Updates soon, I promise!

January was a strange month. Everything seemed to be either really really awesome or really really rubbish, there was no inbetween. Cat Power, Mayer Hawthorne, Ronan Keating and Grandmaster Flash.

Cat Power @ the Astor Theatre 060110

January got off to a poor start with Cat Power. A bit of confusion about what we were and weren’t allowed to do, with whispers that if we were seen taking photos and/or were distracting we’d get in trouble, despite the fact we had photopasses. I don’t really understand that train of thought. If you don’t like having your photo taken, don’t allocate passes. Simple as that. I’d much rather not go to a show at all, than go and be more concerned about being in the talent’s line of sight than getting my shots. But anyway. On top of all that, the lighting was dull blue, and I walked out after three songs having no idea if there was anything decent on my memory card. Managed to grab a couple of nice poses, but the lighting stopped them being particularly good images.

Mayer Hawthorne @ the Funk Club 150110

I’d discovered Mayer Hawthorne’s music only days before, and had no idea he was touring, so it was a VERY pleasant surprise to be asked to cover the show. I’d never shot at the Funk Club before, and had only been there once, so I was going in pretty much blind and expecting the worst. And it was the worst. Alternating between split-second blazing flashes of light and ambient lighting so dull it was basically nothing, it was quite a challenge in timing that I majorly failed. Had to crank up the ISO and pray to the music photography gods. Got a couple of decent shots, but I had to just about fill up a card to get them. But that aside, it was an amazing show. A voice like butter, and so much charisma it was practically dripping off him. I was a bit tired, and pre-show I wasn’t sure if I was going to last the whole thing, but I stayed to the end cause there was just that sense of this being something SPECIAL. Like in 5 years time when he’s proper famous I’ll look back and say ‘I saw Mayer Hawthorne with a couple of hundred people at the Funk Club, I stood a metre away from him and I shot the whole show’. He’s that good, you guys.

Ronan Keating @ Sandalford Winery 160110

I’m a girl, and a child of the ’90s, so the soundtrack to my youth was one of boybands. I enjoyed the like of Backstreet Boys, 5ive, Nsync, Take That etc, but the band at the top of the pile for me was Boyzone. God knows why, there was next to no coverage about them in Australia and I can’t even remember where I first heard about them, but they were my FAVOURITE BAND IN THE WHOLE WORLD. For about two years. Tastes are fickle when you’re 14. So, to get the opportunity to photograph lead singer Ronan many years later was freakin unbelieveable, and while I may have appeared pretty cool and calm in the pit, inside I was a jittery teen. However the crazy fangirl brain was switched off once I realised the cross-lighting on the microphone was casting a big shadow over his mouth while he sang, so I had to concentrate and catch him in the few seconds where his face was far enough away from the mic to be free of shadows. Did fine, and got lost of nice photos, but the three songs just seemed to fly by. Handsome chap, brilliant lighting (apart from the cross-lighting issue), what more could I have wanted? Got to stay for the rest of the show, so was free to squee without having to maintain any level of professionalism.

Grandmaster Flash @ Capitol 220110

What’s better than photographing a guy with a laptop when you have no photopit? Everything. Everything in the world. Especially when he doesn’t start til midnight and you have work the next day.

Gyroscope @ Challenge Stadium

Now that 2010 is finally here, thought it might be a good idea to do a retrospect over 2009 (mainly cause I didn’t find the time to post enough photos). If I had to sum up the year, I’d say it was the one where I found my feet again. I just needed to get away from the publication I’d contributed to since 06, and see what other opportunities were out there. Gamble paid off quite well, as I finished the year a regular contributor to The West Australian.

I think my Photo of the Year honours would have to go to the above photo, thought I still maintain it was nothing more than a lucky shot. Held the camera over my head, pressed the button, and prayed. Show of the Year might just have to go to Children Collide at Amplifier in April. They just ripped the hell out of the place and it was exhilarating to watch. Festival of the Year, as always, is Soundwave. It’s always the best photo-op of the whole year.

I photographed 85 acts in total over the year, which I think is a pretty ok effort considering I wasn’t really ‘working’ per se until June, and only did a couple of festivals. Not sure if that’s up or down from last year (I’ve never bothered to count before), but it’s a total I’m happy with.

So hop under the cut to check out every single one of those 85 acts, plus one of The Mess Hall at Amplifier for good luck. Here’s to Twenty Ten.

The Mess Hall @ Amplifier, New Years Eve

]]> http://jacintamathews.com/?feed=rss2&p=520 0 http://jacintamathews.com/?p=494 http://jacintamathews.com/?p=494#comments Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:18:19 +0000 Jacinta http://jacintamathews.com/?p=494 One Movement Festival, October 2009

Right, so obviously that ‘monthly wrapup’ idea didn’t quite go to plan. To be honest I took some pretty boring photos in September so I wasn’t exactly gagging to get them out into the world, and as for October and November, well, I was just busy. Going out and taking photos is a bit more productive than blogging about taking photos, y’know? Anyway, a quick photospam to get things up to date. I’ve left out six shows where I thought the photos were a bit unexciting. Oh, and one of those shows was Nickelback. The photos of The Chad were ok, but no one really needs to be subjected to that.

Dukes of Windsor @ Amplifier

Lisa Mitchell @ Capitol

Melodramas @ One Movement Festival

Joe Echo @ One Movement Festival

Kate Miller Heidke @ One Movement Festival

Hilltop Hoods @ One Movement Festival

Ash Grunwald @ Fly By Night

Midnight Juggernauts @ Capitol

Ladyhawke @ Capitol

Tim Finn @ Quarry Amphitheatre

Love of Diagrams @ the Burlesque Lounge

]]> http://jacintamathews.com/?feed=rss2&p=494 0 http://jacintamathews.com/?p=469 http://jacintamathews.com/?p=469#comments Sun, 13 Sep 2009 14:31:03 +0000 Jacinta http://jacintamathews.com/?p=469

The Novocaines @ Amplifier

August was a pretty busy month, my first full month working for The Wire, with a few other publications slotting in here and there. I was struck down by a pretty decent sized cold for a couple of weeks, but I soldiered on, and I think in some cases the cold&flu tablets and exhaustion worked in my favour!

Doves @ Capitol 1st Aug

The worst thing about taking an extended break from taking photos is having to ‘re-learn’ certain venues. Most are easy to click back into, but Capitol is a struggle even when you’re shooting there regularly, so this one was never going to be the easiest shoot. Thankfully, there was a photopit this particular night, which made it slightly better. On a bad night, Capitol is horrendous. On a good night, it’s just ok. The lights were pretty ordinary, mostly red with occasional flashes of not-red. I just couldn’t get in my groove, and the results weren’t too flash. Aside from that, Doves themselves were pretty good. I’d only heard the occasional song there and there, but certainly didn’t realise they were SO popular. I didn’t stay long past my three songs, even though the band was good, the place is a pretty uncomfortable place to be when it’s packed.

The Novocaines @ Amplifier 8th Aug

Where Capitol is always a bit of a chore, Amplifier feels like coming home. Especially when I’m there for a band I’ve been shooting for the last three or so years. The Novocaines are energetic dirty blues rock, and although I was hopped up to the eyeballs on cold medication and probably should have toddled home to bed at the earliest opportunity, I couldn’t tear myself away. Corey has evolved into an absolute beast of a frontman, and their new material seems far more grungy and authentic than their stuff when I first started seeing them. They sold out the venue, which is no mean feat for a local band who had been a little bit quiet for a while.

Eskimo Joe & Bob Evans @ Fremantle Arts Centre 15th Aug

 The forecast was for storms and freezing cold temperatures, and Eskimo Joe had two shows booked at an outdoor venue in a city by the sea. It all spelt disaster. I had tickets to both shows, but was only shooting the first, and was very relieved when I turned up and saw a huge marquee had been put up in the grounds of the Arts Centre. Didn’t make it any less chilly, but cold is better than soaking wet. Turned up in time for Bob Evans, fairly same old, same old as far as shooting goes, but the Bevans are always pretty enjoyable.

Despite the fact I’ve been a fan of Eskimo Joe for longer than I’ve been taking photos, I’ve never actually shot them for a media outlet, so I was looking to do a pretty good job. If I learnt anything from my experience shooting Matchbox 20, it was that the more personal pressure I put on myself to do well, the more the photos will suck. They didn’t suck, but they certainly weren’t as good as I was expecting of myself, not helped by the copious amounts of smoke that was pumped out just before they started. The lights themselves were excellent, but lots of lights + lots of smoke = useless fog til it clears. I did quite a bit of burning-in in post-prod.

Art vs Science @ Amplifier 20 Aug

Only a bit of a teaser image, the photos haven’t been published yet. You can check one of them out in the upcoming issue of JMag. This show was a Thursday night during a massive resurrection of my cold, and let’s face it, I hate electro (though I did quite like the little bit of support band Hercules in New York I saw). I think I lasted about two songs before the thought of being back in my jammies at home became too appealing.

Augie March @ Fly By Night 21 Aug

The early retreat from the Art vs Science gig was followed up the next night at the Fly By, but luckily Augie March aren’t really the most animated band, so after ten minutes you’ve pretty much got all the action you’re going to get. I did hang around a little bit to see if Glen Richards’ cringeing (see above) at the bad sound was going to turn into a dummy spit, but alas. So home I went, back to my jammies.

Bertie Blackman @ Fly By Night 28 Aug

I was expecting this show to be much the same in-and-out job as the two the week before, but I got stuck in much the same position as Augie March, and was a bit paranoid the photos would look exactly the same. I actually ended up staying for most of the set, as while I’m personally not really into Bertie Blackman’s music, she’s quite engaging as a performer.

Handsome Furs @ Amplifier 30 Aug

Handsome Furs were the pleasant surprise of the month. A couple of potty-mouthed, Energiser-bunny Canadians who seemed genuinely shocked at the amount of people who’ d come out to see them on a pretty horrible rainy Sunday night. I didn’t shoot for the whole set, leaving the front of the floor for those who were feeling inclined to dance, but I did stay until the end out of curiosity.

Gyroscope @ Challenge Stadium, supporting the Living End

 So, it’s been months, what the bloody hell have I been up to?  Well, I started up Sunday Night Music Club to combat the fact I wasn’t really shooting that many shows, but now I AM back into the swing of things, poor old SNMC is tucked away for the next slow season.

I’m now lucky enough to be working for two regular clients, one web-based, and one print media. I also haven’t done a show for free since May, which is definitely a step in the right direction. Since I last did a proper update I’ve shot Tame Impala, Gyroscope, The Living End, Little Birdy, Tijuana Cartel, Bliss n Eso, Hilltop Hoods, The Butterfly Effect, and Doves. Getting the print media photos up is a bit of a vicious cycle. I can’t put them up anywhere until the paper’s out, which is a Thursday, so by the time I get around to actually getting them up, they’re a week old and ‘boring’, and I’m out shooting the next assignment. A ‘Month in Review’ type of post system might result in me, well, actually posting every now and again.

In non gig-shooty news, I got my tickets to The Academy Is… show the other day, and while I’m about ten years too old to  be really excited, I AM. Yay!

Nathan Gaunt, Fly By Night

A few quick shots from a roll I picked up the other day. This one had been sitting in the camera for months before I finished it at an Eskimo Joe show a week or so ago, and I couldn’t even really remember what was on it! Turns out it was photos taken at the launch for Nathan Gaunt’s latest CD at the Fly By. They were all absolutely terrible, ridiculously overexposed, and I’ve got no real explaination for it. This is the first roll of ISO3200 I’ve actually SHOT at ISO3200 (I accidentally rated the last roll at ISO1600, and things were obviously a bit blown out), so I was expecting a little bit better. I suspect the meter had been changed from Spot to Center Weighted, but I don’t remember doing it, so I’ve got no idea how it happened.

Anyway.

I expected them to be grainy (obviously), but I did get a bit ‘Woah!’ when I picked up the prints. Looks like it was snowing inside the venue. I’ve only got one roll of ISO3200 left, and somehow I don’t think I”ll be restocking. The grain does add some character to some shots, but in these days of ultra-low digital noise it just looks WEIRD.

Dream Vs Scream – Gyroscope

Out of all the bands I’ve had the pleasure of photographing over the last few years, one stands out on the top of the pile. Gyroscope. They’ve been around for what seems like forever on the local scene, but thanks to their latest CD ‘Breed Obsession’ they’re finally starting to crack into the consciousness of mainstream Australia.

It wasn’t until the second or third time I’d photographed them that I got really hooked. And it wasn’t for the music. They’re a savagely energetic band, and it’s pretty much impossible to walk away from one of their shows without good photos. I did grow to love the music in time, mainly for the fact I was attending just about every show I could get access to, and it was bound to stick with me eventually! They’re the nicest of guys, and an absolute pleasure to work with, be it live shoots or press shoots.

This particular song is one of my favourites, not just of Gyroscope’s but out of all songs ever. It’s from ‘Are You Involved?’ the album that came out just before I started getting into them. For some reason it’s the album I’ve always related to most, and sort of claimed ownership of. This song is an out-and-out anthem, and while I obviously enjoy the song itself, I also love the reaction it gets from the crowds, and the inevitable epic singalong. It’s passion, it’s aggression, it’s power.

Enjoy.

…And Now You’re Old Enough, I Think That You Should Know – Sugar Army

They’re one of the bands that gets featured regularly on my blogs, and for good reason. Without question, I’d count Sugar Army as one of the most exciting bands in Perth at the moment. Their jagged, angular indie rock is precise, catchy, and gets better and better very time you hear it.

It wasn’t always the case. I saw them for the first time in late 2006, and found them slightly awkward and unengaging. Over the years frontman Pat has evolved from a shuffling shoegazer to a commanding presence, clutching the microphone stand like a weapon, as opposed the safety blanket of the early days.

This particular song (with its very long title) has been getting a bit of airplay on Triple J, and is from their EP ‘Where Do You Hide Your Toys?’ I’ve always loved this one in particular as it sucks you in right from the get-go.

Oh, and it has cowbell. There can never be too much cowbell.

Enjoy

And I’m back! I didn’t think that in this day and age it would take over a month to restore an internet connection, but no mind. I’m back in the land of high-speed internet and I’m oh so very happy about it.

A bit has been going on while I was away. Knew I needed to make a decision in regards to photos, doing sporatic gigs was very unsatisfying, so it was time to either stop altogether, or get back into the swing of things properly. As luck would have it, I got offered some regular ongoing work by a national ticketing agency, taking photos at their Perth shows. And as they put on heaps of shows, there’s no shortage of work. I stick to mainly the indie/rock gigs, and over the last few weeks I’ve shot the West Coast Blues and Roots Festival, Children Collide, Okkervil River, and The Grates. So it’s definitely work AND play, and I’m quite happy with how things are travelling at the moment. On top of that, I’ve done one live shoot for Triple J’s national magazine ‘JMag’, with another one lined up in about two weeks.

I’ve also currently got photos in two exhibitions around town, three photos in the WAMi ‘Kiss My Camera’ showcase at the WA Museum, and one at the Photographers In Perth curated ‘Fables and Nocturnes’ show, at Behind the Monkey on Beaufort St. I’ll put some photos up once I get a chance to pop along to them with a camera. Fables and Nocturnes runs til May 30th, and Kiss My Camera until June 28, so plenty of time to get along.

Tonight will see the return of Sunday Night Music Club, it’s pretty hard to upload songs when you’re more or less on dialup speed! Because I didn’t get around to doing my ‘WAMi Week Music Club’ due to lack of internets, tonight’s will most definitely have a local flavour.

And in completely non-photographic news, I recently bought MarioKart on Wii, so if anyone wants to play online and absolutely belt me (I’m not really very good) email me with your friend code.