Project Description

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Amnplify Profile
“The Photographer Series”

Interview with
PETE GARDNER
from
Perth, Western Australia

Interviewer – Dave Bruce

Photos – Pete Gardner

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Let’s start with a few discovery questions. Have you always wanted to be a photographer? When did you start taking photos?
I was given my first camera at age 10, a Christmas present from my Grandmother. An Agfamatic 200, which took film in a cartridge, and cube flashbulbs. As you would expect for a 10 year old, those first shots I took were all of my family, and I still have the photographs as one of my most treasured possessions.
My photography really took off though when I started caving and climbing as a student. Dragging cameras, tripods and strobes underground means you need a very willing team to help carry the gear, and then stand around waist deep in freezing melt water whilst you set up a shot. To be honest, I thought at the time those shots were brilliant! now I look back on them and realise I didn’t have a clue…
I developed a love for landscape photography in the mountains of Snowdonia and the Scottish highlands, All I had at the time was a 35mm point and click, so I would make large collages of prints to try and capture the magnificence of the wilderness, a job done much easier these days with panorama stitching in Photoshop!
After graduating, I became a keen Scuba diver, and took to underwater photography after I moved to Australia. Pre-Kids, I could afford the decent housing and strobes for my DSLR, but sadly that equipment is sitting there very dry these days, it is difficult to get out and dive with a young family.

How would you describe your style? What makes it unique, and why do you think people resonate with your photos?
The best photos trigger more than just the visual sense, the technical term is synaesthesia, where one sense triggers another. When someone looks at one of my shots, I want to take them to another time and place, to feel what it’s like to be there, to hear the screaming guitar and the roar of the crowd. What I really strive for is to capture the emotion, this is why I love to focus on faces of performers lost in the moment.

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What live music events, or artists, or photographers for that matter, originally drove you to feel the calling to buy a camera and join the fun?
In 2016 I was doing a digital photography course with Open Colleges, hoping to improve my skills with some formal training. One of the modules was to “Photograph an artist in their environment”. A family friend is singer/songwriter Chris Gibbs, (check him out, he’s brilliant and all his stuff is on iTunes) and was playing a gig with his band at the time the assignment came up. I shot the show, and when I looked at my results I realised I could do this! One of the shots I submitted for the assignment won an award with the college as one of their photos of the year. With contacts I made through Chris’ band, I shot a few more local gigs, until I was picked up by 100% Rock Magazine, and began shooting touring bands. My first big gig was Alter Bridge, and the buzz I got in the pit at the front of the crowd was incredible. I’ve been a 3 songs no flash junkie ever since.

Now a couple of questions on the present. How often do you shoot, which shows do you prefer – small, intimate shows or do the bells and whistles of the big shows get the juices flowing?
I shoot as often as I can, but it’s a delicate balance between concert photography, work and family. I love the pizzazz of the big shows, especially if it’s an artist I have followed for years, such as Robert Plant, or Stevie Nicks. (I am still sore at losing Iron Maiden and Alanis Morrisette when all the gigs were cancelled) but often these shows are very controlled and limited with what you can do, especially when shooting from the soundboard, and often all the photographers come away with the same shots. Smaller gigs are far more intimate and offer more creative freedom; many of my favourite shots have been from these smaller shows.

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Please describe the creative process you employ (don’t give away too many secrets), and the photography challenges you overcame to get to here?
It is no secret that concert photography is challenging. The lights, and the band are constantly on the move, you have to work fast, with limited space and time. If you miss the shot you don’t get a second go. In the pit, I concentrate on composition, and just keep checking exposure. I have my go to settings to start a shoot, but change these on the fly as needed. Afterwards however, I seem to always get a moment of panic when I first download and look through the shots wondering if I’m going to get a gallery out of these. But when you nail that shot its all worth the agony. The lenses make all the difference, I just invested in a beautiful Nikon14-24mm f2.8, but then everything was cancelled before I’ve had a chance to use it!
Understanding the limits of even the best digital sensors is half the battle, my big secret is investing in great de-noising software, and don’t be afraid to edit, edit, edit. I still find it amazing how skilful editing can bring out the best in a shot, which would have otherwise gone into the trash.

You are an Amnplify shooter. How did that come about and what have you found out about yourself while you have been here?
I was fishing around to see what opportunities were out there, and got chatting with the legendary Karen Lowe, she put me in touch with the even more legendary Dave Bruce, who had a look at my portfolio, and offered me a place on the team. A proud moment, and one that is very good for my ego.

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In this world of equal opportunity, photography is an area where it seems female photographers equal if not outnumber many of the pits at events. Do you think the opportunities are the same for both sexes? What’s it like being a male in the pit?
I don’t see why gender comes into it, (maybe that’s my male privilege speaking…) if you can do your job and you have the talent, you have earned your place in the pit. In my experience, I have only had professionalism and respect from other shooters, of course there are exceptions with the occasional dickhead, but they are few and far between. I do hear what some of my female colleagues have to endure, and the thought makes me sick that we still live in a world where some idiots still feel that sort of behaviour is acceptable. I guess one advantage to being male is physical, for when everyone is jostling for position for that prime shot, or trying to stay upright in the mosh with all your expensive camera kit when there is no pit, but generally everyone is respectful and will make room for one another.

We live in a number dominated world. So many likes, albums going platinum, millions of streams. How do you deal with that from a motivation perspective? Do you need the artist or public acknowledgement, or have you developed a strong mental attitude with feedback?
As long as I can show my work to someone else and they say “Wow!” I’m mostly happy. When the artist likes the shot its even better. However, when lockdown happened, and all the shows were cancelled, for a bit of fun I stole the kids Lego, and built a concert, lit it, added smoke and shot it. I put the photos up on a couple of concert photography Facebook pages, and watched in amazement as the post went viral with over 70,000 hits, so yeah, I get why people like numbers…

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What future goals do you have? What is still on the bucket list?
There are many bands I would still love to shoot, mostly bands I followed for years back in the UK, but have never toured Australia (I’m looking at you Marillion!)
I have some projects simmering away at the moment, including virtual reality 360 photography (watch this space…). I’m always on the lookout for new challenges and opportunities; it will be interesting to see what the future holds!

Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:
Album – Wow, I hate this question because there are too many great albums to choose from, I guess it depends on my mood at the time, at the moment, I’m listening to Love is Dead by Chvrches. Floyds Wish you Were Here, and Springsteen’s Born to Run have never left the playlist, and No Sleep til Hammersmith from Motorhead lives in the car where I can crank it up, and not be yelled at to turn it down by the rest of the family
Artist – er… see above… cant choose, I’m loving a good number of local WA acts at the moment, some better known than others, its well worth checking out Graham Greene (Ex Ice Tiger guitarist), and Silent Knight, Brilliant Power Metal group, who have just brought on a new singer and are currently in the studio working on their new album.
Movie – I once would have said Star Wars, but then it grew mouse ears…
Place to visit – The Scottish Highlands, you can disappear into the mountains for days, just make sure you have a raincoat. Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea is the best diving I have ever experienced, but you need to like Sharks. But the best place to be these days is home with the kids, once I can get them torn away from playing Minecraft for two minutes!
Venue to play – The Rosemount is a great venue, the pit is incredibly small and the bass monitors have very sharp corners which hurt like hell when you catch your knee trying to move around the pit, but they have great bands there and as a photographer you can get up close and personal.
Food – nothing beats a great curry, but I do cook a mean Mexican
Drink – Coffee – nuff said.
Person in History – Carl Sagan is a hero of mine, a brilliant mind, responsible for the voyager program and one of the best communicators of science ever. Sadly died much too young.
Tattoo – (If you don’t have one, what would you get?) – None myself yet, but my wife and myself were about to get matching ones for our 10th wedding anniversary…then they shut the tattoo parlours. So we will be making our appointment as soon as they open for business.

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Want to see more of PETE’s
Amnplify live photography?
Thousands of photos
are waiting for you
HERE

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Plus you can check out PETE’s
online presence HERE

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AMNPLIFY – DB