National Library of Australia

Book launch: Fit to Print with Mike Bowers

Photographer and media commentator Mike Bowers has dived back into the Fairfax Photo Archive to produce this deluxe second edition of 'Fit to Print'.

Book Launch

Event Details

Category

Book Launch

Event Starts

Oct 27, 2026 18:00

Event Ends

Oct 27, 2026 19:00

Venue

National Library of Australia

Location

Parkes Place West, Parkes ACT, Australia

Photographer and media commentator Mike Bowers has dived back into the Fairfax Photo Archive to produce this deluxe second edition of Fit to Print. Join him in conversation to discover new images, new ideas and why these images continue to strike a chord.

Fit to Print features over 150 images from the Fairfax Photographic Archive. In this expanded edition, curator Mike Bowers draws on his favourite images from the 2025 exhibition longlist and National Library of Australia curator Allister Mills writes about the materiality of the glass plate negatives that form the archive of over 18,000 images.

Hear from Mike in conversation about the beginnings of photojournalism and this stunning collection of images from 1890s to 1940s Australia.

About the book.

Attend in person

Entry to this event is free but bookings are essential.

Watch online

The presentation will also be available online. Please make a booking and the Library’s Events team will send you a direct link to the livestream event via email. Or you can join anytime through the Library’s YouTube channel .

About Mike Bowers

Mike Bowers is a photojournalist with over 37 years’ experience. He currently hosts the Talking Pictures segment on ABC TV’s Insiders. He has covered 13 federal election campaigns, and photographed conflicts in Cambodia, Kosovo, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea and the Middle East.

Mike has worked for some of Australia’s most prestigious publications, including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian (Australia), The Australian, The Canberra Times, The Age, The Bulletin, The Australian Financial Review, BRW, Time and The Daily Telegraph.

Take an online tour of the original Fit to Print exhibition.

For more information click here