Black and white photograph of a musician laughing and holding a flugelhorn by Richard Mayle.

John

Think back to April 2020. Here in Melbourne, as in much of Australia and much of the world, we were in lockdown. Many things and events we took for granted did not happen in 2020. One of the biggest events was Anzac Day and the traditional Anzac Day Australian Football match between Essendon and Collingwood.

How this relates is that before the match, the Last Post is played in front of the 90,000-strong crowd, and you can hear a pin drop as it sounds.

In 2020, the RSL decided the tradition must live on and called my friend John, an Army reserve veteran and one of the finest performers of the Last Post I’ve ever heard. John performed the last post and reveille in an empty Melbourne Cricket Ground, to this day one of the most incredible videos I have ever seen. I was so proud of John as I knew it was on his bucket list to perform the Last Post at the MCG.

  • Photograph of a musician holding a bugle by Richard Mayle.
  • Black and white photograph of a musician playing a trumpet by Richard Mayle.
  • Black and white photograph of a musician playing a trumpet by Richard Mayle.
  • Black and white photograph of a musician holding a bugle by Richard Mayle.
  • Black and white photograph of a musician holding a trumpet by Richard Mayle.
  • Black and white photograph of a musician laughing and holding a flugelhorn by Richard Mayle.
  • Close up black and white photograph of a musician playing a trumpet by Richard Mayle.
  • Black and white portrait of a musician holding a flugelhorn by Richard Mayle.
  • Black and white portrait of a flugelhorn by Richard Mayle.
  • Black and white portrait of a musician playing a flugelhorn by Richard Mayle.

Ever since I first saw the video, I have wanted to photograph John with his instruments. And today, I got that chance.

Thank you, John, for making the 2-hour drive to come and shoot with me. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Richard Mayle is a portrait photographer from the Bayside area of Melbourne. After nearly 20 years of photographing in colour, he has turned his gaze towards his love of black and white and the work of the masters.

To organise your own session, fill out the form on the Contact page.