In the 8th edition of IN FOCUS we chat with Melbourne local Amanda Lee Starkey aka @minniephotog
1. How many years have you been shooting?
I began shooting in 1995 with a Ricoh camera and started shooting music in 2000.
2. How did you get started in photography?
I was in high school and selected for the Gifted and Talented program, and the school had a darkroom so I learned to hand process and print film. From there I went to Art school in 1997, and Photography school. I got into gig photography by chance when I tagged along to a group interview for a street press magazine with my younger sister. I went overseas to work as a ship photographer for a few years and around ten years ago returned to my love for music photography.
3. What is your favourite band to shoot?
Shooting Chris Cornell with Soundgarden was definitely a highlight, he was so animated and larger than life. I also enjoyed shooting Avatar as they are so unique.
4. What is your favourite venue to shoot and why?
The Forum. The staff are friendly, the security are helpful and the lighting is always good.
5. What setup do you take with you to shoot gigs? (camera bodies, lenses, straps, bag etc.)
Nikon Z6ii, 24-200, 35-150 Tamron.
6. What software do you use to edit your photos?
Adobe Lightroom. The batch processing is great, but the new AI editing features such as Noise Reduction are amazing. I also use Nik Silver EFX for black and white editing.
7. How would you describe your editing style?
I like to make my B&W very contrasty, and my colour work very vibrant. I am a storyteller, and visually I like to make my images tell a story, so I concentrate on this when editing.
8. What photographers do you draw inspiration from?
Linda McCartney was a trailblazer and a fantastic photographer. From her portrait of Jimmi Hendrix to her intimate portraits of Paul McCartney she was an inspiration. In a time where men dominated photography, she took a camera on a ferry with the Rolling Stones and shot a series of images that changed her life. She seemed to capture the personalities of her subjects with ease. In an industry that is still male dominated her work has stood the test of time.
9. If you could shoot any band in the future, who would it be?
I would love to shoot Pearl Jam and Coldplay.
10. Concerts can get pretty rowdy, whats your best gig story?
I have many stories. Probably my most crazy times have been at some of the metal shows. At Emperor, a punter got smashed into the barrier and broke his nose, but he was grinning from ear to ear. At Heilung I almost got a drum to the skull, the drummer swung too wide narrowly missing me – but he apologised backstage later. I had to dodge a shield wall at a Viking inspired metal gig, and watched the crowd cheer Nergal from Behemoth as he unceremoniously ripped up a holy Bible on stage.
11. Outside of live photography you also run classes and do photoshoots with models, tell us more about these projects?
It’s been really fun. Prior to Covid I ran workshops focusing on a range of topics such as waterfall photography and street photography. Now I have partnered with Nanlite and Maxxum to be able to bring photography gear along to workshops so that people can test and try out gear and learn how to use it without the pressure to buy. I also want to create a safe learning space for people to ask questions, get advice, learn about settings and how to elevate their photography in an easy to understand environment.
12. Whats your favourite camera to use when you are not shooting gigs and why?
A few years ago I upgraded to a Nikon Z6ii and I thought that it would be my occasional use camera, because I have a Nikon D750 that I really love. But I absolutely fell in love with it and have used it as my main camera ever since.
Thanks so much to Amanda for taking the time to chat with us, you can follow their work on social media and get involved in classes via their website.
Instagram – @minniephotog
Web – www.amandaleestarkeyphotography.com/services
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