Bonegilla Migrant Experience: Guided Tour

In the darkness the photographers enter the pit in front of the stage carefully avoiding cables and speakers to obtain their desired vantage point. Anticipation and excitement fill the air. The silence is broken by the sound of soft footsteps arising from the darkened stage. Suddenly there is an explosion of light, colour and sound as the performance begins. The photographers and their cameras click into action.

Three Songs No Flash is the rule by which photographers must abide. All are ushered from the pit at the conclusion of the third song.

Images on display were captured at Bluesfest, a Rock and Blues Music Festival held every Easter in Byron Bay, NSW, in the years between 2015 and 2023. They provide a close up perspective of the artists not available to most of the audience and capture the colour, energy and emotion of the performance. Musical instruments are also highlighted in the images. The guitar played by Santana is custom made and gold plated. The images preserve moments in time.

Ian Farey is a surgeon and music photographer who lives in Sydney and studied photography at The Australian Centre for Photography in Paddington under the guidance of Marco Bok. A passion for Rock and Blues Music concerts developed during his teenage years and persists to this day. He commenced photographing concerts in small venues where unaccredited photography was permitted. Photos displayed in his office were discovered by Sam Benjamin, CEO of The Brag Media, publishers of Rolling Stone and Tone Deaf magazines in Australia.

Sam admired the photos and inspired Ian to continue concert photography by obtaining media accreditation for him to various concerts and festivals. Ian has photographed festivals including Bluesfest, The Sydney Folk Festival, The Mundi Mundi Bash and concerts in the Domain and small venues.