Not all that long ago, Depth Magazine consisted of just myself and Rowan Donohue. With me in Melbourne and Rowan in Brisbane, it was tricky at times to coordinate photos in conjunction with a show review for a specific tour. Thing have been made much easier having Liam Davidson (aka Lord Media) join the Depth team; a stellar Melbourne photographer who shoots live gigs, music videos, and promotional photos for bands. We feel lucky to have Liam as part of the team!
Liam got into alternative music around the age of fourteen when his sister introduced him to Paramore‘s RIOT! and Panic! At The Disco‘s Pretty. Odd. albums. This easily sparked an interest and Liam started listening to ‘standard emo teen stuff’ such as All Time Low, Pierce The Veil, Sleeping With Sirens, and My Chemical Romance.
La Dispute was THE band for Liam though. He started listening to the Michigan based band in 2013 and considers them an ‘all time favourite’. It was also the first band Liam ever saw live, which allowed him to make connections with people who were into music and more than happy to lead him toward bands like Neck Deep, Real Friends, and State Champs.
Photography came before music for Liam though. He sought a hobby and for no particular reason, photography was it. He was inspired in particular by Adam Elmakias, who was the touring photographer for All Time Low, A Day To Remember, and many more. Seeing Adam’s stunning photos, the idea of pursuing music photography was born.
“When I first started I was pretty young, but I definitely thought I was a lot better than I actually was! The moment I realised that I actually wasn’t that good was when I started working on it, trying new things and bettering myself.” Liam enjoys the high that comes from shooting bands and how rewarding it feels “when it all works out”.
Though he’d ideally love to be a touring photographer full time (or other consistent photo work), Liam is also keen to get more into the video side of things; creating music videos especially. He put his talents behind Stuck Out‘s music video for “Stitch”, blending stage footage and candid video of the Melbourne band. Stuck Out are a very special band to Liam, with their launch for their You Won’t Come Home EP being one of the favourite gigs he’s ever been to. “They’re not necessarily my best photos but because I’ve been working with the band for ages, it was a very proud moment to see how many people love them.”
Other than local gigs, Liam loves shooting music festivals: “It’s just such a vibe and everyone’s having a good time, and the lighting is on point (most of the time). It makes it a really fun shoot, even if it’s not necessarily music I’d normally listen to.”
Since he began music photography, Liam feels like he’s learned more about the industry than the photography techniques themselves. In what he feels is an oversaturated industry of endless photographers and bands, Liam says to keep creating and make friends: “You can’t make it alone in this industry. You have to build relationships with people you like. The more connections you have, the more work you’ll get and the more you can do what you love. If that means starting off shooting for friends for free, go for it. You can’t expect people to pay you if you have no other clients. If there’s the option of shooting a gig for free or staying home and doing nothing; well I know what I’d choose.”
Having been involved with other publications before, Liam appreciates the small size of the Depth Mag team and the connection we have with each other. “I love Depth because it’s a super tight knit team. Having just the five of us means we can all communicate all the time about anything, so really we’re just a bunch of friends who also happen to contribute to Depth.”
“For me, Depth is all about building people up, without sugar coating it. It’s about seeing the positives in everything and giving bands and artists such as myself the encouragement to better themselves. It’s a positive creative outlet and a good way for anyone to get an immersive experience of every aspect of the Australian music scene.”
Follow Liam’s Instagram to keep up with what he’s creating: https://www.instagram.com/lordmedia/
I can add that Liam’s family is very proud of what he has done so far and what he’s trying to achieve. He’s following his dream and doing everything he can to make it reality, and building positive relationships along the way. We also love watching his photos get better and better.