With Australia’s biggest gathering of music’s hard, loud and heavy currently making its way around the country, one has to wonder how many great photo opps the Soundwave Festival throws up year after year. With moshing crowds, devils horns, and some of music’s biggest names all there for the shooting, there’s plenty of iconic images just waiting to be captured.
Enter Kanye Lens, the pen name (or should that be snappers’ name?) of Kane Hibberd, who has been Soundwave’s official photographer ever since the festival began rocking out nationally in 2008. And the talented Mr. Hibberd has just released his first ever collection of photography titled Kanye Lens Vs Soundwave: Volume 1 – a 452 page collection that captures some of the festival’s biggest and best moments, from sweaty riffs to thrashing bodies and every thrilling moment in between.
With his epic new tome now in the hands of fans of music and photography alike, and with Soundwave currently stomping its way across the nation, what better time to sit down with Kanye Lens himself to discuss his work, the festival he’s shot for more than half-a-decade, his methods, his madness.
What sparked your interest in photography?
Back in the early 2000s I tried my luck at running a little punk rock label that failed dismally. When our bands were playing I used to take my little point and shoot along to get some photos for our website. After this folded, I landed a pretty cruisy job working for a technology company where I got to travel Australia and internationally constantly.
During this time when I wasn’t working, I would wander around whatever city I was in to take photos. I did this for a few years but got tired of being away so much so I quit the job, sold the property I had bought with one of my friends, moved into a shitty apartment and went back to university to study photography.
This is where my lecturers started to encourage me to shoot portraiture and since a lot of my friends were in bands, I just used them for the pictures I had to take. I didn’t actually set out to become a music photographer, it just sort of happened.
Who are your role models that inspire you in your field of work?
I really like cinematography. The way they use different lens and focal lengths to add to the story they are telling is amazing. I also love they way they light for movies, especially the big budget movies and now all the big budget cable series coming out of the US.
What is the best thing about your job? And are there any downsides to it?
Definitely working for myself. I work 6 days a week usually 10–12 hours a day but I don’t really notice it because I’m doing it for me. The downsides are that it’s really hard to turn off and sometimes it would be great to just say ‘fuck it’ and not have the responsibility land on your shoulders. Calling in sick and getting paid would be rad.
What photography work were you doing before becoming Soundwave’s official photographer? And how did you get involved with Soundwave?
I started with Soundwave in my third year of uni so I haven’t really done much else. I’ve always just focused on music and I’ve been lucky enough since my third year of uni to have a steady increase in work. I had a part time job in which I worked from home during uni until my third year where I got fired because I wasn’t really doing anything so I kind of got forced to give a full time gig in photography a go. Luckily so far it’s working out.
I have known different members of the Soundwave family for years, back when they were managing bands and promoting their own shows. I was lucky in that I was in the right place at the right time and that we had been working together in different circumstances for years.
Who have been your favourite bands to shoot at the festival?
AFI were definitely a great band to shoot as they are always moving and singer Davey Havok has a very theatrical stage presence. Gallows were also great as well as LetLive who played last year.
What inspired you to decide to release this book and how did you select the photographs for it from your work?
I’ve always wanted to release books. I love the idea of documenting a time or a scene over an extended period of time. I have started other projects with the intention of doing a book but they haven’t come to fruition so when I first started with Soundwave I had hoped that this might be a project I could do a book on.
I wanted the book to tell a rough story of what it’s like in a day at Soundwave. I chose images not based on the band but on the strength of the image. It’s about Soundwave as a holistic picture not about seeing a bunch of photos of bands. I went back through the 100,000 + images I’ve taken over the 5 years since the festival went national and slowly started discarding images until I was only left with the best. A very long, arduous task.
How long did it take to put the final product together?
It took about 6 months to go back through the images, make a selection, retouch them, then put them in an order that was aesthetically pleasing and then do a layout for the book. Looking back on that part of the project, creating the book was only half my work. Negotiating with the printing company in China, Arranging to ship nearly 8 tonnes of books to Australia, finding a place to store, then organising the e-commerce, advertising of the book, launches, doing press. It’s a lot of work.
All this while I’m still doing my normal shooting work. Hours and hours of fun. Luckily I have surrounded myself with a great team of people who are helping me with all the elements of this.
Can you explain the decision behind wanting to release a limited number of copies?
It’s only the first print edition that is limited. The first printing is limited to 2000 which will be individually numbered and signed by me. After this, the next print run will be the standard edition. Though you may have to wait awhile if you miss out on the first run. I did this because I like when bands do a limited numbered first release of a product. I like knowing I got in on the ground floor.
Tell us about the other products that you are also selling with the book?
I also have some print edition bundles of the book that include an A4 print of certain bands. These are all done in conjunction with the artists, so I only approached a few bands and some wanted to do it, some didn’t. Because I don’t sell many prints of my work and I don’t usually print any smaller than A2, I thought it was a good way for people to get a print that was a little more affordable.
When shooting a band, what approach or techniques do you use? What mood/environment are you trying to capture in a photograph?
My end goal in shooting a show is to come out with one photo that sums up what the gig was about. Trying to capture something that shows the energy, mode and/or crowd. To do this properly you really need to be able to shoot the whole show and with AAA access so whenever possible, I try and arrange this access. It’s rare to get that one defining shot from the first three songs in the pit.
What has been your favourite gig – aside from Soundwave – to photograph so far?
I freelance so I have shot most of the other festivals. I like shooting Laneway Festival as it’s a totally different vibe and you have to approach it from a different mindset. Artists may not be banging their head as much but the energy and passion is still there, you just have to find how they pour it out. Touring with The Living End is also great fun as their performances are always so so good!
Tell us about any galleries you have held or had your work featured in.
I had my first solo exhibition in Sydney and Melbourne back in 2011. I really like exhibiting in print and at a decent size. I think we are so saturated with viewing images digitally and in small sizes that it’s nice to see a well printed image in physical form. I’ve also been working with the Independent Music Awards in curating a set of images that feature independent artists. Some of my work has also been featured in these exhibitions.
Do you prefer shooting live events or photo shoots, and why?
I enjoy both because they are two totally different skill sets. Doing a portrait shoot, you are 90% in control. You choose the lighting, location and the creative elements. With pre production, you know what you are going to achieve. With a gig, you have a lot less control. You are at the mercy of the lights, location, artist and restrictions such as three songs only, or having a pit full of photographers which means you can’t move around as much. I get bored easily so by doing both I get to mix it up.
What does the future hold for you?
This year will be interesting as it all depends on how the book goes. I’ve spent a lot of money in making this book a reality as I am independently published and distributing it. So if you see me labouring on the weekend, then the book hasn’t sold that well.
Hopefully though the book is going to give me the confidence and some money to start shooting some other book ideas I have which are still based in the music industry but don’t have anything to do with Soundwave or live music. Even if the book doesn’t do that well, I won’t be too disheartened as it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, so in that sense it has been a success. Besides, I will have Christmas presents too
Head to KanyeLens.com to check out the various ordering options for Kanye Lens Vs. Soundwave: Volume 1, and if you still need convincing of Hibberd’s talents, check out a selection of his photography in our slideshow below.
