Time for a change

I really don't want to do this anymore. I get so much support though that it's hard to give up. I seem to have skills in this area so I suppose I'll still take photos sometimes.
I just think it's time I got some proper employment.
I'll still be around bands though.
I'll just be away from all the action - at my lighting desk.

I've just never made over $100 doing band photography. And fours years is enough. I also hate waiting for press pass approvals, dealing with security and being alone at gigs.

LTTL is no more.

Where did all these gigs suddenly come from?

These past couple of months I haven't really been getting into gigs. I took a bit of time off shooting for Faster Louder (to anyone who knows me - shhh! I love FL and they're awesomely awesome photo briefs :p)
After missing out on a Death Cab For Cutie photo pass I decided to go back to the place that would have given me the pass had I bothered to reply to the gig op emails.
Well, I did get into Horsell Common but was told three days later.

LTTL’s GIG GUIDE

Astreetlightsong @ Sonar, Luna Park – Aug 22 (If I’m not broke)

Avalon Drive @ Spectrum – Aug 27

The Mess Hall @ Annandale Hotel – Aug 28 (APPROVED!)

Ruin Gloria @ Bald Faced Stag – Sept 12

The Matches @ Manning Bar – Sept 19 (Please! Please! Please! Oh God Please!)

Faker @ Enmore Theatre, Sept 20

BADLANDS FESITVAL @ Sydney Uni – Sept 23 (The Hot Lies/ Trial Kennedy/ Horsell Common – It just makes sense that I shoot it)

The Living End @ Enmore Theatre – Sept 27 (I just want to take photos inside the Enmore)

313 Band Comp Heats @ City Diggers, Wollongong (Sept 17-November 5)

Winners play at Regent Theatre, Wollongong.

Pretty keen on taking photos at a few heat shows and then the final. I’m sure the great Ben Moore can get me into them and he might even pay me – woo!

The Vandas @ Hopetoun Hotel, June 27

I was fortuante enough to get on The Vandas guestlist for their single launch. I decided that I was there for them and not some magazine/website. The new songs were good but I did enjoy hearing them play a few songs from the older EP.

You can see some photos from the show here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lttl/

Come Together Festival, Sydney June 8 2008

I shot the second Come Together day for Faster Louder. It was an all Australian lineup, both well known and local acts. I was on my feet from about 9am-11:30pm and probably only got a few hours sleep.

The day started early for me because I had to capture atmosphere as well as the bands. I envied the other photographers who were just there to shoot the live bands, but I suppose it is sometimes fun taking photos of excited punters.
I managed to shoot 14 bands, 9 I've never shot before.

First up is Short Stack:

Ash Phoenix (Faster Louder Stage):

Sky Bombers:

Calling All Cars:

Many Machines on Nine (MM9):

Trial Kennedy

The Getaway Plan:

The Hot Lies:

Gyroscope:

The Living End:

All the punter photos can be found at www.fasterlouder.com.au

Come Together this sunday

This sunday I will be shooting the more punkrock Come Together day. I have sort of worked out what bands I'll be shooting:

12:30pm – Short Stack
1:00pm – Acid Eyeliner
2:15 - Ash Phoenix (Faster Louder Stage)

2:30 - In Fiction
3:00pm – Sky Bombers
3:30pm – Calling All Cars

3:45 - Ben Ely's Radio 5 (Faster Louder Stage)
4:00pm – MM9
4:30PM – Trial Kennedy

5:15pm - Witch Hats (Faster Louder Stage)
5:30pm – The Getaway Plan
6:05pm – Straight Arrows (Faster Louder Stage)

6:40pm – Mammal
7:15pm – The Hot Lies
7:55pm – Birds of Tokyo
8:40pm – Gyroscope
9:35pm – The Living End

It's not my final decision. I'm still trying to decide whether I should shoot the majority of the bands that are playing on The Faster Louder Stage, with me being the Faster Louder photographer and all.

I hate it when this happens

I don't mind two or three days of shooting gigs, but can I do it four days in a row?

I haven't seen End of Fashion since november 2006. My friends know the story of me getting pulled out of the media pit 15 seconds into shooting End of Fashion. Ever since I have tried to shoot them again.
The next night is Wolf & Cub. They are without a doubt the coolest band around. I'm not even as cool as them.
The next night is The Vandas. Another band I haven't seen in years that I absolutley love and they are much much cooler than me.
The next night is my friends The Stray Assembley with Grand Fatal.
I don't want to miss out on a single show, but I do get tired and not as good a photographer when I'm constantly shooting shows.
Think I should do it?

Fifty Sixx @ Annandale Hotel

Welcome to the new and improved LTTL photo blog. Well, it's just a new layout, which looks similiar to Craig Nye's but that was an accident I swear. The layout really works well for putting larger images in my posts. I hope so at least.

This blog is the new home for most of my recent band photos. I may add a few to MySpace but not as much as this blog. It's just so much better having the photos in one place. Of course they will still be published by the sites that send me to the gigs, but I don't have to be approved to add them here.
The most recent show I shot was Fifty Sixx and friends @ Annandale Hotel on May 31. After feeling the burden of my 24-70 which weighs up to 1kg I decided that I'll just bring my 50mm f/1.8. I hardly use this lens and it's amazing for its cheap price. It's good to know that to take good photos you don't always have to spend $2000. Though the photos may have a lot of detail in them the 50 has a 3 second delay time before it takes a single photo, my 24-70 doesn't delay at all. And the bokeh on the 50 is not as creamy as the 24-70. Yes, that's right I spent $1800 on a lens that gives a good background blur!
This time I was given a photo brief detailing just what photos my superiors at Faster Louder HQ were looking for. So, I took photos of pretty much everything - even soundcheck! I wanted to do 200% because these photos may just get me into Come Together.

My favourite band of the night was The Paper and the Plane. You can expect me to go to more of their shows. Mere Theory were the first band that I photographed so they are special. I really need to buy their new album because I only have their first two eps with the old vocalist Ryan.

Want to see an old photo of them I took back in 2004? I once vowed never to show the photos because they are so horrible.

Closure in Moscow were great too. I probably took the best photos of them because they were so active or because the singer reminded me of Pete Wood from The Hot Lies.

I've seen Fifty Sixx a lot of times and they always put on an interesting show. I think last time I got a photo of one of the guitarists with a moose. They sound like a good band to party with because they seem to drink a lot.

There was a free sampler cd that was been given out at the merch table and at the end of the show with a few tracks from each of the bands that played on the tour. I've been to a lot of gigs but have never seen anything like that. It was quite a clever idea. I certainly don't have enough money to buy every ep or album from every band that plays at a show. And after listening to the sampler cd I feel like going out and buying more music by the bands, especially Paper and the Plane.

Here are some photos:

THE PAPER AND THE PLANE

CLOSURE IN MOSCOW

MERE THEORY

FIFTY SIXX

You can see the full gallery of 56 photos (yes, I'm so lame I added exactly 56 photos for my Fifty Sixx gallery) at fasterlouder.com.au

You like? If so add a comment and information about how I can pick my Come Together photopass up. ;)

Bands can use the photos if they give credit. More photos or larger ones will cost you though.