Sparks of Genius

"Creative photography can be a medium of expression to a person who is an artist."

"To be a successful photographer, you need a spark of imagination, a ton of enthusiasm, some recklessness and a bit of luck."

Bill Angove reflecting on his life.

Although he resembled a Toulouse-Lautrec figure physically, Bill Angove (1924-1980) stands tall among Western Australia's most accomplished photographers of the 20th century. His creative successes were largely achieved on the international stage and in eastern Australia. His main contribution to his home state as as a much admired and dedicated photography educator. He was an artist who never stopped stretching boundaries.

Angove's story is told here for the first time. Biographer Richard Goodwin, armed with an abundant archive from Angove's career, captures insights from contemporaries and forgotten records. The book also dissects the distinctive combination of ways Bill Angove's images hit their marks.

A 1960 press article on the subject cited US and British journals describing Angove's photography as "the work of a genius". The author of another profile labelled Angove "the complete master of his medium".