Trent Parke: Minutes to Midnight
by Dan Wagner
Whether it’s an overexposed leaping squirrel, pedestrians negotiating a sea of speeding traffic, or shadows of commuters projected upon a passing bus – Australian photographer Trent Parke’s book Minutes to Midnight is a testament to his ability to turn imagery that might be regarded as humdrum into something special. The book is a visual odyssey documenting time spent with friends and family, and explorations of Australia’s beaches, cities, suburbs, and Outback. Seemingly random at first, the sequencing of each photo feels organic, and purposeful. Every time I view the book I say to myself, “This is how a visitor from another planet might see us.”
The inspiration for the photograph of bats in flight gracing the covers of the book, as well as the interior photos, seems to have come from an opening inscription printed in The Sunday Mail, June 5th 2010, Queensland Australia:
“Witnesses reported watching a ball of light move across the sky
for up to five minutes at 5.50 am Saturday.
‘It was a perfect spiral of light’ one Redcliffe witness told The Sunday Mail.
‘I realized soon it was not the moon but that it was shooting like a comet
from the southern sky and off into the northwest.’
Another Brisbane resident said: ‘There was absolutely no sound in a perfectly clear, darkened sky before the dawn.’
The weather bureau said there were no weather conditions
which would explain the light.
A defense spokeswoman also said she had no explanation.”
Photographers have been enthusiastic in their appreciation of the tonal range, contrast, and grain achieved through Trent’s choice of shooting primarily with Ilford FP4 35m film, and his excellent darkroom skills. Many photographers have commented that they admire and relate to Trent’s reportage style of photography – a form that combines elements of documentary and street photography. The photos in the all black-and-white book also possess a certain “I could’ve shot that too” appeal – that whether true or not might inspire photographers to follow in his footsteps. In fact, the popularity of Minutes to Midnight on photography forum websites helped the first printing sell out.
Gerhard Steidl Q&A
To avoid the appearance of juxtapositions that might feel non-organic, the majority of the spreads in the book feature a single print opposite an empty page. Several double-page panoramas provide added visual interest to the presentation. Crafted by the legendary printer, Steidl, the design, printing, binding, and materials are absolutely superb. The application of the ink, so thick you can almost “read” the images with your fingertips, the luxurious tactile feel of the cloth hardcover, and even the intoxicating smell of the ink that envelopes you every time you open it, take all of Steidl’s books, and especially Minutes to Midnight, to often sought and seldom reached levels of excellence.
To learn more about Trent Parke please visit:
I hope this book review will inspire you to learn more about Trent Parke’s photography. Thanks for visiting The Cranky Camera!