Vale Michael Silver – president of MAGNET GALLERIES

A very well-known photographer, Michael Silver was farewelled on Sunday, April 26 by his family, friends and the wider photographic community at an event celebrating his life and work.

MAGNET GALLERIES in The District Docklands was filled to overflowing with his colleagues who wanted to acknowledge him as one of Melbourne’s top photographers and to recall the way he taught them, mentored them and encouraged them in their own photographic practice.

Starting in the darkroom at Allen’s Studios in Collingwood at age 15, Michael learned his craft on the job and was always confident about his ability with a camera. A press photographer for much of his career, he was a staffer on several Australian newspapers including the great old Sun News-Pictorial in Melbourne, and as a freelancer for Fleet Street papers during his years in the UK.

Later he started a freelance business and acquired a stellar line-up of clients - Federal and State Government departments, academia (particularly the University of Melbourne),

Tenix the shipbuilders, the Victoria Police, Melbourne Zoo, hospitals, commercial corporations, all the big sporting events and numerous charities. His work took him all over the world and he revelled in “getting the picture” wherever he went. He was one of the earliest adopters of digital photography and encouraged so many other photographers to follow his lead.

In later years he moved into running photographic galleries in partnership with his wife, Susanne, culminating in the creation of MAGNET, a not-for-profit centre of photography.

He saw MAGNET as a place where good photography could be appreciated and understood and where professionals and amateurs alike were supported in their practice.

He was willing to take risks and in 2022, with COVID still raging around the world, he was able to attract the top documentary exhibition – World Press Photo – to MAGNET. This annual world-renowned competition-exhibition had never been shown in Melbourne before.

A posthumous display of Michael’s work is showing at MAGNET in the aftermath of his memorial event and Susanne will continue to work on his planned book which will be published later in the year. •