As collectors of federal government records, the National Archives of Australia holds thousands of photographs taken by those responsible for creating government media. The scale and breadth of the collection is seemingly overwhelming, yet on an individual level the quality of the photographs amassed varies greatly in its content and consistency, capturing the good, the bad, and the just plain weird.

The images are used within the Archives’ permanent and temporary exhibition spaces and throughout their marketing materials - sometimes with very little known about the context that led to their creation. Focusing on the Australian News and Information Bureau, the creators of these photographs from 1950-1973, this talk will delve into the how and why behind the images. Can filling in the gaps between the top-level series description and individual photo level description transform the way in which photographs are used and exhibited?  Using the supplementary paper-based records created by this agency I will aim to answer this question, looking at how this large-scale information can inform the individual, and the benefits of filling in the information void between these levels of interpretation.