FL Shooting Star: StuartMillen

Mon 3rd Aug, 2009 in Features

For this edition of FL Shooting Stars, we’re turning the focus on Perth photographer Stuart Millen – previously stu907 and now eagle_eye. With a particular flair for capturing the heavier end of the live spectrum, Stuart has built up an enviable portfolio on FasterLouder and beyond. We threw the man a few questions about his craft.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
As a child, there was always a camera around my house. Oh no…now that’s just bringing back bad memories of forced family photos. I came from an arty family, but never really saw myself as artistic. Photography gave me a way of being artistic, without having to draw, paint or write. I love music and have been going to live gigs for nearly 20 years. As far as I’m concerned, nothing beats seeing a band live.

What drew you to the world of music photography?
For me, live concerts are such short moments in time. I thought if I could take a few photos during a gig, it would help keep the memory of that show alive for years to come.

I think my first live shoot was from the front row of RatCat, way back in 1991. I didn’t shoot much in those early days, but I do remember shooting The Sharp at my university’s tavern in 1993 (I think).

The first live music I ever shot properly was actually with a video camera. One of my favourite bands, Perth’s Cinema Prague, were leaving town to tour the world, so I decided to grab a video camera and film as many of their final shows as I could. I had great hopes of editing the footage into some sort of mashed up, all-in-one live concert video. I never got around to it. It wasn’t for perhaps another 10 years that I started taking concert photos on a regular basis.

My first ever shoot with a digital camera was Nine Inch Nails at Brixton Academy in London, July 2005. It was my first night in Europe after flying in from Perth and it also happened to be the first time I’d ever used the duty free camera. I spent most of the night trying to work out how to use the damn thing, rather than enjoying the show! By the time I made it to the south of France to see Rammstein two weeks later, I’d figured the camera out. From then on, that little digital camera went to every show I did.

What is the best gig you’ve shot?
This is easy. The best gig I’ve shot would be, without any doubt, Soundwave, Sydney 2009. I’m a big Nine Inch Nails fan and when it was announced they were headlining the show, I decided to fly from Perth to Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide to see a bunch of their shows. With good timing and more than a little luck, I managed to get a media pass to the Sydney Soundwave show, the first show of my trip.

It was a huge day – as any festival photographer knows – with tons of bands to shoot, a crazy crowd and a really tight deadline (I got one hour sleep that night). But being one of only four photographers out of about 30 on the day to be granted media access to Nine Inch Nails simply made my day. The rest of the bands on the lineup were a dream to shoot too. Metal/punk/hardcore bands have so much power and passion. All up, I did seven shows and four flights in 11 days. I sure did need a day off work to recover once it was all over! The funniest moment of my trip was on the flight home from Adelaide to Perth, sitting next to Darrin Pfeiffer, Goldfinger’s drummer, showing him my photos of a kid eating a Twinky out of his arse.

What is the worst gig you’ve shot?
I think the worst gig I have ever shot was the Dandy Warhols. It’s quite simple really…I arrived 30 minutes after the band started! Obviously, I missed the first three songs, and therefore, my photo opportunity.

Other dishonourable mentions go to Carcass and the Birthday Massacre, both of whom had virtually no lights for most of their shows, making photography nearly impossible.

Tip for aspiring photographers?
Learn your camera. You can’t take good photos if you don’t know the best way to use your camera. And take heaps of photos. Somewhere in amongst hundreds of shots you’re bound to find those small nuggets of gold.

YOU CAN CHECK OUT A GALLERY OF STUART’S FAVOURITE SHOTS HERE.