Bag Raid: Pat O'Hara

Welcome back to Bag Raid, our slightly intrusive series where we invite our camera-savvy friends and community members to spill the contents of their camera bags. This month, we take five with seasoned tour manager and photo pit fiend Pat O'Hara, pulling the zip on his well-travelled  Sidewalk Sling. 

Photos: Pat O'Hara

Armed with his two battle-worn Canon 5Ds, a Ricoh GR, a Fuji GS645, and a sixth sense, Pat O'Hara captures the spirit of live Australian music. From the trenches of Skegss, Speed, Sons of the East, and Slowly Slowly, Pat keeps the tour on track and the memories in focus. No stranger to unforgettably late nights and the equally dusty mornings that follow, good friend and crowd combatant Pat serves up stories (and photos) worth writing home about.

Bag Raid w/ Pat O'Hara

Fuji GS645S - My beast of a medium format camera. The fact that it shoots in portrait and is super compact makes it my travel companion. Usually, I just keep this around to shoot personal film shots on whilst being on the road.

Ricoh GR II - I needed a smaller digital camera I could take with me literally everywhere. This thing is perfect, and its flash means I can fire it off in any environment.

120 Film Rolls - I keep one or two rolls in here just as a backup.

Tour Pass - I always keep my tour pass with me, but I hate having it out when I'm not at a show – so at the airport or the shops in between shows, I'll stick it in the back pocket of the bag so it's never far from me.

AirPods - These constantly travel with me so I can listen to my music or podcasts whenever I need to, which is almost constantly.

Car Keys - Whatever rental car keys I've had to pick up that day will live in here, usually attached to the aforementioned tour pass.

Sharpie - Someone around me always needs a Sharpie, so I always have one or two in my bag, as a good tour manager should.

Card Reader - Because this bag is always on me, I always throw my card reader in there in case I need to import show pics in transit.





Yo, Pat! Please give us a little spiel on who you are for those reading.

Yoooo! I'm Pat O'Hara, a music photographer and tour manager from Sydney.

Where are you based?

Based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, God's Country.

How did you get into photography?

Originally it was through surf photography. I was just obsessed with people putting themselves in the line of fire to get the shot. Then I saw Trent Mitchell's work, especially with Found Bodyboards, and realised it could be an artform.





What made you pick up a camera? What was your first camera?

Canon 60D with a kit 18–135mm lens and a 50mm. I remember being fresh outta high school and wanting to go to gigs in the city, and none of my mates were into the same music, so I'd end up messaging bands to trade some photos for a ticket to the show.

How long have you been shooting for?

I've been shooting music for about ten years or so.

Describe your photography process and style. Is there anything in particular you like to shoot?

My process/style is super fast and loose. I love shooting anything high energy – something extra rewarding about getting the shot in and amongst that pressure.





What is your go-to camera setup?

I've got two beat-up Canon 5D Mk3s that I pair with either a 16–35mm, 70–200mm or a 14mm fisheye that I'll use for a show. I have a little Ricoh GR II that I keep in my pocket for the BTS moments. My crown jewel is the Fuji GS645S that I keep in my sling bag for all my medium format shots. I rarely whip it out during a show, but I try to use it for all my personal shots in between shows and travelling while on the road.

You tour a lot and are constantly on the road. Do you have a favourite tour destination or venue to shoot? If so, what is it and why?

I just love touring through mainland Europe in a Nightliner bus. Nothing beats waking up in a different city every day and having 8–9 hours to explore, eat and shoot before we have to go and get set up for a show.

What’s in your Hung Supply camera bag?

This thing houses anything I need/want easy access to on tour. If I'm in airports, it will house my medium format camera, my Ricoh and anything else I don't want in my pockets. During a show, I use it for my video camera and a few lenses to have on me while I'm running around.





You shoot a lot of black and white. What’s your favourite film stock?

Kodak Tri-X 400 – the absolute GOAT.

What have you been pointing your lens at lately?

I'm in the midst of a tour with Skegss around Aus, so those lads have been taking up a lot of my photo storage lately. In between that, I'll just take quick photos of the mundane stuff I do while I'm at home, like going for swims or playing golf.

When in the pit (or side of stage), what do you look for in a frame?

Main thing I'm looking for is movement and energy – the body contorting in weird shapes or crazy fan reactions. I kind of go into a flow state when I'm shooting and switch my brain off, so whatever my gut decides to shoot when I'm in that space is what I'll end up with.





What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done to get the shot?

The usual dumb shit of jumping in a mosh pit and copping elbows to the head or going out in surf that I probably should not have – Mother Nature is a scary beast.

Favourite band, live gig or festival to shoot? Wildest band to shoot?

Any of the bands that take me on tour regularly have to be my favourite. It's literally a dream come true for me to document life on the road in a long-form capacity, so shoutout to Sons, DS, Slowly and Rions for allowing me to do that. Other than them, Speed at the Enmore last year was a special show, or shooting Fever 333 a few years ago was pretty wild.

Any crazy gig stories or moments during a set?

Hahaha yeah, I've seen a band walk on stage to start the set and a baggie falling from the singer’s pocket before the first song started. We had this legend of a kid dislocate their knee 45 seconds from the end of a set two months ago – I had to drive them to the hospital after the show. I'm sure there's heaps more but it all just seems to blend into the chaos.





If you could only shoot one camera for the rest of your life, what would it be?

5D Mk III, I think – those things are just indestructible beasts. Always reliable and somewhat cheap to replace when you drown one or get it roundhouse kicked.

Outside of photography, what else do you get up to?

A whole lot of nothing. Touring is so go go go that I just switch off when I'm home. A lot of beach swims, golf, video games, pub trivia dinners and trips up/down the coast with my girlfriend.

Tour plans for this year?

We've got the SONS World Tour coming up from August to October through Aus, Europe and America, so that's going to keep me busy for a good chunk of the year!