You might recognize him as “the guy with a beard” you often see in festival pits around Australia (or even the world), and now Kane Hibberd (aka Kanye Lens) is releasing a book that captures his experiences photographing the Soundwave Festival since it went national in 2008. The book, Kanye Lens Vs Soundwave Volume 1 will be released in February so we had a chat to the man himself about the project…
We know first hand how difficult it is to design a book. Did you do it yourself or did you work with a team?
Oh yes, putting a book together was a way bigger project that I could have ever imagined. I did all the image retouching and preparation as well as the rough layout. I then handed all that over to my designer / production / legend who then put it into a printable file and dealt with the printing press in China. I also had Pat Fox design the cover and other illustrative elements of the book.
What was the hardest part about that process?
Choosing the images was hard and time consuming, but I think the hardest part was putting together a flow of images so that it tells some sort of story as a book. The book is based on a holistic view of the Soundwave experience so it’s not just about bands. There are fans, crew and plenty of atmospheric shots so that even if you have never been to a Soundwave, you will get a pretty good understanding of why we all love it after flicking through the book.
The easiest and/or most surprising?
Suprisingly the cover and title was the easiest part. The title I suppose is pretty self explanatory, but I kinda like it for that reason. Also the cover came together very easily as well, (Pat Fox, the guy who did it might say otherwise, ha). I thought the cover would be painful but Pat is great guy to work with so I suppose I shouldn’t be so surprised.
What process did you go through to decide what made the book and what didn’t?
As I mentioned before, the book is a based on a holistic view of Soundwave as an overall experience, it’s not about any one band. I chose images based on the strength of an image, not because band X was in it. 90% of bands who have played the festival are represented, mostly there are 1 or 2 images of each band. The bands who have played it multiple times get a little bit more page time such as Alexisonfire (and because I love that band) and AFI, as they were such a great band to shoot.
Do you have a favourite photo in the book?
There are a couple of favourite images, a photo of Davey Havok from 2010 in full flight and a photo of Matt from the Bronx laying on top of the crowd in his ’Centrefold’ position
Any particularly difficult decisions re: cutting photos – or maybe a photo you weren’t allowed to use, for instance?
Originally I had wanted the book to be around 350 pages and to get there I was pretty harsh in the culling process. I just had to make sure I wasn’t including images just because they were a favourite band of mine, I wanted the book to be visually exciting so that you weren’t just flicking through the book to see your favourite band. I also like big images so there are a lot of double page spreads and full single page images, but this blew out the page number to over 500 so in the end I had to compromise and reducing some images and make some montages to get everything into a final page count of 452.
Did you collaborate with Soundwave organisers at all on the book? What do they think about it?
The book is being published and funded independently by me, which is how I wanted to approach this project. I definitely approached Soundwave and got their blessing, they have been nothing but awesome. They helped me get in touch with artists and management and also have been spreading the word with all their Soundwave fans. Soundwave also contributed an introduction and final word.
What do you hope people take away from the book?
Memories! I really hope looking through the book that people can, not only appreciate the visual aesthetic I try to create with my work, but also invoke their own forgotten memories of past Soundwave’s. Read it with your Soundwave buddies!
Do you already have plans for more books in the future?
I have three further book ideas ready to shoot, I just need to see how this one goes before embarking on any further projects. I might be taking up a 2nd job soon if this doesn’t work out!
What advice do you give to new shooters at a festival like Soundwave?
Be courteous and respectful to people around you. That includes other photographers, security, bands, staff and fans. Don’t be intrusive. Sticking your camera up over your head onto stage is not only disrespectful to other photographers around you, it’s also disrespectful to the artists on stage. You’re there to do a job, be professional, friendly, take great photos and the industry will start to notice you.
Looking at Soundwave as a festival, what sticks out for you as your favourite memories of the event over the years?
In retrospect, 2008 was great as it was a smaller event, everyone was in uncharted waters and it was exciting to be a part of. It was also the first time I had seen The Starting Line and Mae, two of my favourite bands at the time. 2010 was also a great year, as the lineup was killer Faith No More, AFI, Paramore, A Day To Remember, Gallows, Jimmy Eat World and I seemed to nail heaps of great photos.
Who are you looking forward to shooting at Soundwave 2013?
I will definitely be trying to stalk Metallica backstage! Apart from that, I’m looking forward to Ghost, Bring Me The Horizon, Blink 182, Cypress Hill, Cancer Bats, The Sword, Danko Jones, Red Fang and Killswitch Engage
Any beard grooming tips?
Don’t shave and free your follicles!
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Pre orders available now from http://www.kanyelens.com/
