Magnum photographer Elliott Erwitt says he is 'serious about not being serious'

In Elliott Erwitt's photograph California, 1955, a couple is seen kissing through the rear-view mirror of their car, which is parked facing the sea. The picture manages to capture an instant of palpable glee with a composition that evokes an accidental discovery. It speaks to Erwitt's talent at being in the right place at the right time.

"Sometimes you know [you have a good shot], but usually you don't," says the Magnum Photos veteran. "I never knew that I had that picture until 25 years after I took it."

More than 40 original prints from Erwitt's collection will be on display at F11 Photographic Museum in Happy Valley from September 18 to November 30.

Often speaking with a blend of calm understatement and deadpan humour, the photographer's mischievous personality is apparent in a number of his snapshots, some of which were taken at such awkwardly revealing locations including beaches and nudist colonies.

"I think actually I'm rather shy," he says. "But when you bring a camera up to your face you're no longer shy, because you're no longer thinking about yourself - you're thinking about the picture. Taking pictures of famous people is the same as taking pictures of ordinary people. It's just that there is greater interest in famous people."