Podcamp Perth 2007

If you’re in Perth, and interested in all things to do with digital media, be sure to check out PodCamp.

“PodCamp Perth is a newmedia community UnConference that helps connect people interested in blogging, podcasting, social media and networks, video on the net, and newmedia together to learn, share, and grow their newmedia skills. Whether you’re just interested in newmedia or an experienced veteran, PodCamp Perth is for you! Everyone is welcome, regardless of your involvement in social and newmedia, as long as you want to learn, share, and grow your knowledge!”

Mr Seng Mah will be representing the Photographers in Perth (PiP) Flickr group (which I am a part of) talking about PiP crossing over from being soley an online group, to becoming a thriving real-life social network for Perth’s photographers. Annnnd I may be having some photos featured in the presentation. Maybe.

“Flickr is an online photo-sharing application that is primarily used to show and share photographs, whether they be happy-snaps, family photos, or more artistic and professional photography pursuits. The Photographers in Perth (PIP) community was initially formed as a Flickr group for local photographers to show off their work, but has since evolved into one of the largest photography networks in Perth through the deliberate use of networking tools in Flickr and via the organization of real-world group events such as meets, photo shoots, workshops and group exhibitions. Come and find out how an online group becomes a successful offline community of practice and, if you are interested in photography, you may even be tempted to join PIP!”

The main day of activity is Saturday October the 27th, at Central TAFE, with smaller, less formal activities as part of Day 2 on the Sunday. Check out the website to register, and to find out what other presentations are on the agenda. Will be an interesting and informative weekend.

NCBC, Expatriate & Darren Hayes

Last weekend was the Final of the National Campus Band Comp at the Rosemount. Will Stoker & The Embers were the overall winners, with Good Little Fox in second, and wildcard Black Market Babies in third. Will & co now head over to Melbourne for the National Final.

An over-saturation of shooting band comps has given me a few bad habits. Either only shooting the bands that I think are going to place, or making more effort for the bands who I think are going to place. I’m going to come unstuck one day.

From top to bottom: Will Stoker, Offbeat Antics, The Bulletholes.

This weekend started on Thursday at Amplifier for the Expatriate/Cops show. Missed most of the Cops, but what I saw was pretty awesome. Would totally go see them again. The guitarist was apparently rather ill, and threatening to vomit at any moment.

Expats were ok. The lights weren’t as good as they had been for the Cops (bordering on being a bit TOO bright in the Cops’ set), but the singer was happy enough to play up for the camera, so that was ok. He came over and shoved the head of his guitar into my lens as I happily snapped away. Unfortunately none of them really came out cause of the lack of light. You win some, you lose some.

Saturday night was a trip to Burswood Theatre to see Darren Hayes. The first time in a while I’d actually paid to go to a show, and I wasn’t exactly jumping out of my skin about the prospect. I took my Canon Powershot S3IS along, cause I’d heard it was going to be an excellent visual show, and if I’d decided to leave my camera at home, I would have kicked myself. Support act was Freo local Simon Kelly, which amused me no end. I’d expected some sort of horrible electro act as the support, so Simon was definitely a pleasant surprise. I SMS’d him after his set, and was informed that there was no beer backstage anywhere, only water. I told him to trash the dressing room. Video of him doing a cover of Damien Rice’s ‘Cannonball’ (the S3 has awesome video function).

The Darren Hayes set was……ok. I was a fan of Savage Garden, I tolerated his earlier solo stuff, but thought the new CD was utter rubbish. You may be asking why I bothered to go at all. I told Mum I’d go to the concert with her, and pretty much regretted it from the moment I agreed. Very glad I took my camera, not cause the light show was THAT amazing, but cause it kept me occupied. I got some relatively nice stuff, considering I hadn’t used a point-and-shoot for concert photography for years.

Had planned on going out to catch Dead Letter Circus at Amplifier, but Darren’s show ran longer than I was expecting, so it wouldn’t have been worth it. So I went home and spent the rest of my Saturday night processing photos. It’s exciting times at my place!

I’m not sure what my next assignment will be, between now and next Sunday there’s Motorhead, Good Charlotte, Linkin Park, Taste of Chaos, Ben Kweller, Parkway Drive, Birds of Tokyo, Red Jezebel, Bank Holidays, and Sarah Blasko. So there will be SOMETHING up here from that list next week.

Music Photographer or Music Photographer?

A couple of articles in the UK’s ‘Digital Photographer’ made me think long and hard about what I really classify ‘music photography’ to be.

The first article was in Issue 59, and was a bit of a How-To article featuring interviews with UK-based photographer Jenny Potter and Aussie Leigh Wilkins. The photos published as examples of top notch music photography aren’t really much chop. But to give the photographers credit, when visiting their online folios, there are much better examples of what they can do. Apparently you can’t even trust the editor of a photography magazine to publish your best stuff. Anyway, after reading the article, it left a slightly bad taste in my mouth. It was just so scientific, so media-pit oriented. Very ‘you need to do this to get to this point professionally.’

 Enter Digital Photographer Issue 63, and it’s feature on London-based photog Jill Furmanovsky. There were less images than in the other article, but they all spoke to me so much more. A candid, smiling Amy Winehouse in her dressing room, Noel Gallagher walking onstage at Maine Road in 1996, arms spread, in front of tens of thousands of people. They weren’t just random snapshot photos, they were real moments. She went on tour with bands, she shot from the crowd when pit access was denied, she LIVED IT. Her journey was organic, spurred by luck and being at the right place at the right time.

When I look at my folio ten years down the track, I know who’s work I’d prefer it to resemble. Do I want to be the person who’s technically flawless, is driven and career-focused, but producing bland editorial tripe, or do I want to be the person who kind of fell into the whole thing by accident but can more accurately capture what’s going on around them because they’re genuinely living it, not just turning up for three songs?

As far as I’m concerned, it’s not a job, it’s not a hobby….it’s a lifestyle. Gotta have soul to be a soldier.

Jeff Buckley, London, 1994. Jill Furmanovsky.

Emerald City @ Black Bettys

There are few words that I need to use to describe Emerald City’s shows. For those who have seen them, I won’t need to say anything. But for those who haven’t: Fireworks, flames & glitter cannons.

They’re just one of those bands that makes your task very easy. And if you walk away from the show feeling like you haven’t been entertained, then there is seriously something wrong with you. I shot this show on Av, the very first time I’d shot a whole gig on Av. The result was very few TECHNICALLY good photos (or ones that met my tight quality control) but a lot of photos that adequately represented the vibe of the night. And that was pretty much the point.

After the show I had an irrepressible urge to go home and play Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80′s.

This coming Saturday is the National Campus Bands Grand Final. I may or may not be on photo duty, but it’ll be a great night nonetheless. If you don’t have any other plans, get down to the Rosemount to check it out. Past national winners have included Eskimo Joe and The Vasco Era, and I like to think WA have got a strong enough crop to take out nationals AGAIN this year.