Mark Seymour – Photo shoot with another music legend

Mark Seymour has written some of the most recognisable songs in Australian music. Throw Your Arms Around Me, Holy Grail and host of others from his time as frontman with Hunters and Collectors as well as his new solo work.

I recently had the chance to catch up with Mark to do a photo shoot. It’s funny the cycles life works in….I remember being at Selina’s at The Coogee Bay Hotel as a 16 year old watching him belt out the tunes and over the past 15 years I have got to know him a bit better. I think this is about the 10th time I have photographed him.

It is often quite hard to photograph the same person on a number of different occasions as it is hard to get something new…but that is the challenege of being a photographer, I certainly feel I got something new in these two images.

If you havent already heard Hunters and Collectors are reforming for a very special one off gig at the V8 supercars in Sydney in December.

If you want to see what Mark has been up to you can visit his website at www.markseymour.com.au

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Nathan photographs another legend….

I created this portrait of Shane Howard in 2011 and it is part of a larger project I am currently working on.

For my entire career I have been interested in creating portraits of famous people….and I have always been drawn to musicians…I love music and I love seeing musicians perform live.

Recently I had the oppurtunity to photograph Shane Howard.

He is a legendary Australian singer and songwriter best known for the massive hits he had with his band “Goanna” including “Solid Rock” probably the first song that dealt with Aboriginal land rights issues to go mainstream in thic country.

As a photographer it is great to see your photographs out in the world being used…rather than as articfacts framed, archivally stored and locked away like my images that are owned by The National Library, The National Portrait Gallery and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City ( in fact most musuems only ever have less than 10% of their collection on display at any one time).

Shane is a great guy very appraochable and friendly and he is also a great performer…..

Shane Howard Tour poster photography by Nathan David Kelly

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Jimmy Barnes Portrait Shoot

One of the things that differentiates me as a photographer is my wide scope of skill and experience within the field and this is something my clients often comment on when booking me to photograph their wedding.

I am not simply a wedding photographer but someone who has worked with some of the most famous people on the planet often under immense pressure and short time frames to get ” That Shot”.

It is this experience that gives me the neccesary skills to ensure I can create the most beautiful and unique images of your wedding day under virtually any circumstances.

With the release of  legendary Australian singer Jimmy Barnes’ new album in 2010 and the complete overhaul of his website I had the oppurtunity to photograph the “working class man”.

Young photographers and students often ask me how I arrange such shoots or why is it that I am approached and the simplest answer is realtionships, along with the clients knowledge the job will be completed to an exceptionally high standard.

I first photographed Jimmy Barnes in Sydney for Mushroom Records in 1995, this was at an album launch at the legendary Marble Bar located in The Sydney Hilton.

Jimmy Barnes live @ The Marble Bar 1995

This is a long time ago and have photographed and interviewed him on numerous occasions since.

Sometimes what a client wants and what the photographer wants can be a little different, when photographing celebrities and other prominent individuals I like to shoot to the brief I am given but I also like to get that one iconic image of the person for my own archive. This is that image.

The image that Jimmy and his wife Jane especially liked was a rare one of him really smiling, when this pic was taken there were people shouting from a balcony above at the hotel…. Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy even I was laughing.

When you go and visit Jimmy’s website (http://www.jimmybarnes.com/) it is this smiling portrait of Jimmy that asks you to sign up to his newsletter.

The only regret that I have from this shoot is that just after I had taken down all the lights and backdrop one of Australia’s greatest guitarists who I have always wanted to photograph Charlie Owen walked in the room, I could have kicked myself.

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