1. Hiya, what's your preferred name and pronouns, and whose country do you live on?
Nova Farrell (she/her). Born, raised and working on Dharawal Land (Wollongong, NSW).
2. What's your rig rundown?
I’ve never been a particularly fussy shooter; I grew up and started on my Mum’s hand me downs, so historically it’d been whatever I could get my hands on, and that ethos has kind of stayed through my whole practice.
Currently digitally I’m either using a Fujifilm X-T30 with an 18-55mm zoom (or fisheye), or a Sony Point and Shoot.
Film wise, at the moment it’s a Nikon F80 with a 50mm prime, or a Canon Z155 Point & Shoot. I love a good Lomo toy camera like a Diana, too.
I’m not really the type to snag the newest/advanced tech; if it’s portable, versatile and can shoot wide open, it’s typically good enough for me (a good on-camera flash is a bonus)!
3. How did you get in to shooting live music?
I’d been interested in taking pictures since I was quite young from my parents’ photography habits, so I naturally began bringing my camera instinctively to my friend’s gigs as soon as I could get into venues.
My practice grew when I did my Bachelor of Creative Arts, incorporating documentary / snapshot work into most of my assignments, and as my life at that time revolved a lot around bands, they went part and parcel.
I also started to get really inspired by my Mum’s snapshots from the 80s & 90s around that time, too - her life in that period also being really immersed in the music scene. I loved being a part of documenting the progression of the Wollongong scene over time particularly, my friends often being the children of people in her photos.
4. What/who are some of your influences in photography?
I got really into Nan Goldin’s work at uni, and the way she used photography as a form of visual diary and method of holding on to moments, almost fearful of their passing. William Yang’s work has a similar sense of urgency, both using photographs as memory preservation.
The way both artists so intimately captured their community and the trajectory of time they were working in really inspired and informed the way I shoot and look at people, situations and community. It’s less about the technical accuracy of an image, and more about what it evokes and the energy it has, which is the spirit I try to incorporate for live music, too.
In terms of music photographers though, I discovered Tony Mott as a teen and loved his pared back, often also quite intimate approach in his early work particularly, shooting the Divinyls as they were up and coming. Listening to him relay early stories of the Sydney scene when he speaks at events, it feels like listening to an old friend.
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?
Oh, my favourite show / photo is always the one I haven’t shot yet!
Shows I captured at Rad Bar have a special place in my heart; it’s where my friends and I collectively clung to as fresh youths, and is really where I cut my teeth shooting live acts and growing to love the frenetic energy you can snap at shows.
A few friends also used to put on some DIY gigs in an alleyway under a train line in Wollongong, and whilst the photos from those aren’t particularly spectacular, they capture such a specific moment in time and the spirit of Gong I really treasure.
I also got the chance to shoot Geese at the Metro Theatre just back in February, which was a pretty magical moment.
6. What else do you like to photograph outside of live music?
If it wasn't noticeable from my prior rambles haha, I love snapshot work centred around community and subculture.
I’m really interested in exploring our impulse to take and hoard photographs, the glazed kind of nostalgia they carry, along with the often under-appreciated cultural importance of the casual snapshot.
I often think of myself as more of a documenter that captures music too, rather than a music photographer per se - bands and the broader scene just happened to become a huge part of my life. I think taking photos is how I process the world now, and I think I’m at my best when capturing my friends.
7. How can folks reach out to you if they'd like to get in touch?
You can find me on instagram, or my site!
