Selfish C*nt by Daniel Boud.

If you told me a year ago i’d be holding an exhibiton of my concert photos i’d ask what you’d been smoking. Exhibitions were for professionals and artists.

Inspiration came about 6 months ago when i went to a photo show that was put on by some local amateur photographers from Flickr. It was great work and lots of people turned up. I realised that to put a show together wasn’t impossible and something normal people like me could do. Simply book a space, promote the show, print out and hang your work. You don’t need someone to ask you to do it, just do it yourself.

So i emailed Matt and raised the idea, he said he’d been considering something like that too, we got in touch with Nic and the ball started rolling.

I spent a lot more of my time on organising and promoting the show rather than on the photos. In the end the photos were all hastily collated and only delivered the day before the show opened. But it all seemed to work out in the end – hundreds of people came, a bunch of prints sold, our egos were stroked.

Here’s my interview with The Brag editor Kirsty Brown:

BRAG: Tell us a little about yourself. Who do you work for, what is your style of photography, do you have a day job?

DANIEL: I work freelance photography, so that means my photos end up all over the place, from The Brag to Drum Media to Hot Press to Triple J to Spin. Whoever wants my shots.

I also work as a web producer, so that helps me in publishing my work online.

I like to capture people when they’re doing something bold or wild. A split second in time when emotions are highest.

How did you get into the photography business?

I started a blog and used to post the odd picture that I’d taken at gigs and parties to it. After a while I began contributing stuff to street press. I just kept doing it and more mags started to run my photos. It started as all live stuff and events, but I’ve since done press shots in the studio for a number of bands too.

Memorable moments.

Shooting the Big Day Out was a dream come true, with Iggy Pop probably being the highlight. The man is a legend and photographs amazingly.

Not so memorable moments.

Having a wet sponge flung from the crowd at me at the Big Day Out. It landed on my camera and freaked me out for a bit – but it was all ok in the end.

If you could photograph anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

I would have loved to photograph U2 in their early days, playing the clubs of Dublin, and the first tours of America. I’d still love to photograph the band.

Who has been the most exciting person to shoot and who has been the most difficult?

There’s a UK band called Selfish Cunt who I photographed a couple of times – once in London, and once in Austin. The singer is a modern day Johnny Rotten, completely mental, flinging himself into the crowd, getting into fights, getting naked. You never know what’s going to come next. That’s exciting to shoot.

It’s always tough to shoot acts in low-light. Like Matt, I found The Mars Volta pretty much impossible to shoot seeing as they played in darkness.

Is there a memorable image that you have taken that has become your favourite?

There’s a shot I took of The Scare at Homebake where the singer is screaming his lungs out, looking directly down the lens. Straight after the shot he lunged at me and we both fell to the ground. That was rather memorable.

What is 3 Songs, No Flash about? How did it come around and what do you hope it achieves?

I’ve never really considered myself a proper artist type that exhibits his work in a gallery. But i decided to bite the bullet and risk appearing like a wanky art student and get a show together. I have a lot of admiration for Matt and Nic’s work, so i know even if i wasn’t involved it’d be the sort of thing i’d be keen to check out.

I hope people in the music, concert promotion and publishing industry see our work and realise we’re talented people who they want to work with.

I want people to see there’s a new generation of music photographers around – that you don’t always have to hire Tony Mott to get great results.

Oh – and i want a nomination in the Jack Awards. Hint hint.

What advice would you give to budding photographers out there?

Practice, practice, practice. Shoot heaps before you start shopping your work around to magazines. Seek feedback from friends and other photographers. Put your work online on a site like Flickr. Sign up as a contributer to sites like Fasterlouder.com.au and thedwarf.com.au.

See Also:

• Interview with Nic Bezzina
• Interview with Matt Booy