Multi-talented Shelley Te Haara Talks Live Music Photography, PR, and Becoming an Independent Music Manager
We got to sit down with live music photographer Shelley Te Haara, who originates from the far north of Aotearoa in a small town called Ohaeawai.
Shooting photography for over 5 years, we got to hear the story of how this fine art student journeyed from being a music photographer to also becoming an independent music manager, doing PR and running their own online media platform, focused on shining a light on local artists here in Aotearoa.
‘’Working in the media, you sort of learn what everyone needs and how to run all of that sort of stuff.’’
Coming into 2020 Shelley was gaining more momentum, flying back and forth from New Zealand to Australia shooting shows, while also working a 9-5 job and shooting in the evenings after work. Shelley noticed that a lot of the time the blogs they were shooting for weren't really focusing on local artists and this realisation inspired them to create their own media platform called ‘Moments Passed’.
‘’I was always shooting local shows. I think the energy is different and I just love them. So I decided to start my own media site. Not too long after that, we went into lockdown. So that sort of helped in a way because I could just do online interviews. I love the idea that it's mainly a platform for upcoming musicians, and if they want to share something they can.’’
It takes a lot of initiative to start up a project or an idea and it sounds like Shelley’s drive and determination has played a huge role in getting them where they are now.
‘’Now I just shoot a lot of shows for myself, either just as me or for my media site that I run. Occasionally I am also I'm hired by artists to shoot their shows. As part of running ‘Moments Passed’, I also picked up on managing artists as well. That then took me into doing PR first for them, then other people.’’
Through our discussion with this ambitious photographer, we explored how being a professional photographer isn’t as easy as it looks. The trials and tribulations faced with being a woman within a male dominated industry and the love for live music and her mahi.
‘’So I started shooting just by buying tickets to shows, and I would just take my camera with me. A lot of the local venues are quite flexible with that sort of stuff, depending on who’s playing. Usually if it’s internationals, it can be a bit harder (But if you do this, hit up the artist if you can to check that it’s okay just as a way of being respectful). I just started taking my camera to shows and then I found out through a couple of other photographers that the best way to get into more shows is actually shooting for a publication. So people who are reviewing shows and stuff like that. First I shot shows for a publication called The Speakeasy, then I actually started shooting for muzic.net and they put me on to my first big international show and that was at Spark Arena. I think I’ve shot for almost every local music site now.’’
We asked Shelley what it was about shooting live music that really intrigued and inspired them.
‘’It's very much about energy. I just want to be able to capture that passion and energy from people. I feel like you can be in a room with a band that's clearly having a great time on stage, with fans who are excited, but also screaming their hearts out. I feel like in that time, it's almost like you don't care, who's wearing what, who's there, everyone is there for the same reason.’’
The push to become a photographer was through their own love of attending gigs and using a point and shoot camera to capture the moment. Her friends and family were consistently impressed with the photos Shelley was capturing and they encouraged her to buy a DSLR and to try live music photography as a profession.
‘‘I literally had to get into a mosh pit sometimes to try and get photos. So it was almost a combination of, can I get cool photos while also enjoying it and battling all these people at the same time. It just became more of an added rush to the gig. I almost feel like now I can't go to one without a camera. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. It just feels like it's just grown on me more and especially with learning about editing, it feels like you're always learning something so it just becomes more and more exciting to see where you can take your photos.”
Shelley has now shot countless local and international shows, including shooting abroad in America and Australia.
Reflecting on their journey, from being a gig fanatic to now being a live music photographer they mentioned about the times when people within the crowd would express their interest in wanting to be in their shoes.
‘’I used to camp out, I used to turn up to venues at like 5am in the morning to line up. So I always just love to engage with fans at the barrier. But they also think we're really cool, which is sort of so strange to me. There was a show recently where they were like, we'd love to be where you are, even though they were directly behind us. I was like, we're squashed (the photo pit was tiny) why would you want to be here? Then another person next to her was like, it must be so fun doing what you guys do. That I was just straight up and said yeah it is. But in saying that, we take the energy from what's around us. So if an artist isn’t having the best performance and the crowds clearly noticed it, you feel that. If it’s an exciting and hype show that everyone's excited for, you feel excited. If people were crying then you might cry. It's all about the energy and the vibes for me. And hopefully I can capture that in a photo.’’
Being a photographer comes with a lot of background admin that many people are not aware of. The job requires fast turnarounds, long days and full presence. It is a known fact that the media industry is competitive and is a largely male dominated industry. As a female photographer sharing her story, Shelley spoke into how this has affected her.
‘’I feel like people don't want to admit it, but it's definitely harder being a woman in the industry. I don’t think that’s weak or whiny to say. I feel like people don't take us seriously, and they assume you can’t do it as well. Like in regards to actually being the sound person or at a gig working for an artist, It's mainly just men’’
Shelley spoke into the questionable inclusivity that she has experienced recently in the media industry. ‘’When the ‘Me too’ movement was happening, it's almost like people jumped on it to try to be more inclusive. It was annoying, but at the same time it was like, thank you. But then you thought, are you just doing it to be tokenistic because of what's happening and everything? It's almost like when all this stuff sort of comes up they try to test the waters or they do it for a bit and then they stop. It feels like as a woman you have to do so much more work than the guys do.’’
She went on to explain, ‘’I feel like I could be at every show and still won’t get hired for anything. Which is actually another thing I've noticed recently pre and post Covid. People won't hire me to shoot this show, but they'll ask me for photos afterwards. So I go through two points in my head where it's like, are you asking me because you didn't actually hire anybody and have nothing? Or is it because the person you've hired clearly didn't do as good of a job as you thought, so now you want my photos? Which is nice to prove a point there, but also, you should just hire me. I think that’s another thing photographers have to get past, you get to a point where you stop giving away your photos for free. So now if that does happen, I charge most artists.’’
Speaking into the competitive space as well as the hardships faced with being a female in a male dominated industry, it just goes to Shelley’s hikoi hasn’t been as easy as it may appear when showing up as a photographer at a show.
‘’When I first started, it was interesting that media people were very much like we are a family, and I thought this is really cool. But then as I did it a bit more, I started realising no, this is competitive, reputational and about respect. In saying that, these days a few of us actually get along and are more chill about it I think.’’
With not only live music back but international shows returning, Shelley is excited to be shooting regularly again. We asked if there were any other projects she had coming up aside from shooting live music.
"It’s not public knowledge at the time I am talking to you, but I'm actually in the process of organising a book. Not necessarily on my photos but rather, it would be photos and a bit of info on the local Hip Hop scene. I want to create a book where, if you have come to New Zealand or you’re studying music at school, you can actually look up the history of the hip hop scene. Or at least get a snapshot of it then do your own further research. But I want to do more than one. I want to start with like the people who were doing it years ago, like the Deceptikonz and Home Brew and just throwback to all those sort of people. But then come into recent artists like Church & AP. So with the help of some artist, I am currently working on trying to get that going. I'm also trying to decide between a book or zine for some of my photos and I’m also looking into having an exhibition probably like next year.’’
You can find some of Shelley’s footage of rapper Diggy Dupé within the incredible recent RE:news documentary ‘Still here’.
‘’So I work pretty closely with Diggy when it comes to live shows. The live footage of him at gigs in that series, were mostly mine. So those gigs that I videoed, I wasn't hired by him. I'm just a big fan and I've just taken video and photos of him throughout the years. That’s how I got to know him and we developed a working relationship. He actually took me down to Clutch Play with him, which is some of the footage you see and I’ll be documenting his upcoming Panthers show for him which I am excited about. Sometimes as a photographer getting this content, it feels like you're working a lot for free. But it can pay off financially later, which can be really nice as well. I think artists need to think about that more, like content is so important. Don't look for it way later, when you're trying to make a documentary, get it all now.’’
You can find more of Shelley's work on their instagram @art.by.shelley or her website shelleytehaara.com or you can visit her media site momentspassed.com
“Once you go on to that Instagram account, I have all the other accounts that are my mahi, tagged in the bio. Because I do a lot with my PR and everything, so that's all separated as well.”
And on a final note Shelley has left an opportunity for up and coming artists to get into contact.
‘’If you're an upcoming musician, if you're a musician who's already out there, if you're a photographer, if you want to start writing for the media, particularly music media and reviewing shows, hit me up. Pretty much anyone who wants to get into the music media side of things or even in the music industry in general, I can help or direct you to someone who hopefully can. You can DM me as I'm very open to chatting with people and if it feels like it is going to be more of like a longer conversation that I don't want to lose in the DM’s, I'll move it to email. I'm very much accessible on all social media and I'm usually online a lot like 24/7. I’m a night owl, obviously”
