You might have seen these images pop up over the past year and a half or so. Sometime in the second half of 2020 James Robb and Ronald Davey contacted me about a photo shoot for their musical project 3rd_Vernac.
It’s a little difficult to recall 2 years later, but I think we sat down on the curb of a parking lot with some coffees one morning to discuss the project and a way forward for the images. How we got to them carrying an old electric organ into a field and setting it alight I am uncertain, but that is what we ended up doing one afternoon in August 2020.
In this short video below you can see my lighting setup. I was up on a ladder for at least half of the shoot.
Obviously there is a bit of risk involved in lighting something on fire, but we felt it was safe enough to do so, as the area had been burnt recently for the seasonal fires to promote new growth. Just for safety we had some water at hand to help if needed.
To say the heat from the fire was hot is an understatement. I have no idea how firefighters - even with their gear - do it. It’s intense and a little frightening. I love projects like these where there is a little danger and excitement involved :)
I am also really grateful that James and Ronald approached me to photograph this. I’ve been working with musicians in some capacity for as long as I’ve been making photos and I love that I am still doing so all these years later.
The final three images out of the series might be my favourite. They feel - to me - like a deep breath, a stillness after utter chaos and confusion.
There is this quiet to them that feels really beautiful you know? That feeling you have after a good cry where the tension has drained from you and you feel lighter. It’s a little difficult to articulate, but I hope you can see it in the imagery.
Thank you for reading.