But the 27-year-old fine art and music snapper, who grew up in Koolewong, says she’s most happy photographing musicians onstage.

“At one point early on in my career I was going from jobs in grungy clubs until the early hours of the morning, straight to photographing newborn babies at North Gosford Hospital. Now I shoot mainly gigs and also night photography, and I love the technical challenge of photographing in lowlight situations,” Ms Hopley said.

Ms Hopley, winner of last year’s Gosford Art Prize photography category is part of a group exhibition in Chippendale called The Accredited, an exhibition that brings together some of Sydney’s finest live events, music and performance photographers.

“Music has always been a big thing in my family and I love progressive rock and heavier stuff,” said Ms Hopley, who started photographing live gigs when she was 17.

“I love capturing the emotions that come through in music.”

She said one of her career highlights so far was getting feedback from Tex Perkins, who she photographed at The Gaelic Club in Sydney.

“A fan threw her boots on stage and Tex cut them up on stage and then duct taped them to his arms. Then he went crowd surfing. I got it all on camera and when Tex saw the pictures, he said to his own photographer, “Oh wow these are incredible’, (then holding the prints up to his photographer) he said, ‘How did she get these shots!’”

Ms Hopley, who is now based in Newtown, said the trick to getting great photos at a gig was being discreet.

“There are also the technical challenges of shooting in lowlight without a flash, but I also like to blend in and not be noticed so I can get more natural shots,” she said.

She is looking forward to Bob Dylan’s upcoming Australian tour in September. “I would love to photograph him at either the State Theatre or the Opera House – I’ve never photographed anyone there before.”
GERALDINE CARDOZO
CENTRAL COAST GOSFORD EXPRESS ADVOCATE
AUGUST 01, 2014