Exhibition: I Was There

An encore eight years in the making, Jack Moran’s latest solo exhibition, I Was There, is an all-angles archive of live music culture. Set to draw a crowd of its own, this daring punters’ perspective hits on all frequencies. Tune in.

Photos: Jack Moran / IG: @jackmoran_76.

Knowing arguably too well how to throw a party, Jack Moran of DEBASER events turns the spotlight on himself—showcasing nearly a decade of negatives turned prints. Best described as a muso's bingo card, Jack's photographs will have you shouting, "I was there!" We caught up with Jack long before the beers hit the ice—shame on that front—to discuss the inspirations and expectations behind a kick-ass show. 

This exclusive preview contains clutch photography from I Was There, exhibiting this Friday, March 28th, at Studio 551, King St, Newtown, NSW. Scroll on, otherwise—see you there.





Jack, great to catch you. Where are you currently based?

Thanks for having me! I'm pretty lucky to call Sydney home—I'm based in the Inner West. There's no shortage of things to photograph in our area.

How did you get hooked on photography?

The Museum of Contemporary Art used to run these youth art events on Thursday nights called GENEXT. I happened to bring a camera to one of them, made some images, and have somehow ended up making it a job.

You shoot a tonne of analogue. What’s the appeal? How hands-on is your developing and printing process?

In my first few years of shooting, I didn’t touch digital. I wanted to be fluent in where photography had been before exploring its contemporary home. Developing and printing give a great understanding of light and how to shape it—when exposure and tone are baked in, you learn quickly what to do and what not to do.

I still carry a film camera daily, but it’s overshadowed in use by my mirrorless camera. Naturally, film looks great, but sculpting a digital photograph is a real challenge—one I get a kick out of.





What was the inspiration behind this solo exhibition?

I Was There is really a shout from the punter. As photographers, we are so privileged to be able to capture people's experiences. This exhibition shares those moments, and also a few behind-the-scenes that I’m lucky enough to share with artists.

Sydney is a melting pot right now—there’s work being made in all creative disciplines that is going to see the world. I want people to see how I’m seeing it.

I Was There illustrates 8 years of photography, tell us how your practice has evolved over this time.

I used to shoot everything; now I photograph with a bit more intention. A shift to a commercially viable practice has been the biggest change. I’m always asking myself: how can I evolve?

Between my friend Oscar Byrne and myself, DEBASER puts on 40 gigs a year. Promoting and documenting these grassroots shows has been incredibly important for practice development. When you’re working towards building a narrative or a book about a time and place, you’re forced to make decisions about how you want these stories to be portrayed. It’s also the perfect place to experiment with cameras, lenses, and grades.





How did DEBASER come about? What's your involvement?

DEBASER is the brainchild of my friend Oscar Byrne. We met at university and started putting on gigs in the post-COVID world of Sydney. It’s grown a bit since then, and we put on gigs basically every week now. I handle the ‘content’ side of DEBASER, promoting the gigs and documenting them. We put out a publication at the end of every year, which functions as a bit of a time capsule for how we see the city’s music space. It’s also damn fun to send something to print.

What’s the recipe for a perfect gig? Genre, Artist(s), Location etc?

When friends are playing and it’s not in a licensed venue, we’ve run some great gigs in our share house. I think they go down in my books as perfect gigs. It’s hard to turn off the photographic mind. When I feel connected to the experience and space, I have a better time because the moment doesn’t slip away as quickly.





What’s your favourite vantage point when shooting a live gig?

What venue are we in? Can I use flash? Who’s doing the lights? Do I have an AAA pass?

If these boxes are all ticked, I’m a sucker for popping out from behind a drum kit for a second and snapping that energy leeching from the band to the crowd.

Is there a certain energy or moment you're trying to capture at a live gig? What do you look for when shooting a band and the crowd?

I try to treat shooting a gig like surfing. Don’t just paddle out and get caught in a rip; sit tight for the first song and see how the crowd is reacting. Can you anticipate a moment? Anticipating how a band might react to a crowd puts you in the position for a good photograph.

Having long-standing relationships with bands is also incredibly important. I started working with The Lazy Eyes in 2017. Knowing their set, their dynamic, and how they interpret space is crucial for anticipating the moments that cut through.





I see some portraiture in your portfolio, are musicians equally comfortable on stage and on set? What’s it like directing talent?

Most of these people I’ve known for a number of years, so we feel comfortable around each other. If I’m doing a portrait sitting with someone I don’t know, I try to get a coffee and chat for 30 minutes before jumping in. I don’t direct too much; I like to ask, ‘How do you see yourself in this space?’ and use that as a jumping point.

Having a clear treatment or mood board is crucial; otherwise, you’re relying on the sitter’s memory bank of images. Lines can get crossed if you have different ideas. I spend 2-3 days a week working as a photographer’s assistant. That has helped me understand different ways of working with talent and a couple of cheat codes to get emotion out of them.





What’s your go-to camera equipment?

Oh jeez, where do we start? I love my set of Nikon primes: I’ve got a 24mm, 28mm, 50mm, and a 105mm. I use them on my Canon R6ii daily. With everything moving to motion, it’s nice to have a few lenses with an easy focus throw. I love the 50mm 1.8; I’ve used it so much it takes a pinky to adjust sharpness. I could shoot Ilford HP5 on my Nikon F90x with those lenses till the day I die.

I’ve been pouring most of my energy lately into my studio equipment—things that don’t go out of fashion, like rags, negs, and scrims. Little things that can transform a space. I try to keep everything so it fits in the back of my car. It helps when you need to keep things portable.

Would you rather go on tour to shoot a single band over a month-long period, or cover an entire line-up of artists at a two-day music festival?

Single band for sure, unless the lineup was interstellar. I like projects that have a factor of time. My friend Sarah J Pilbeam went on tour with Sunfruits for two months last year. Those trips beg to be put into photo books, which, for me, is a noble goal.





When it comes to music photography, what are your sources of inspiration? Any favourite photographers or photo books?

Jamie Wdziekonski has an incredible eye and work ethic. My friends and I drove this beat-up Subaru through the night from Sydney to Melbourne for the launch of his book For the Record. That’s a pretty special book for contemporary Australian music photography. John Witzig and Carol Jerrems' archives also float through my mind regularly.

I think it’s important to look at photography for inspiration, but also at art and design. Form and figure never go out of style. Tom Adler is a brilliant art director based out of Santa Barbara; his book An Uncommon Archive has made me think a lot about pairing and how images can sit outside of a photographer's archive.





What can the punters expect to take away from I Was There?

All images are editioned; they are printed and framed to an archival standard. I think sometimes we forget that things can live offline as well as online. Hopefully, people take away the idea that their personal archive is important, so go out and print that and put it on a wall! They can also take away a print if they’ve got the cash.

I Was There opens on Friday, March 28th 6pm, at Studio 551, King St, Newtown, NSW.





Check out Jack on instagram, HERE.