Normally he photographs rock and pop stars, but after seeing Real Estate Academy CEO Lee Woodward in action, Mr Mott saw he was as much a performer as his musically-minded subjects.
“He was quite animated. Anyone who does public speaking has that similarity between them,” Mr Mott explained. “When I saw what he does it’s a sort of a performance anyway,” he added, saying he used the same methods to shoot Mr Woodward at the REA event as he does to photograph rock stars. Trained as a French chef, but with a strong love of photography and music, Mr Mott saw he could combine these passions and embarked on a new career more than 30 years ago. “I happened upon Chrissy Amphlett and the Divinyls before they were a well-known band. I experimented a bit and just practiced the art of rock photography on Chrissy Amphlett. I took some awesome photos and one thing led to another. I call it a happy accident,” Mr Mott explained.
Since that “happy accident” he has become one of Australia’s best-known rock photographers, travelling the country – and the world – capturing international stars at live performances or for portrait studio shots. “With live, I’ve got the musician in their natural environment and I’m just trying to capture the mood and drama of their performance, but when I’m doing portraits they’re out of their natural environment and I’m just trying to make them feel more comfortable. The two roles are very different,” Mr Mott said, adding he often uses musical references, humour, alcohol - or a combination of all three - to put his subjects at ease. As in real estate, building rapport is an essential part of Mr Mott’s job, ensuring he’s always able to capture the performer – and the person beneath. “I always meet people before I photograph them; I don’t think it's a good idea to just turn up, because it can be intimidating sticking a lens in your general direction and if I’m a complete stranger, it’s slightly more intimidating.” When he took Lady Gaga’s photo they met the day before at her hotel so she felt comfortable in his presence, and he had a few days to get to know Olivia Newton John and build a connection before he needed to photograph her.
While photographing Lady Gaga and Olivia Newton John provides a contrast, sometimes his work is completely contradictory, but it always comes back to the performance. He was commissioned to photograph at Hillsong Church within days of working with Marilyn Manson. “The main singer said to me back stage, ‘I don't suppose you do this a lot,’ and I said, ‘I just shot Marilyn Manson two nights ago, but the reality is it’s the same thing’. Of course as a Christian she was quite shocked about that. There’s a performance there, and that’s how Marilyn Manson and a Christian preacher can be the same thing,” Mr Mott said. Like many business sectors, the music industry has changed dramatically over the past 20 years. Where music was once an integral part of growing up defining major events in people’s lives, its impact has been diluted by video games and the internet. Buying records was replaced by CDs, which has been replaced again by music downloads. The industry has become smaller in one way, but bigger in others. Two decades ago Sydney’s Hordern Pavillion was the place to see the hottest acts, but everything is on a bigger scale now with venues like the Entertainment Centre and outdoor options like Acer Arena. “From a performance point of view, the industry has changed radically. Venues have got bigger; you can’t just stand there with the mic and your guitar when there’s 10,000 people. Consequently the Pinks, Lady Gagas and Rhiannas of the world have lots of bells and whistles to distract and entertain you.”
The internet has also meant changes for the way Mr Mott operates. Once he would pitch his photos to 12 magazines and newspapers, but now there are only two music magazines left – Rolling Stone and Street Press. However, the internet has meant more online outlets to showcase his work. Digital cameras have revolutionised photography because they are easier to use, less susceptible to light and lessen the costs to the artist because there is no outlay for film and processing once you have the equipment. “The first time I shot a concert digitally I felt like I was cheating; it was too easy,” Mr Mott laughed. The down side of easier technology is that it makes photography more accessible and it has lost some of its artistic quality, for instance paparazzi shots. “Anyone with a long lens can get a photo; there’s not that much technique in it. The good news is your eye is still important, and the framing and understanding light,” Mr Mott said, adding black and white film was still better for capturing images than digital. With a career spanning the globe, including working in the UK, New York and Australia, Mr Mott considers himself very lucky to be able to make a living from what he loves. “If your passion is your job, I’d say you’re 99 per cent on the way to a good thing. I love my job – I’ll photograph Slipknot and Lucinda Williams in the same week, which is incomparable. I’m totally blessed and conscious that I am lucky to have the privilege of doing what I’m doing,” he said. And just to keep life interesting, Mr Mott has swapped jokes and drinks for rattles and raspberries after becoming dad to twins three months ago. Admitting he photographed his daughter Lucinda when she was four seconds old, he is happy to now be turning his lens to a new generation of performers.
For more information about Tony Mott and his work visit www.tonymott.com