1. Hiya, what's your preferred name and pronouns, and whose country do you live on?
Hey! I’m Chris (he/him), living on Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung land.
2. What's your rig rundown?
A Canon R5 with a 28-70mm zoom lens with a speedlight flash has been my live music setup of choice for over a year. Inside my gear bag are spare batteries along with a set of ear plugs.
During my first few gigs shooting live music (prior to anything published on my Instagram) I would switch between a few primes (50mm, 85mm and a 15mm fisheye) but found changing lenses in the pit fairly hazardous, and I kept missing awesome moments while making the lens switch. 28-70mm is a good range for what I am trying to capture and zoom lenses are a lot better these days than they used to be. That said, I am considering bringing the fisheye out of retirement soon!
3. How did you get in to shooting live music?
I love music, and for over 20 years I’ve been getting to as many gigs as possible – mostly punk and punk-adjacent genres but definitely not limited to these. I have also been working in varying capacities as a photographer over the past 10 years but until 2024 had never shot live music.
It was the second saving of The Tote and the short closure of The Bendi that made me realise the extent of how much venues and bands have been struggling post-covid. So I grabbed my camera and shot a few gigs to see if this was a space where I could contribute something of value and help in a way I know how. I haven’t looked back and have since been trying to shoot at least a gig a week ever since.
It’s been awesome - I’ve had a lot of positive feedback on my images and am having more fun with photography than I’ve had in years. It feels great being a more contributing member of this community.
4. What/who are some of your influences in photography?
Rob Coons (@robcoonsphotography)is a live music photographer based out of San Fran and his photos are gritty, immersive and high-energy. He shoots like a participant of the pit, rather than an observer and his shots feel less like documentation and more like being shoved into the moment. I am consistently blown away by his ability to capture the peak of the action over and over. Rob seems to mostly shoot smaller bands at smaller venues, which I think is extremely cool when he definitely has the reputation and following to be shooting bigger bands if he wanted to.
His photos absolutely inspire me to get closer, shoot lower and time the big moments.
5. Do you have a favourite show that you've photographed, or a favourite memory from a gig you've shot? Or maybe a particular favourite photograph that you've taken?
Frenzal Rhomb at The Tote in 2025 was a huge one for me (Frenzal was the first band I ever saw live back in the late 90s and I’ve seen them over 30 times since). This was somehow their first ever show at The Tote which made it even more special. The gig was incredible and I am extremely stoked with the shots I got that night.
Another big one was a recent Private Function show, also at The Tote. This was their last ever non-festival show and in typical Private Function style it was a completely unhinged night. I’ve been seeing PF at every opportunity since 2018 so shooting that one was a massive deal for me.
6. What else do you like to photograph outside of live music?
I get into a lot of different types of photography. My favourite genre to shoot besides live music and what really got me into photography over 15 years ago is underwater photography. Back then, working as a scuba instructor in South East Asia and living over there for 6 years meant I was lucky enough to be in the water almost every day with my camera and had some success over that time with my images. I still try and get away for at least one dive trip a year and occasionally dive around VIC but am shooting underwater way less than I used to.
In some ways shooting marine life set me up perfectly for live music photography: timing unpredictable shots to capture the peak of the action along with having to navigate difficult lighting conditions have all translated and carried over somewhat unexpectedly into the live music photography space.
7. How can folks reach out to you if they'd like to get in touch?
Instagram: @chriskroll_gigs
