In the sixth edition of IN FOCUS, we chat with local legend Rob Cuzens aka LORDROBSATAN.
1. How many years have you been shooting?
Ive been shooting live shows for around 3 years now.
2. How did you get started in photography?
I’ve always been interested in photography. My old man was pretty good at it growing up; I think it rubbed off on me. When it comes to music photography, I just brought my camera into Singing Bird in Frankston one afternoon and gave it a go. I think it was a clown’s show from memory. It was super challenging, and I’ve been pretty addicted to it ever since.
3. Favourite band to shoot?
There are so many awesome bands I shoot regularly, but if I had to pick one, I’d say the Melbourne band Goat Shaman. They’re really fun to shoot, an incredible band. They’re crazy good.
4. Favourite venue to shoot and why?
Sadly, I used to love the Bendigo Hotel. I shot a lot of shows there; it was always a challenge.
5. What setup do you take with you to shoot gigs? (camera bodies, lenses, straps, bag ect.)
I’m rocking two Canon R6’s at the moment. One is a regular R6 that loves to overheat. The other one is the Mark II. I nearly always take a 24-70, 15-35 wide, and a 70-200. I know the telephoto is a bit overkill, especially for the size of the majority of the venues I get to shoot at, but I love to frame drummers pretty close.
I also tend to take too many prism lenses and a speedlite if I’m feeling extra cheeky and want to drag the shutter or if the lighting guy needs a firmware update.
6. What software do you use to edit your photos?
Lightroom & Photoshop.
7. How would you describe your editing style?
I think it constantly changes. I’m still learning and experimenting. Currently, I really like muting my colors.
8. What photographers do you draw inspiration from?
There are so many awesome photographers, especially in Melbourne. Andrew Baso at Electrum Photography, BM, Odin Imaging, Andy Brom, Crimson Dawn, Peter Coulson, Tony Roberts, to name a few. I’m constantly finding inspiration; love your photography too! ❤️
9. If you could shoot any band in the future, who would it be?
Would love to shoot Tool one day! That would be a dream. Oh and heilung would be pretty epic. 🤞
10. Concerts can get pretty rowdy, whats your best gig story?
I recently shot a show at a venue in Tokyo called Earthdom, and it was wild. The show started off with three musicians, and by the end of it, there were four vocalists, a lady dangling off the roof with a rope, an interpretive dancer, a saxophone player, multiple guitarists. It was absolute chaos and noise. It was very Japan..
11. Whats your favourite camera to use when you are not shooting gigs and why?
I am in deep, deep love with my Ricoh GR3x. It’s incredible. I love to dabble in a bit of street photography. It’s made for it—so discreet and compact but incredibly powerful. I think it’s a 40mm prime equivalent.
12. You recently went a trip to Japan where you did a heap of street photography and covered some local venues, what were the highlights?
Probably Earthdom for shows. That venue is nuts. I love Shinjuku, Tokyo; that place is insane at night, especially in the rain. Can’t wait to head back there for more adventures one day. Hanging to see photos from your trip over there too.
13. Other than photography you have a bunch of creative projects, tell us a little about it and what you have coming up?
I have a prog band called Transience that I sing for; we’ve been quietly chipping away at our sophomore album for quite a few years now. The instrumentation is pretty much done, and I recently started tracking vocals with Chris Lilac from Windwaker.
I also have a metal band called The Symbiosist, which we started in the early 2000s. We recently got the band together for a bit of fun; we have no solid plans, but I’m sure we will get around to writing some new material one day.
Additionally, I have my own tracks that I release as lordrobsatan every now and then. I’ll be releasing one called “History Repeating” on the 28th of June. It’s a bit of a metal banger.
Huge thanks to Rob for taking the time to chat with us, you can check out more of his work via the links below:
EVERYDAY METAL – SUPPORT LOCAL HEAVY METAL
