Got dragged along to the Abbey Medieval Festival near Cabooolture for a day back in July. ‘Medieval’ being a bit of a loose term relating to a period of 600 years or so judging by the costumes and shows…

Took camera as usual, wanted to get some jousting photos but it was impossible to get anywhere near the front to get a good clear view. So just took photos of random people, going about their every day business…

Some photos below and more of flickr.

At the end of August ended up flying down to Melbourne and hanging out with the Butcher Birds for a couple days. Was much fun, even if there was nowhere near enough sleep, largely due to getting the 0615 flight down and having an action packed Friday which ended with the 2am show at The Pony.

Plenty of more photos from the Friday on flickr.

Will have to get around to finish going through Saturday’s photos at some point…

0615 flight (tour “traditional” champagne not pictured)

Room 323

Teebs modelling the new Gypsy-Bandito look

Melbz is like totez fun

Dancing Stacey

Teebs modelling the James Dean look

Yet another break for cigarettes…

O HAI

Band Love

J-Tard

PBS

The Pony 2am Show

Photographed Parklife when it passed through Brisbane a couple of weeks ago. Not quite sure why I said I’d do it: me and dance music are generally two mutually exclusive entities… I think it was because I was asked, and flattery gets you everywhere…

Despite not really looking forward to it, I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I though I would. I think with having been away for a month it was good to get in the swing of photographing things again and the running between stages at festivals to get there in time for your three songs adds some excitement to the usual hanging around for something to happen that you get at normal gigs.

Hot pink fluoro hurts my eyes though…..

Enjoyed The Sounds. Think they had the advantage of not really fitting in with the rest of bands/artists on the bill and were probably more akin to something I might normally listen to. But it was a flying visit to see them before rushing off to the other side of the festival to photograph MSTRKRFT.

Stereo MCs DJ set (ie Rob Birch) was a scary sight… It was fun trying to keep up with MIA to get a shot of her… Justice, Digitalism, Yelle and Lyrics Born played mostly in the dark… Muscles was kinda boring, comedy-musical karaoke… don’t see the big deal, but he pulled them in… always fun photographing bands like Winnie Coopers and The Herd.

Might have to put it in my diary for next year…

Some photos here and plenty of more on flickr.

Twist Oliver Twist

Winnie Coopers

Stereo MCs

Greenskeepers

Muscles

The Herd

The Sounds

MSTRKRFT

Yelle

Digitalism

Lyrics Born

MIA

Justice

So, I put in a couple of photos for the National Photographic Portrait Competition, but as the time you’d be notified if you’d made the final 60 has long since passed, I’m guessing I’m not gonna have my photo exhibited in the National Gallery in Canberra and I’m not in the running for the $25,000 first price. (Edit: The finalists are shown here - some really good stuff). I kinda knew the Tim Rogers one (taken at last year’s Valley Fiesta) wouldn’t get very far but as I’d gone to the effort of sorting it out that I would just enter it. I liked the photo but couldn’t get a crop of it that I was totally happy with.

But I really, really, really like the photo of Toby Dundas, drummer for The Temper Trap (taken at The Zoo in May when they were supporting Howling Bells). It’s one of my favourite photos that I’ve taken this year, so had high hopes for it… but guess it didn’t impress them.

Or maybe they just didn’t like my artist statement…

Through my photography I strive to produce strong, iconic images that stand out from the crowd and act as an antidote to the glossy throwaway concert photos that are celebrated by the modern mainstream media.

Whereas most music photographers will talk in clichés about endeavouring to capture “The Moment” – which generally relates to tired rock-star action poses - I have always approached my photography looking for something closer to “The Anti-Moment”.

This, to me, embodies an instance of simple elegance and breathtaking beauty, a single, fleeting point in time where the subject is caught in a period of stillness and reflection, isolated from the audience and the stage.

Guess there’s always next year…