1. Hiya, what's your preferred name and pronouns, and whose country do you live on?
Hi, my name is Luke, he/him, and I live on the unceded lands of the Turrbal people.
2. What's your rig rundown?
My main squeeze is a Sony A7RIII, but I might use my old A7II for shows that I think might get a bit more hectic. For lenses, I use primes as they're what I've used before getting into gig photography, so that's what I've got! I mostly like to use a Voigtlander APO 50mm f/2, but that can be a bit tight for most venues, so I also bring along my Sony 28mm f/2. I'm starting to try and experiment with flash as well, so I bring my godox flash trigger and speedlite.
For film, I got the Canon P, but only have a 50mm for that, so it doesn't get to come along everywhere either.
But other than that, my bag has got ear plugs, cash for the bar/merch, antifash stickers, and a spare camera battery, just in case.
3. How did you get in to shooting live music?
I played in post-hardcore and mathrock bands years ago in NQ, but since moving to Magandjin/Brisbane in 2011, I've just been going to gigs and maybe snapping a pic or two on my phone for mems/insta.
I only really started taking a "proper" camera to shows when I was starting this website. It seemed like easiest way to get pics together for it, and a way to maybe give back to the scenes and bands that I've been a spectator of for years. Haha, I always hated getting flashed in the face on stage, so that's why my photos have usually just relied on stage lights, but I think hardcore bands are a bit more used to it.
4. What/who are some of your influences in photography?
I learned photography through doing street photography pretty solidly for a few years, I was working part-time then, so had more spare time. I put all that stuff on insta at @eyeonbrisbane. But since getting a dog and starting full time work again, I haven't had the same drive/time to spend an afternoon a week just walking around town.
So most of my influences in photography are street photographers: For ozzies: Trent Parke (@chillioctopus), Sam Ferris (@ferriswhiskey), David M Clarke (@thethinblackframe) - who also plays in PROTEAM!! For flash I most often use off-body flash and try and 'paint in' light with it, rather than just deer in the headlights straight on on-camera flash, and I think Bryce Waters (@bryce.waters) old work is a bit of an influence for that.
And for the international maestros: Alex Webb (@webb_norriswebb), Gordon Parks, Saul Leiter and Ernst Haas, Fan Ho, Sarah Van Rij (@sarahvanrij), Robbie Lawrence (@robbiel1)
All these photographers each have a way of creating images that reward looking, and invite the viewer in to the image, maybe telling more than one story with one frame. I definitely think I still try and create that in a live music photography setting too, with sub-framing, layering, and trying to incorporate multiple band members or some of the crowd. I definitely try and take more environmental portraiture shots rather than close-in portraits; I think that context usually really helps ground an image. Not every picture has to try and use up the whole one thousand word count, but I enjoy the challenge of trying to work those pictures in amongst more standard close-up portraits or purely contextual shots (live music Egglestons).
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?
I definitely still have my L plates on when it comes to live music photograpy, so it's hard to say that I've gotten a photo that I think is my favourite yet, but I feel like I'm learning something with each gig I shoot, and getting to meet and talk with more bands and other photographers at each show has been super fun and rewarding too.
I think the favourite shows that I've photographed basically fall into two categories:
Bigger venues that aren't entirely jam packed, so you have more space to move through and find fun and inventive angles (Totally Unicorn, Apparitions, Deafcult, Leaker and Valve @ Soapbox Beer, or Slowcut, Mountain Wizard Death Cult, Resin Tomb and Cerebral Erosion @ Crowbar Brisbane)
Tiny venues absolutely packed to the gills with everyone going fucking nuts! (Fission, Raw Impact, Cerebral Erosion, Cimiterium, Enzyme and Muro at PFR Lounge, or Mud, No Harm, Crossface and Iron Mind at Black Bear Lodge)
Kinda totally different vibes, but both get you into the perfect mood to try and capture some really fucking cool images.
6. What else do you like to photograph outside of live music?
I haven't been shooting much street in the last couple years, but mostly just carrying one of a few fun film cameras around loaded with B/W when I go out with my wife and pup and trying to document some of life.
Like a lot of people I'd love to get in to shooting a bit more editorial type work, though I think with more of a grounding in candid photography I'd like to do stuff like in the studio with a band to help document some of that process. I always really like the images Scott Evans manages to capture of the bands that he's engineering and producing. I'd also love to do some 'in the workshop' type stuff with different makers and builders to help promote their services, so might look at doing some of that for the site coming up.
7. How can folks reach out to you if they'd like to get in touch?
For the website you can obviously find me here at askapunk.au, on insta @askapunk.au, and on Pixelfed @askapunk_au@pixelfed.social and Mastodon @oi@masto.askapunk.au for Fedi socials. For personal stuff, you can find me on Fedi at @theaustralianfastbowler@pixelfed.au and @selfevident@todon.eu, or hit me up via email luke@askapunk.au
