Big names in music celebrated at Wendy McDougall exhibition
It’s only rock'n'roll but I like it puts some of the biggest names in music in the past 40 years in the frame for music photographer Wendy McDougall’s new exhibition.
Southern Courier
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It’s only rock'n'roll but I like it. This is not only to name of Wendy McDougall’s 40 years in the music industry photo retrospective but it also perfectly sums up the life and working career of this music photographer.
The exhibition title also pays homage to her favourite band, The Rolling Stones and a photo of frontman Mick Jagger takes pride of place among so many music industry luminaries including Cold Chisel, Divinyls, Richard Clapton, Noiseworks, Diesel, Jeff Duff, GANGgajang, Ross Wilson, Mental as Anything, Boom Crash Opera and Tom Jones.
Each photo tells a story, McDougall said.
“The Rolling Stones have always been my favourite band from a young age,” she said.
“I’ve seen them perform a couple of times but this shot was when Jagger was touring his own band in Sydney, 1988. In this one photo I feel happy that I have captured what I think he is all about, a great showman with those classic lips. But for me, it really is all about the music.”
The exhibition also includes an images of Jimmy Barnes taken his Sydney home in 1984,
Michael Hutchence rehearsing for INXS Elegantly Wasted tour in the ABC studios in 1996 and Paul Kelly in Melbourne in 1996.
“Paul saw the car on the street as we wandered about and asked the owner could we borrow it for a short while to take photos,” McDougall said. “Happily they said yes. This image is also on the cover of his re-released book How To Make Gravy.”
McDougall said she sold her first photo in 1979 to “one of the biggest band in the land”, The Angels. This was ground zero and kick-started her photographic career in the business of making music.
“I feel like I’ve had an angel watch over me throughout my life,” she said.
“I mean seriously, who starts their career selling their first photo to one of the biggest bands in the country? I still don’t quite know how that happened but I’m glad it did”.
McDougall said she always felt that the best way to live life was to do the things you liked and from an early age these things were music, rock'n'roll and art. Her idea of fun was combining these and she’s been following her heart ever since.
She is still taking photos of musicians to this day and now, 40 years after it all began, we get to see some of her award winning collection with her It’s only rock'n'roll but I like it exhibition.
McDougall received the inaugural AWMA (Australian Women in Music Awards) award last year for best photographer, and sponsorship from Canon Australia has allowed her to share her passion, with It’s only rock'n'roll but I like it being showing in Sydney, at SUNSTUDIOS in Alexandria from April 4, and Melbourne, at Sky Light Gallery from May 9.
NEED TO KNOW
It’s only rock'n'roll but I like it: The Music Photography of Wendy McDougall, April 4-19, SUNSTUDIOS Sydney, 42 Maddox St Alexandria
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