Photojournalists may be said to be taking the temperature of our times: reflecting our lifestyles and concerns, our motivations, aspirations, dreams and everyday realities. This documentary was shown as part of an Historic Houses Trust exhibition, Sydney now: new Australian photojournalism at the Museum of Sydney in 2007. The exhibition presented an extraordinary portrait of contemporary Sydney life, with over 100 images by 24 photographers made since the year 2000.

Photojournalism traverses the boundaries between documentary and art photography. According to critic Robert McFarlane, the photographers in Sydney now are ‘shaping a definition of photojournalism that is freer, more impressionistic, but also informed by the changing visual literacy of the internet culture and music video’. Vivid colour combines with a sense of movement to create distinctive new visions of life in Sydney today.

In this documentary seven Australian photographers talk about their work and the inspiration they find in documenting life in our own backyard. This film is part of Sydney Now: new Australian photojournalism.

It was produced for the Historic Houses Trust by Afterglow.