An introduction to Inside//Out and its four main contributors.
Introducing Kenzie Pigman
An interview by Ben Morgan
Kenzie, who r u and wat do u do? I am typing like this to be relaxing and non-chalant
Why hello there Ben. I am Kenzie. I work in sustainable business development and I also happen to side hustle as a film photographer. I got into film photography almost a year ago have since photographed heaps of artists around the welly music scene. You’ll mostly see me running around a gig with a big smile on my face and a camera in hand - big froth, always.
Camera in hand, smile on face, froth, large and constant.
What photo do you wish captured the look on your face as you took it and whats the story behind that shot? feed us a story
Goodness, I tend to get up to some shenanigans. These two at 121 stand out. This is what I like to call, “Beattie: The Intergalactic Doof Monster”. We made this shirt (by hand) at the arts and crafts tent, then ran straight to live stage for Mild Orange. Standing in front of me was this trippy as girl with a handmade, googily-eyed bucket hat and cat sign. What sites to see within a 15 minute timeframe. I don’t think my smile left my face for hours.
Beattie: The Intergalactic Doof Monster
Mild Orange at 121 Festival
As someone with a huge background in sustainability and the reduction on carbon emissions, are there any aspects of the creative scene you can apply your professional work or is it more an escape? damn he came with the heat on this one
This is a fun question and something I have thought a lot about. My work is quite technical, so doing creative things on the side is kind of like operating in parallel universe. I have spent countless Wednesday’s going straight from my office to taking photos at Eyegum - exhausting but simultaneously exactly what keeps me sane.
However, I would love to incorporate my professional work more into my creative work - like running sustainability for festivals (that I’m also taking photos for). That right there would be a dream.
Make a haiku about being a photographer! the ol’ five-seven-five coming in hot
Well this was a curveball I was not prepared for. Ok ok I’ll leave you with this - sorry in advance:
‘Let’s get on the move
and I will capture your groove
you know I approve.’
Keep up to date with Kenzie here
Cover photo taken by Catherine Stabb
Introducing Raphaella Holder-Monk
An interview by Kenzie Pigman
Raph hello! So tell me a bit about yourself. Who are you and what do you spend your time doing?
Hi Kenzie! Who am I? Big Q! I am a Welly local and a bit obsessed with capturing all the fun that goes on in this city. I have recently taken some time out to focus on pursuing a more creative career which has basically meant getting stuck into as many photography and videography projects as I can while living on a tight budget of rice and carrots… it’s been super rewarding!
You’ve dabbled in both local gig photography and music videos, would you consider yourself more of a videographer than photographer?
This is tricky, but videography. I think gig photography was definitely my gateway drug, but I have fallen more and more in love with videography as time goes on. Videography just gives me a bit more freedom to capture more of the good stuff. I also enjoy being a bit obsessive with the creative planning process of video projects.
Chinese New Year in Melbourne
What photo or project have you done in the past that you’re still frothing over now?
I think recently it would have to be capturing Los Telepaticos at Nestfest, they were an incredible group of dudes from Madrid and absolutely electric on stage. For me, this photo really gets how it feels both on stage and in the crowd, everything’s heightened and amplified.
Lucas from Los Telepáticos at Nestfest 2020
What is your dream project? Paint us a wee picture
What an enormous question! I could write an essay! But ultimately I think it would be to write/plan a film project of my own, something that requires everyone in the crew to go travelling around on location. I enjoy mixing genres, so maybe it would be a part-documentary, part-music video extravaganza. In my dreamy dreamworld I would do the project for an artist I admire like I don’t know – Grimes? Aurora? Stella Donnelly??
Keep up to date with Raph here
Cover photo taken by Ed Williamson
Introducing Denzel De Ruysscher
An interview by Raphaella Holder-Monk
Denzel! Give us a quick scoop on who you are and what you do?
Yooooo, as mentioned above my name is Denzel and I’m a freelance photographer who just loves to capture moments on film.
Was there one key moment/influence/epiphany which set you on the film photography track? Or did you just wake up one day with a film camera on hand?
Hmmmmm the start of it all was definitely when I had to do a film photography assignment on a Holga camera in my second year of Uni, but it wasn’t till a year later that I had enough of dealing with my crap Iphone 4 camera and thought why not cop a film camera on Trademe and have cool photos that way, so I copped a chino CE4 and a roll of film and the rest is history. But I’m a huge fan of all shit retro such as film, vinyl, 90’s shit, etc, so even if I wasn’t a huge 35mm fanatic I think I still would’ve copped a camera for the aesthetic hahaha just the same as I’m on the hunt for a super 8 camera at the moment, cause I’m just drawn to the crisp grainy footage.
What do you consider the crème da la crème of settings to shoot? Indoors/outdoors? Candid/planned?
Outdoors for sure, especially around that ‘Golden hour’ time in the arvo when the leaves turn from green to gold, shades and colours start to accentuate and there’s a beautiful pink/ orange hue in the sky, that’s prime time right there. As for portraits, Candid all the way, humans in their candid form is true beauty and capturing that on film is what it’s all about.
You’ve dived into zine writing before in your work on Sunday Picnic Club, what is one topic you’d love to cover and photograph in the future?
Everything to be honest, I’m not really confined to a single topic, like I would love to go on tour with a band and capture all their moments, would also love to be on the side of a fashion show and capture the models strutting down the catwalk and so many more topics, they are all goals/dreams to achieve so hopefully I can tick them off the list one day. Basically I just want to capture life on film.
Volume One of Denzel’s Zine ‘ Sunday Picnic Club’
Last of all, VB’s or DB’s?
Hahaha a few years ago I would’ve said VB in a heartbeat as it was all I drank on a night out, now I’ll still say VB (cause fuck DB) but after working in an Aussie craft brewery (shoutout Bodriggy) you learn to appreciate the flavours of craft beers and then coming back to NZ and all the fine craft beers that are available here I haven’t touched a VB in a while but still people who drink DB shouldn’t even be considered beer drinkers, it’s basically dirty river water.
‘You can find me at any gig with a beer in my hand, a smile on my face, at the front having a boogie with my trusty gig camera by my side’ Denzel 2020 Pic Vienna Cummins
Keep up to date with Denny here
Cover photo by Joe Wiicox
Introducing Ben Morgan
An interview by Denzel De Ruysscher
Hey Ben, to start the interview tell the peeps of the interweb who you are and what you do?
Yo whats up I’m Ben {obviously hahaha} all I do is if I see someone doing cool shit and think ‘why can’t I do the cool shit they do’ and then spend way too much time researching how other people do, said cool shit. For example, VMorg and all the miscellaneous shenanigans that’ve followed.
Knowing you since uni, I’ve seen the growth of VMorg first hand but how did it actually come about and how did it go from starting as a fashion brand to a platform for local gigs and music?
On any given weekend in 2016, somewhere between my third and eighteenth billy mav, I’d be doing iron-on prints that typically featured my best mate Melvin’s face, that sorta grew into a much bigger idea. We were kind of a Ruckus Life wannabe at first but then after throwing a gig for Kingsland a new froth was found!
Our first ever gig and everyone who came wearing VMorg merch, even Matt in his DIY tee. Pic James Griffin
It seems your love for the local music scene has grown as the years have progressed so where did that love start, what was the first local gig you went you that made you want to explore that scene?
My first gig was the Grambles tour Jan 17 (GROMz & Shamblés), Olly my flatmate knew one of the boys in Gromz and that was cool but it wasn’t the hook. The real froth came after our gig with SOG, EgoValve and Dogtown in May 2018. Joel from Eyegum helped out with sound and I learnt there’s a free gig and $5 beers each week... The rest is history…
Heavy Chest & Cloak Bay backstage of their San Fran show VMorg helped promote. Pic Kenzie Pigman
You’ve hosted a plethora of local music gigs (e.g VMorg music month) and I swear you’re at almost every local gig! So I’m about to put you on the spot, who’s your favourite New Zealand band at the moment and why? (no cop out answer pls)
Straight off the bat I’m copping out and breaking this down hahahaha
THE SHAMBLÉS ARE THE BEST NZ BAND OF ALL TIME. ~ hit the forehead chest left right r.i.p ~
Easily the best live performers right now are Same Name Confusion, hands down. The way those five move around a stage and engage with each other and the crowd, it’s unparalleled right now.
Last year my Spotify wrap up told me I’d listened to 3,609 minutes of Mako Road, fuck thats 60 hours non stop, two and a half days, Soaked Oats were my second most listened artist so I can only guess how many hours I’ve had them on repeat still dunno if I’d call either of them my favourite NZ band tho.
If I had to tho, fav band atm has to be Miss Cressida, they the homies and make the silky tunes <3
Keep up to date with Ben here
An introduction to Inside//Out and its four main contributors.
