Sound On Festival 2019 – Where Talent Has No Age
Over the weekend, Isolated Nation got the grand opportunity to send our junior photographer Reo-Blu Caré to Sound On Festival, to be mentored alongside our talented photographer Brendan Cecich. Being a one-of-a-kind U18 festival with an insane line-up of Australian acts – from electronic duo Peking Duk to the triple-j conquering Ruel and G Flip – it only seemed only fitting to let this be Reo-Blu’s first experience in shooting live music!
Gathering from the amazing festival atmosphere at RAC Arena and our photographers’ shots, it’s evident that talent (and a love for music) has no age. As advocates of Perth’s budding young talent, we also had to share our photographers’ insights below:
How long have you been a photographer for?
I’ve been shooting for about 5 years now. I started when I was in Year 8, and now I’m in my first year out of high school and studying at university.
How has Sound On Festival been different to other festivals/gigs you’ve shot?
In a lot of the events I photograph, I’m used to shooting and interacting with an intoxicated crowd. Admittedly, it was weird being amongst about 5,000 sober (hit or miss) kids. It was just a very different but great vibe overall!
Do you have any tips for shooting live music?
1. Make sure that you have a range of zoom (wide to up close) to give more variety to your shots!
2. Make sure you know when the CO2 cannons are going off. They don’t taste nice and you also can’t see or hear for about 10 seconds!
What advice do you have for budding young photographers?
Stick at it and get as much experience as you can. Don’t listen to the negativity about your work. On the other hand, real constructive criticism can help you to progress further than others. Also, use Instagram as much as you can! The game has changed dramatically due to the platform and is allowing more underrated photographers to be seen and heard.
REO-BLU CARÉ
How and when did you get into photography? I have been doing photography since mid Year 8 (about 3 years), however, I began to take it more seriously when I downloaded Instagram and decided to make it my photography platform. From thereon, I have been reaching out and developing myself to make it my dream job.
Which part did you love most about the festival? The highlight of the festival for me was being able to capture the mood/vibe of not only the artists performing, but also the crowd and how they were interacting with one another!
What was your experience like shooting live music for the first time? To be honest, I was kind of crapping myself on the way in! However, Brendan talked me through the entire night and it became less daunting. Though as soon as we set up our cameras, I couldn’t wait to start shooting. The freedom to be up close and personal with the artists is a feeling you will never forget.
What did you learn from your experience shooting alongside Brendan? I was lucky enough to have the chance to shoot alongside Brendan for Sound On Festival and that for sure made it less daunting as I wasn’t feeling pressured to get the ‘perfect’ photo. Brendan taught me the ropes of shooting concerts with tips on equipment, ‘walking with purpose’ and even confidence. I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor and first festival to photograph!