Riv on the Record – Lucinda Goodwin (music photographer)

THIS week I had the great pleasure of being joined by award-winning local photographer Lucinda Goodwin. Spin it!

Every photographer remembers the first gig that made them fall in love with the pit. Can you take us back to that night? Who was on stage, and what was the first “perfect” shot you remember taking?

Falls Festival was my introduction to music photographers, I was however, only a punter at the 2010 Lorne offering, but at the time you were able to bring in a DSLR.

I photographed from the barrier and decided in that moment that’s what I wanted to do. Two years later I shot my first Falls Festival.

 

You’ve become a staple of the Geelong and Melbourne music scenes. How did growing up in this region influence your aesthetic and the way you approach your subjects?

I have always had a love for my local scene and community. I think what we have in terms of music talent in the region is like no other, and alot of my peers are very envious of the fact that the Geelong music industry is very much a big family reunion when you get to a show. I can be having coffee and go to dinner with some of these artists locally, running into them on Little Malop St, but on the weekends document their shows. You just don’t have the same connections in larger cities like Melbourne.

How do you prepare for the unpredictability of a live show, especially with high-energy acts that don’t stay in one spot?

I often will watch live sets online from the artist to get a feel for the show if I haven’t seen them before. But alot of what I do is reading people’s body language in the moment, so sometimes in the pit I will watch for a minute or two to see the patterns of movement to get a feel for how things might unfold. Some of the larger shows are a bit choreographed so it’s easier to predict, but some of the smaller local shows anything could happen!

 

We live in an era where everyone has a high-powered camera in their pocket. What do you think a professional music photographer brings to the table that a smartphone simply can’t replicate?

Smartphones are getting to insane levels of quality these days, but I think the difference between a punter with an iphone and a music photographer is the intention and creativity.

Now more than ever artists align their music with visual brand and they hire creatives to align those things, smartphones have their place, but nothing beats that shot of a crowd of people with the artist on stage.

Tell us about having your own exhibition. What was that experience like?

Having exhibitions is something I try to do every few years. In a world of digital consumption, it’s nice to see work in a tangible form and off of hard drives as photographs where intended.

I also love the curation process and finding new and innovative ways to present work that isn’t just framed works.

My most recent show in Ballarat was in a record store and all the work was printed and sleeved like vinyl covers and displayed with the records for sale.

 

If you could go back in time and be the official photographer for any iconic tour in history, which one would you choose and why?

I think a festival like Woodstock would be so incredibly interesting to document, or the likes of Big Day Out a bit closer to home, I was too young to go to BDO but have heard so many stories of how those festivals where!

What’s good about where we live?

Geelong and the Surf Coast truely is so special, I live 15 minutes to a world-renowned beach and 15 minutes from the arts precinct where i work and create, Not many people can say that!

RAPID RIV:

I’m coming over for dinner, what are you cooking? Probably gnocchi, pasta is my weakness – but good luck finding a night I’m eating at home and not at a show!

Favourite movie? I honestly don’t watch that many!

Pump-up song on the way to work? It’s ever-changing, but normally an artist I am working with or have worked with recently. Currently it’s Scarlet – Do Better.

Favourite gig you’ve done? Ed Sheeran at AAMI was pretty incredible.

One piece of advice for an up and coming photographer? Start small and local, build relationships with artists on the ground level.