From The Pit is a curated exhibition of New Zealand music photography, featuring images of New Zealand musicians captured by some of the best music photographers in the country. The exhibition is on display from 02 May onwards during NZ Music Month at Flying Out and available now at the Q Theatre in Auckland.
Reuben Raj (Radio 13 / SomeBizarreMonkey) and Dave Simpson (Getty Images / UnderTheRadar) got together in mid-2018 with a mission to promote music photography in New Zealand. With support from Independent Music New Zealand and the New Zealand Music Commission, a print exhibition called From The Pit curated by both Dave and Reuben was launched at the 2019 Taite Music Awards on 16 April.
Dozens of photographers end up ‘in the pit’ at music venues up and down the country each week, capturing images of New Zealand's vibrant music scene. It's a difficult and unpredictable environment to work in, but these photographers work tirelessly to capture the magic they see before them.
Part artists, part historians, but all music fans, they strive to take the perfect photo, which reflects how it felt to be at the concert and communicates the excitement of a live music event.
The full print exhibition features the work of the following photographers and runs throughout NZ Music Month (May 2019) at the Flying Out record store on Pitt Street in Auckland. Many of the images are available for purchase.
Adam Binns
Bevan Triebels
Chontalle Musson
Chris Morgan
Connor Crawford
Dave Simpson
Gerry le Roux
Ginny C
Ivan Karczewski
Maisy Riera
Mark Derricutt
Matt Henry Mendonca
Ngamihi Pawa
Nikita Weir
Rachel Webb
Reuben Raj
Shelley Te Haara
Stella Gardiner
Steve Bone
Trevor Villers
A selection of prints in A1 size can also be seen on the Red Wall of Q Theatre in Auckland. An extended ‘remix’ of the exhibition is also available in audio-visual form at FromThePit.co.nz. Like and follow From The Pit NZ on Facebook for updates and behind-the-scenes photos and videos.
Bio
Dave Simpson
Dave Simpson is a live event and people photographer who strives to capture amazing photos of people doing their thing whether on stage or off. He is a regular contributor to Getty Images and UnderTheRadar.co.nz. His editorial images have appeared in newspapers and magazines around the world including The New York Times, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Pitchfork, NME and have been used by brands including Prada and Carlsberg. Dave teaches street photography and is an Associate of the Photographic Society of New Zealand.
Reuben Raj
Reuben Raj, or sometimes known by his moniker SomeBizarreMonkey, is a film and digital photographer. He constantly aims to capture moments of time on camera and his obsession with photography has allowed him to deliver assignments around the world including Russia, China, Singapore and most recently, the Middle East. His experience includes fashion, press and movie stills but music photography is where he started as a teenager and remains his most loved genre. Reuben is the founder of NZ music media site, Radio 13 and a lover of vinyl records.