This year's exhibition of the best images by Sydney Morning Herald photographers includes archival images that take you on a historical journey through Sydney. 

Celebrate the keen observations and artistic eye of generations of Sydney Morning Herald photographers who have captured the enduring heart and spirit of the Harbour City – its heritage, its beauty, its diversity, its hard edges and its humour.

Our individual sense of Sydney is shaped by our own experiences. But regardless of where we were born, our stories of living here become part of this place that is celebrated the world over. For nearly two centuries Australia’s oldest continuously published newspaper has created a record of these stories, and the Photos1440 exhibition puts the most compelling moments on show through published and unpublished images. 

In presenting this exhibition, we acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of this place we now call Sydney.

A dramatic perspective of Mona Vale ocean pool before dawn in winter. Photo by Nick Moir

Koranis (Micky) Weerachaiyong has designed his own amazing outfit for Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, 6 March 2021. Photo by Steven Siewert

A swimmer cools off by leaping into the water from Flat Rock at Bondi Beach to escape Sydney’s soaring summer temperatures. Photo by Jessica Hromas

School leavers celebrate the end of a year of lockdowns and remote learning at Schoolies Week in Byron Bay, a popular alternative to the Gold Coast for NSW students after the closure of the Queensland border in 2021 due to COVID restrictions. Photo by Na

 

 

Then Deputy Premier John Barilaro, standing alongside Irish dancers, and then Treasurer Dominic Perrottet. Photo by Rhett Wyman

In late 2021, water flows into sections of Gayini that have been largely dry since 2016. Photo by Brook Mitchell

Dancer and choreographer Lucky Lartey dances on a cricket pitch at Beaman Park in Earlwood during a COVID-19 lockdown in Sydney in September 2021. Photo by Dominic Lorrimer

Jason and Sarah Cielo with their children Stella, Rome and Rocco had been living in their bus at Moree showground for three months. Photo by Louise Kennerley