New photography acquisition for Pictures Collection.

Groom, Linda

This image is one of 22 digital photographs of music festivals and rock concerts purchased recently for the Library's Pictures Collection. The photographer, Martin Philbey, has been photographing in and around the music industry for over 15 years. He has shot events in Australia and overseas and has worked directly for some of the largest record companies in the industry. He has been a regular contributor to Rolling Stone magazine (amongst many others) for the past decade and continues to work now.

Martin offered a selection of images to the National Library of Australia after one of his portraits of iconic Australian singer and songwriter Paul Kelly was shortlisted in the National Photographic Portrait Prize. This necessitated a trip to Canberra and subsequent contact with the Library.

This image of the audience at the 2005 Pyramind Rock Festival documents various aspects of rock concerts, from the numbers of people attending, to the wrist bands that are part of crowd management at large events. It also captures, as few other images do, the sheer joy of the fans' experience.

Linda Groom

Curator of Pictures, Australian Collections and Reader Services