Holly Throsby performs to her Sydney crowd at The Factory Theatre in Enmore

I headed out to The Factory Theatre on Friday to shoot Holly Throsby as she played for a local crowd on a cold(ish) winter’s night with support from Sly Hats and And Then To Bed. I’m not the biggest fan of The Factory - it’s a hard venue to shoot, mainly because it feels far too big for the bands that play there, but also because there’s no pit. What made shooting even more difficult was that everyone was seated. It just didn’t have the same atmosphere as similar indie folk acts have created at smaller venues like The Annandale Hotel (think Kate Miller-Heidke or Whitley). The other good thing with the smaller venues is that the lighting arrangements seem to be better - even when working with fewer lights - and smoke machines can more easily be used (to great effect!). With an audience all seated the night felt more formal - stifled even. As a result shooting is a lot more difficult as you take into account the audience being about half a meter shorter than normal and you’re up front - not really conducive to standing to shoot. Anyway, the music was good but the stage too big, the room too big and the seated audience as I’ve said before a bit stifling for the sort of sound that was on offer.

Didn’t really feel satisfied with the shots from this gig at all, but have a look anyhow.

More shots below or check the full flickr set.

Sly Hats

And Then To Bed

Shot for FasterLouder

My friend’s 12 month old Golden Retriever pup - Mahler

For once I don’t have too many photos to show. I headed out to Orange to catch up with a couple of friends I hadn’t seen in nearly two years (I’d been bad in keeping up with people for a long time). I headed out early on Saturday morning, with the full knowledge that I had a long weekend rather than the short two day recovery period. I arrived in around about 3 hours 45 minutes excluding stops, which wasn’t too bad considering the grey hair brigade that I hit at on the way into Lithgow that didn’t realise, or chose to ignore, that when you’re towing a trailer and struggling to hit 50km/h on the uphill (yet cruise happily along at the speed limit on the downhills) it’s probably a good idea to pull over every so often and let the thirty to fifty cars you’ve got tailing you pass.

While up there I discovered the following interesting facts about Orange:

• There’s a massive big hole in the ground - and when I mean massive I mean it! Over half vertical a km of ore has been pulled out!
• Water’s an issue - they’ve not had the floods… yet…
• Houses vary substantially in prices! And it’s far more expensive than I would have thought in town!
• If anyone wants to know of a business opportunity - good quality coffee in Orange would be a start! (best coffee was that I had at my friends place!)
• Puppies are invariably cute - and rather photogenic (when not attempting to eat the camera
• Good friends always will be!

I only ended up taking a few shots this trip - was definitely more about spending some time with old friends. Those I did I was able to play around with Lucky’s new Photoshop Action set.

Did you say jump? Story of the Year at The Big Top, Luna Park

Shooting for the Newcastle street press Reverb Magazine I hit The Big Top at Luna Park on Saturday night for some hardcore/punk from the United States in the form of Story of the Year with support from fellow Americans The Audition and local lads Mission in Motion.

I wasn’t sure what to expect to be perfectly honest - I’m more at home shooting the indie, soul, funk, drum n bass and just about any scene other than punk/metal/hardcore. Was pretty crazy having people being launched at you while in the pit, but I’d have to say that the security guys performed admirably and never really got annoyed at the crowd - hell, it’s hard to do that when the head of security hasn’t got a problem with the lead singer egging people on!

The lighting made things difficult to shoot, but I thought I came away with a few printables for the Newcastle mag I was shooting for. Unfortunately I hadn’t managed to get anyone to come along who could string some words together - next time! One thing I would have to say is - all these guys love to spend half the gig in the air!

More shots after the break or check out the full flickr set.

The Audition

Mission in Motion

Shot for Reverb Magazine, Newcastle.

Whitley rocks out The Annandale Hotel. Definitely think this is my best shot this year!

Proving that an indie-folk singer can be a rock and roll superstar (or at least star) Whitley busted out some intelligent lighting and LED frames. The unfortunate aspect of the show was the fact that the place was so tightly packed that most of us couldn’t even try to get in front to take some shots head on

Not sure how well thought through the lighting design was - it definitely needs some work. Music was ace though!

Also met one of the people taking over Matt Booy’s role as resident TripleJ photographer (he’s so good they needed a few people to replace him!).

Support was from Howie Day (who calls the United States home) and fellow aussies Seagull.

More shots after the break or check out the full flickr set.

Howie Day

Seagull

Shot for FasterLouder.com.au

I had heard the name Kate Miller-Heidke somewhere, and when the option to shoot at the Annandale came up I didn’t say no. A quick check of her myspace page (thank god people have ditched it in general and now pretty much only the muso’s are using it as a cheep way to gain a web presence) I recognised a couple of tracks from the TripleJ set list. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but after talking to the editor of The Dwarf down in Melbourne I was assured a fun shoot would ensue.

So I headed out on Friday night, via Stu and Sarah’s place for a BBQ dinner, for an evening at The Annandale - a place that I had not shot at for about six months and did miss quite a bit. Arriving at the start of the first band’s set, I wasn’t that taken with the sound. Richard In Your Mind was their name, and I’d have to say that while their music was ok, it wasn’t terribly groundbreaking.

After hanging around the front of the stage while the next band set themselves up I saw someone I swore I recognised, but couldn’t quite put my finger on. Ends up the lead singer of Black Market Rhythm Co., the second band up, is none other than Christopher Ernst who I had shot when he toured solo in support of The Beautiful Girls along with CW Stoneking (blog post from last year). We had a bit of an “I know you” moment as we worked out where I shot him previously. I must say that the music coming out of this band is awesome and I left the gig with a copy of their latest album Low-Fi Records, Hi-Fi Radio which has since hit high rotation since (as evidenced on my last.fm profile). If you have the opportunity to check them out, please make sure you do. You will not be disappointed!

The main act arrived nearly smack on time, and what a voice came with one of the most photogenic singers I’ve ever been lucky to shoot. I will say that I definitely came away from the night with a mega crush on this classically trained singer. She knows how to put on a great show and the packed crowd were not disappointed. I found myself struggling to define the sort of sound that Kate Miller-Heidke has, so do yourself a favour and grab a copy of Little Eve and give it a whirl (or alternatively there’s a fair few tracks on her myspace page). What made her so great to shoot was that, having performed on stage, she is one of the few singers to keep her eyes open almost all the time, and knows how to act large on a stage. Her eyes are what are so captivating as a photographer. Wide open, reflecting the white spots that set her apart on stage from her backing band, with a gorgeous smile to go with it. If you don’t believe me - check out the shots below! I would say one thing though, her current profile shots being used on her website do not do her justice. I hope that her label and management grab Sydney photographer extraordinaire Cybele Malinowski to do the shots for her forthcoming album (for which I’ve already nabbed a photographers pass when she passes through Sydney from hometown Brisbane).

Kate’s manager Leanne ended up tracking me down to request a couple of shots for Kate’s myspace page - apparently she liked them, so I’m taking that as good work

Anyhow - enough blabbering, I’ll let the photos do the speaking instead. Check out the shots after the break or check out the flickr set.

Black Market Rhythm Co.

Richard In Your Mind

Shot for The Dwarf.

Very few useable shots from An Evening with Eels @ The Enmore - this is definitely the best

I was forewarned about shooting E by Matt Palmer after bad experiences up in Brisbane, however I’d say he was either on something (highly unusual for a musician of course) or was told to smarten up post event (highly unusual for a musician of big enough ego to listen to such advice). Whatever the reason, beyond needing to stay behind the first exit sign doors on the sides there didn’t appear to be too many issues - unless you count #1 lighting; and #2 E wearing a fricking baseball cap. Listen, it’s all cool and everything to wear one - outside during the day - but with theatrical lighting you’re not going to see a face at all in the shots. If that’s what you’re after, at least go the Tism path of never actually showing your face!

Anyhow, it was actually quite a nice show and glad that it turned out to be enjoyable. While he’s obviously got an ego, had he decided to ditch the lame attempts at jokes about fan male (love, love then a hate letter) or reviews (all about the co-musician, all about the co-musician and then a review about the Eagles and him going off at his support crew - wonder how many times they’ve done that - seemed all very lame and far too put on… perhaps that’s what the audience wanted though) and focussed on the music more it would have been better.

All in all I had fun, though was more than disappointed by the lighting. Giving the photographers three songs is fair enough so that they don’t ruin things for the crowd, but if that’s the case, can the performers realise that it is in their interests to have a good lighting scheme that doesn’t wait till 2/3 of the way through the set before it hits!

Shot for Reverb Magazine in Newcastle, Australia

A morning’s march complete, where shall we head now…

The Commentary

It appears that more than ever the three words have been forgotten and that ANZAC Day is becoming more a piss up than a sombre remembrance of the futility of war and the loss of lives at the abject failure that is now known as ANZAC Cove.

I’m glad people have not forgotten the veterans, but I do wish that the day was spent in reflection on the current predicaments we have entangled ourselves in globally and ask whether or not we should be there. For it is as has been said:

Older men declare war, but it is the youth that must tfight and die

Herbert Hoover, 31st US President

Photos after the break

The Photographs

Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives… You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country, therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Jonnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side. Here in this country of ours… You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bossom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.

K.M.Ataturk

Looking back to Sydney’s CBD over the new Great Souther Oceans exhibit at Taronga Zoo

I was asked by work to shoot the Staff launch day for the new Great Southern Oceans exhibit at Taronga Zoo. Was a nice evening and also ran into a few friends working for the event management company. They hadn’t really though about the photographer’s light requirements with this at all.

Unfortunately I can’t show most - simply due to the fact that there are shots of children. So I’ll show the non-children shots instead.

Haik’s Gone Hiking: 42 Day Global (well, European at least) Hike with Haik

So, one of my mates from the creative collective that is The Root 42 is heading off with Adri his girl for a round trip - taking in (and I am sure catching up with, aka couch surfing at, plenty of fellow TR42ers) the world. To help him record the journey, especially while away from the opportunity to post copious amounts of Digitalomo shots, he made himself a lovely little book - something I’m hoping to do… one day… someday… soon?

Anyhow, follow him + his lass as they traips around the European continent.

Well, not really, but most of my friends think I am. I first joined the ranks of the twitterers over a year ago after catching word of this new Ruby on Rails application going live and having signup options. As part of a crowd of early adopters of technology, and interested to see what it was all about, I jumped on board - with my first tweet telling the twitterverse that I was at work occurring on January 17, 2007 at around lunchtime.

Continue reading after the break…

Since then I’ve twittered to various degrees about the mundane aspects of life as well as staying in touch with friends from round the globe (in addition to a great set of local folks). It’s been particularly useful to shout out to a large group of friends for assistance with problems involving javascript and/or ruby on rails (many thanks to Dimitry, Scott, Ian, Jason and Andrew) - areas where my friends from school always look at me and raise eyebrows like I’m speaking another language whenever I start talking about such technologies.

As a result of a rampant use of twitter, and that I hook it into my Facebook account to update the statuses as my last twitter announcement, my friends and acquaintances often ask of me “what the hell is twitter?!?” - and often “erm, Joel, I think you have a problem” - not quite comprehending the fact that they’re not the intended audience - but rather a side effect of my decision to limit my time directly spent on Facebook (unlike them) and instead use my other more regularly visited locations to remotely update my profile.

Part of the side effect of this, as always with me, is that my mates have decided to take the mickey out of my Twitter updates. I would have to say that these are rather amusing little ditties that a couple of witty friends of mine (namely Nick Broadbent and Steven Foster) have managed to pen while not spending either (a) 164 hours per week at work; or (b) 164 hours per week not at work (respectively).

~An Ode to Twitter~ by Joel W. Courtney

I’m on patrol and twittering
As loud as loud could be,
Nobody understands my twittered remarks
But twitter understands me.
All you duckheads tease and hassle
But soon enough you’ll see,
You’re all living in my Twitterverse
And the Grand Twittering Poobah is Me.
Nick Broadbent

~Twitter Blues~ by Joel W. Courtney

Opening the door and onto the street I stroll
I’m a graduate engineer and I’m on the patrol,
Getting coffee in the city and i need my Twitter fix.
So i start up the iPhone and get in the Twitter mix,
I update the masses, thats what they want to hear
That I’ve seen the programming of another engineer.
“Your spelling is incorrect, you glorious fool;
I can’t believe you got to graduate, you undeniable tool”
I press on the send and the update is streaming
I keep a cool head but in my pants I’m creaming.
Steven Foster

Highly tasteful as always from these two gents, but still rather amusing for those who can take a joke.