Andrew Quilty’s photography career began in Sydney, 2000, on the day his application to a university photo elective was rejected. He quit, and set off around Australia with a surfboard and a Nikon F3 that his uncle (he was also a photographer) had passed down.Fate further intervened a week into the trip when his van was broken into. Everything but his well-hidden camera, and surfboard, which he was riding at the time, was stolen.30,000KM later, he enrolled in the Sydney Institute of TAFE’s Photography program, finishing at the top of his class in 2004.He was given an informal internship at Fairfax Media which evolved into full-time employment. There, Quilty found himself surrounded by some of Australia’s most outstanding photographers. They reshaped his worldview and set him on a course that continues to inspire his work today.He left Fairfax in 2010 and freelanced from Sydney before relocating to New York City in 2012. But it was during a trip to Afghanistan and the Middle East, in 2013, that he first discovered purpose and fulfillment in his photography. He has been based in Kabul, Afghanistan ever since.His work in Afghanistan has been published worldwide and garnered several awards.He has traveled to more than 20 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces and continues to document the country through pictures and, increasingly, the written word.

Analysis

This photo of his was taken in Afghanistan during one of it’s wars, in a camp. Quilty lived in Afghanistan for a period of time in which he documented what the people were going through, whilst risking his own life. This was taken in artificial lighting, inside of a tent and it appears that it’s white bulbs powering the light in this image. The tent has been made into a barbers and a gentleman is getting his cut. This photo emphasizes how this is real life, people have to work around the situation they are in whether they are rich or they live in the middle of a war zone. It is very vibrant, with the native flag, the blue roof and the green tapestry, nothing really matches but interior designs aren’t at the top of their priorities, they are making the most of what they have, trying to make it as homely as possible. This is a very impressive photo lighting wise because he has managed to not make it under-exposed despite the lack of light in the tent. There are many different textures in the photo, for instance the 3D plastic chairs, the 2D wall art/tapestry and the metal poles holding the tent together. There isn’t a structure or sense of repetition but this exaggerates the concept that the war they live around it unpredictable, there’s not consistency to it, one day everyone is safe then the next day there could be a bombing which destroys everything, it’s unpredictable. At first glance the leading eye is to the white lighting but then as you begin to move out, you can see the depth in the photo and how complex it really is, it isn’t just two men having a laugh it’s their life, it’s their reality, their livelihood, but because of the war it could all disappear in a matter of seconds.