Mott – whose name is now synonymous with music photography – has had 30 years experience behind the lens, shooting bands live from the stage, the photo pit and later backstage in their quieter, more private moments.

‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Photography Is The New Trainspotting - A Selection From 30 Years Of Rock Photography By Tony Mott’ is a retrospective collection of Mott's work that was published in October last year.

An exhibition of the same name and featuring a number of those images is being toured across the country, and despite having a career that spans decades, the display is the first major exhibition of Mott’s photography.

When posed with the question of how he felt when he saw the final collection of his images, he maintains that he “always remembered his photos” – despite having taken more than 30,000 in his time.

“When I look at them in a collection and I have to date them, I think ‘bloody hell, where did the time go?’ It makes me feel proud, humble and happy.”
The exhibition is a selection of 60 photographs of artists captured by Mott including international superstars: Bob Dylan, Tina Turner, Elton John, Queen, Ozzy Osbourne, Bjork, Michael Jackson and local acts: Midnight Oil, Nick Cave, Powderfinger, Neil Finn and the late Michael Hutchence.

In his early life, Mott was a ‘train spotter’ – someone whose hobby was collecting sightings of trains, before moving into collecting images of music identities. Despite the highly-famed status of his subjects, essentially his photographs are portraits; albeit raw and unseated, non-posed ones.

So it comes as little surprise to learn that Mott was first introduced to photography through portraiture, although like many of us, it was when he was travelling that he first got the urge to pick up the camera and shoot for himself.

“I first fell in love with photography via an art student friend who did portraits in black and white,” Mott explains of his early exposure. “I loved ‘em, he taught me basic black and white developing and printing.

“…I was a French chef aboard a cruise ship and visited 40 countries in a short space of time and consequently wanted to capture the sights and people as I was travelling, so the camera was totally natural thing to pick up.

“Sometime after this I went to India and Nepal and that’s when I became obsessed with becoming a better photographer and slowly but surely, I combined my two loves – photography and music.”

It seems like for Mott, the music has become just as important as the images they are attached to, and it is difficult to look at a Mott photograph without hearing guitar strains or sweat-drenched drum beats in your head.

“Music is great for so many different reasons,” he muses. “It can be a haven for a broken heart, (it) can just be fun to dance to and (it) can socially make you become aware – as in political bands – but basically, it’s the soundtrack to your life.”

His first ‘paid’ photograph was used as a tour poster for The Divinyls by their tour manager Vince Lovegrove after he asked to see the photographs Mott had taken while he was following the band. “I was well chuffed! To top it off, he paid me $20 – my first foray into professional photography.”

Since giving him his start in a notoriously difficult world to break in to, the Australian band’s charismatic frontwoman (Christina Amphlett) remains a favourite of Mott’s.
“That is not an easy question, but basically when the photos are good, you love doing it,” Mott says of his favourite bands and musicians he has photographed. “Chrissy Amphlett, Tex Perkins, The Stones, PJ Harvey, Sarah McLachlan, Tim Rogers and Iggy (Pop) spring to mind this minute, next minute I could name a dozen others.”
The seemingly inauspicious start in his career makes true the old cliché of hard work and perseverance and his tips to the budding music photographer is equally straightforward.

“Find yourself a local band you think are great and take photos of them,” Mott offers, “and with a bit of luck you’ll grow as they do.”

‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Photography Is The New Trainspotting - A Selection From 30 Years Of Rock Photography By Tony Mott’ will continue to run at the Artisan Gallery in the Fortitude Valley until March 19.