1. Hiya, what's your preferred name and pronouns, and whose country do you live on?
Hi!!! My name is Tennace, I go by he/they and I currently reside on stolen lands of the Wadawurrung and Bunorong people.
2. What's your rig rundown?
My current setup consists of my Sony A7R V (my baby, bought it instead of a car for my birthday haha), with a 24-70mm GMII f/2.8 lens. I currently don't have any other lenses for it, but I plan on getting more (I am craving a fisheye lens badly).
Additionally, I'm a big fan of my Godox flash; being around such small venues a lot, it can really come in clutch.
I also use a bunch of different cameras like my camcorders, digicams, film cameras and a bunch more. People are so zoned into a consumerist mindset to think they NEED the most expensive, or up-to-date gear to be successful, it's just not true. Some of my favourite pieces of media I've created have come from experimenting with old, faulty cameras and circuit bending.
People often water down their personality in favour of more socially accepted opinions from a bunch of competitive, wealthy, couch-snobs attacking others rather than being open-minded. Obviously, with improvement and through experience you can improve and speak your message clearer; it's important to correctly assess where your value lies.
3. How did you get in to shooting live music?
I initially got my first DSLR from my grandpa after he passed and started shooting with it for a bit. I wasn’t very good, just wandering around my local area taking under-exposed pics of anything I could see.
I had been in the local folk punk and other D.I.Y scenes of Melbourne, getting shitfaced off random goon on clothesline for much longer than I had been shooting photos, but something about being able to encapsulate that raw emotion, sense of community, and connection between people was something I found fascinating and wanted to get into.
Around the same time, my fav band at the time The Front Bottoms, did their tour of australia in early 2024. I am young, just getting out of high school this year (2025), so I wasn't old enough to attend their Melbourne show due to it being 18+. I was OBSESSED with them at the time, and so eager to not miss the opportunity, I flew to Sydney alone for one day, all by myself, just to be able to see them at the UNSW Roundhouse, as it was for all ages.
I shoved the body of my old Nikon D7500 into one pocket and a 50mm prime in the other, and somehow managed to not get it confiscated. I just started rapid fire shooting from about 2 people from the barrier, manual focus, getting shoved by a crowd and heckled by this drunk douche, still screaming along to every song without missing a beat. I actually lost my voice for a few days after.
The photos didn't turn out very good, obviously being brand new with no idea what I was doing, and not being able to focus on anything with my 15 year old camera, but it was the funnest time of my life. I also have some of the polaroids from the gig still on my wall.
I met so many good, close friends at that show I still interact with today, I will never forget it. Unfortunately, I have a theory that somehow, at every gig I am at, I manage to attract the drunkest individual in the room with a mission to push and shove and complain next to me. Tough luck, I guess.
4. What/who are some of your influences in photography?
This is going to be a direct shoutout: one of my favourite photographers is my friend Chandler. He is a help and influence both in navigating the music scene and his style. He’s currently working with the band Dead Poets Society, and I highly encourage you to check it out!
For broader influence, I am obsessed with the styles formed out of the D.I.Y spaces of a lot of older and current emo and metal adjacent genres. These communities are strongly built off the shared values and ethics of people, a lot that I resonate with. Bands like Your Arms Are My Cocoon perfectly encapsulate that sense of belonging and shared connection between artist and audience for me.
Some other things I find influence from is a lot of internet culture and any form of media that strays away from the “norm”. I make my own music, consume A LOT of media in all forms and have interest in philosophy and the way society interacts. My friends are a large supporting force for me; the fact that I can create something that can help someone else in any way, shape, or form, even subtly, is where I find value in being.
All of it gives me a different insight into how I shoot, and it’s all going to be constantly involved as I change as well.
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?
Selecting just one is so hard aagh! A few moments of note to me currently would be: shooting James Marriott last year - being my first larger-scale venue - accepted in by @kiwimcmc (who is also a LARGE influence for me). The Your Arms Are My Cocoon show, which held the most personal value to me; as well as all the local gigs and D.I.Y shows I've shot recently. There’s too many moments for me to crown a singular thing I've taken, but I do find this series at a hardcore gig to be pretty funny.
6. What else do you like to photograph outside of live music?
I really want to get more into shooting documentary styled stuff, as well as more creative and design influenced photoshoots, I don't have a massive preference, I like everything. But at the moment I'm really diving more into merch design, posters, and anything else creative you can make with photoshop.
7. How can folks reach out to you if they'd like to get in touch?
I currently mostly run off my instagram @tennace.photography, but if ya ask around, someone probably knows me :p
