At the beginning of 2009 I started sorting and scanning my photographs of some of the Auckland gigs, the music scene, venues, and inner city locales that I took between the years 1981 and 1992.
I first picked up a camera to catch the best of the "post-punk" acts when they played in Auckland. Starting with The Clash in early 1982, shows by The Fall, New Order, The Birthday Party, and many others followed. I also became immersed in local music, focusing on the acts associated with the Flying Nun label.
I was fortunate to have some outlets for my photographs, contributing first to RipItUp, and then to the Campus Radio BFM magazine Book Of BiFiM and finally to the early issues of Stamp.
In March 2009 I began posting photographs onto my blog, Point That Thing. I chose the name as it seemed photographically apt, and was also a respectful nod to The Clean and their psychedelic guitar epic 'Point That Thing Somewhere Else'.
I was confident the photographs would soon find an audience. The mystique of figures such as Joe Strummer, Mark E. Smith, John Cale,and Rowland S. Howard had continued to grow since the 80s. I also knew my photographs of The Clean, Snapper, Bird Nest Roys, Straitjacket Fits, Fetus Productions, and other local cult heroes would be well received.
Over the next 12 months, as I happily dropped these photographs into my blog and watched as word of them spread onto social media, music blogs, forums and fan sites, it became apparent that I would soon run out of the early images. I decided to get out there again to shoot photographs of the newer bands that I enjoy now, as well as some of the older hands who were continuing to perform.
I took the same approach I have always tried to use — available light, fast glass, 1600 ISO film or higher, shoot from the audience, try to be unobtrusive, and photograph the band only when I love their music.
Below is a selection of 15 shots of some of my favourite New Zealand bands and musicians, taken during the years 2010 to 2014.
Jonathan Ganley, February 2014
Chris Knox and Rackets during the video shoot for 'Gagarin', Auckland Film Studios, Henderson, March 9, 2013
Peter Gutteridge of Snapper, at the Kings Arms, Auckland, 17 February 2013
Matt Hyde of Beastwars at Real Groovy Records, Queen St, Auckland on Record Store Day, April 20, 2013
Phil Buscke of The Datsuns at Nixon Park, Kingsland, Auckland, February 27, 2010
Surf City at the Kings Arms, Auckland, December 14, 2013
David Kilgour of The Clean, the Kings Arms, March 6, 2011
Delaney Davidson at the Lucha Lounge, Auckland, July 7, 2011
Andrew Wilson of Die! Die! Die!, at bFM Summer Series, Albert Park, March 13, 2011
Emily Littler of Street Chant, at the Kings Arms, Auckland, February 17, 2013
Maurice Beckett of Jakob at the Kings Arms, April 3, 2010
Jed Town of Fetus Productions, at the Kings Arms, November 25, 2011
John Halvorsen of Bailterspace at the Kings Arms, February 5, 2013
Ladi-6 at Nixon Park, Kingsland, Auckland, February 18, 2012
Ruban Nielson of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, at Laneway Festival, Auckland, January 27, 2014
Shayne Carter at Laneway Festival, Auckland, January 30, 2012