“I have never had to earn an income from stills, and as it is a solitary pursuit – unlike TV, this has allowed me to relax and produce images just for pleasure, free from any financial or production pressures.” – Bill Pfeifer
Back in the 1980s, my good friend Bill Pfeifer took lots of photos in and around Bondi and on his occasional travels. This was the olden days and Bill developed and printed his photographs in his own darkroom or at John Adair’s place in Bellevue Hill.
It was obvious to us all back then that Bill had an incredible eye for composition and ability to capture the moment. He lived with us in the Britannic Mansions on Campbell Parade and documented the dark and gritty ‘Bad Old Bondi’ expertly in black and white with his trusty Leica.
Not predisposed to self promotion, Bill hardly ever exhibited or sold any of his photographs. In fact, in being so elusive, he accidentally became a mythological figure in Australian surf culture. It brings me great joy to let you know that at long last, Bill has created a website where his beautiful and often iconic images can be viewed and purchased.
I have always hoped that a day would come when Bill’s extraordinary pictures would see the light of day, and today is that day! Click on the link to read Bill’s story and check out, for the first time, a collection of his work – pictures that I believe will soon be internationally recognised as classics from the period.
