assignment. On just the second day of that first overseas assignment, I took the now famous photograph of Fred Hollows and a young Vietnamese boy, Tran Van Giap.

Giap, then five, was blinded by a trauma to his right eye and was brought by his father into Hanoi from a remote village. 

The candid, black and white photograph of professor Hollows has become the brand image for The Fred Hollows Foundation, imprinting itself in the hearts and minds of generations of Australians.

After leaving the staff at News Limited in 1997, I have been freelancing as a photographer and videographer, specialising in documentary, journalism and contemporary magazine portraits.

Since 2011, I have had the opportunity to contribute to stories each year from the projects that The Foundation and its partners are completing around the world.

What do I love about taking photos for a not-for-profit?

Telling a story in pictures has always been my main focus. I always ask myself, how can I tell that story using the light I have (or don’t have), using the relationship with the subject (or those working with the subject), using the photographic equipment I have with me? And all of that under the circumstances that the moment allows.

I get a sense of fulfilment when I see the published results of each image, whether it’s in traditional print media, billboards, or on digital channels, including websites and social media platforms.

When I am taking photos, my aim is to always capture the emotional moments of a situation or event, with a sense of place and context.

When I create a portrait of a patient, an eye care worker or a doctor, I am always trying to create an image that has significant enough impact to emote the viewer and draw them to the story on the page or the screen.

I am also always looking to the background, because that will make or break a photo. Often I am anticipating what may happen, I will ask a lot of questions as to what is likely to happen and how I can put myself in the right place at the right time. 

It’s never about staging a moment, but rather giving a snapshot of the moment the best possible chance of being reflected in its true essence.

If I have a clear visualisation of the photographs that I would like to capture, I will ask the right questions and place myself in the right position to realise them.

What advice would I give on photography?

Get in as close to your subject, with your phone or camera, as is possible without making anyone feel uncomfortable. Getting in close is the first step to taking photos where the viewer feels involved.

Take lots of photos because the situation you are photographing changes as it unfolds. Don’t stop until you feel you have captured as many moments and emotions of the situation as possible.

Move around the subject to secure the best angle as things change. Get down on your knees if necessary to be on the same line of view as the subject, especially if photographing a child.

Try to find a simple composition in the viewfinder of your camera, cutting out any distracting background. Place the subject in the camera frame using the rule of thirds, where the main subject is composed one third of the distance from right to left or left to right, and also from the bottom of the frame or the top.

What advice would I give on editing photographs?

I use Photo Mechanic software for editing my RAW file and Photoshop and Lightroom for processing my Raw files into jpg and sometimes tiff files.

To edit and process images from smart phones is to experiment with all the features of the image processing App that comes with your phone. I get the feeling they are all reasonably good these days, giving beginners a sense of what is achievable.

Make your image about the subject with simple light and shadow play. This can be done easily by adjusting the contrast and brightness. You can also play with cropping capability to focus on certain details within your image. While using all the filters that come with the app can be fun, it isn’t often needed. I personally never use the automatic filters, as I like to make those changes myself in subtle adjustments using the editing function that comes with my phone.

What advice would I give on pursuing a photography career?

My advice to those looking at a profession in humanitarian photography is to embrace videography as well as writing. Master the highest level of your photography as your one main outlet, although learn the craft of the others to fit in with the contemporary communications environment as that will open you to more opportunities.