Photographic education at the Queensland College of Art originated from the photographic needs of Commercial Art students attending the Central Technical College in the early 1950s. Photography, as a subject in its own right, steadily grew to become a structured evening studies program conducted by Jack Geddes, then a technical officer with Kodak Australia.
By the late 50s the need for formal vocational photographic education in Queensland began to emerge so the two-year part time Certificate in Photography course was created. The period from 1960 to 1970 saw the appointment of full time photography instructors, notably John McKay.
The 1970s witnessed the appointment of a second full-time photography instructor and a move from the old Central Technical College in George Street to spacious, new, custom-designed premises at Morningside. The combination of this modern teaching facility, emerging industry support for photographic education and the extensive ground work undertaken by John McKay, who had travelled through Europe and America gathering information and visiting photographic teaching institutions, culminated with the introduction of Queensland's first full time professionally oriented photographic course of study.
- Images above and below: Photography department at QCA during various stages of construction of the South Bank campus.
The 1980s saw the development of a three year full time Diploma of Arts (Photography) course which was extensively revised, upgraded and accredited throughout the decade as the department grew.
The QCA amalgamated with Griffith University in 1991 in accordance with the Dawkins reform of higher education in Australia. Through intense lobbying and demonstrations by committed staff and students, we retained the name Queensland College of Art and ensured a continuation of long-standing traditions.
The Australian Photojournalists Association was formed by graduates in 1994 and continues to grow as the Australian Photojournalist publication, originally a quarterly newsletter, is now a full-colour journal, published annually. 1995 saw establishment of our first Digital Imaging room equipped with the latest in scanners, computers and printers and one year later, the Bachelor of Visual Arts (Photography) was revised to become the Bachelor of Photography.
Around this time, the Department of Photography successfully established an international relationship with main land China and the prestigious Chinese art school, the Central Academy of Fine Art (CAFA), in Beijing. This relationship has continued to reverberate in the form of on-going QCA - CAFA staff exchanges and collaborative exhibitions.
In 2001 the Queensland College of Art, relocated to their new campus at South Bank Parklands in Brisbane (see the above images at various stages of construction) and in 2006, we celebrated the 125th Anniversary of the Queensland College of Art.
In 2008, ePhotojournalism staff and students from the QCA Gold Coast program, the Bachelor of Digital Media, founded The Argus, a digital portal to photojournalism. The online magazine is updated monthly with photographic essays, series and singles with text and video, forging the new wave of Australian photojournalism. As a Queensland College of Art initiative, editorial and publication roles are met by an annual flux of new students. With a photographic focus from contributors and editors alike, the team works alongside renowned photojournalists, Heather Faulkner, Jack Picone and Margaret Waller to ensure a rich visual insight to global affairs.
Looking to the future, QCA Photography continues to grow with a focus on high quality teaching and emerging student work.