INTERVIEW: ON THE ROAD WITH BROCK BENTLEY

Not only is Brock one of the nicest and most humble guys you'll ever come across in the industry, but he's also made quite a name for himself over the last few years. Working with acts such as Tigerlily, Will Sparks, Tyron Hapi... to now travelling full-time all over the world with Timmy Trumpet.

How did you start out as a photographer/videographer?

You know I had a Sony cam corder when I was younger, maybe 11. I used all my birthday money to buy this thing that recorded on tape.

I made a lot of home movies.

I lost touch with this throughout my teenage years, but the passion rekindled when I finished school and had to find other ways to fill my time. I was always a videographer, but naturally I adapted to photography as well.

How did you end up in the clubbing scene working with acts like Tyron Hapi/Will Sparks/Timmy Trumpet?

You know I still pinch myself a little bit, my job is so unique and amazing.

I’m not religious but I believe in something, and I think a combination of hard work and some luck of being in the right place at the right time helped me be here.

One of my biggest pushers is a friend of mine, Jae. It was complete coincidence that I met him, but hard work was the reason I was shooting at the club where we met. He put me on tour with Ty (Tyron Hapi), he believed in what I could achieve and has supported me ever since.

I think the other factor that has helped me succeed is that I always treated things like a business, I always stayed professional. I think sometimes people can get caught up in the scene and it becomes too much of a party for them. I have seen some really talented people miss opportunities because of this and it sucks.

What is your FAVOURITE photo you've taken/why?

This is a tough question. I love shooting music, it’s one of my biggest passions.

But I have these portraits that I’m very proud of, and I think maybe it’s because I really enjoy people who have character and I admire the things they represent.

If I picked a photo from music, I have one of Tim, I think it’s special to me because of the moment. At the time it was the biggest show I had ever shot, Tim got on stage infront of 30,000 people at this incredible venue and waved the German flag. I was in awe of what I was seeing.

What has been the most epic/defining moment for you so far?

I would have to say very recently. The TT Team and I just finished up a crazy weekend. We hit 3 countries and 3 shows in 24 hours. But i’ll never forget as we landed in Austria for the final show surrounded by mountains with 30 minutes to get from the airport to stage. We arrived on stage with 1 minute to spare and sat ready to deliver to 30,000 people in the middle of an Austrian forest and mountain range. It was the most adrenalin filled moment of my life and that feeling is truly what I love about this job.

What's the worst thing that has happened to you on the road (i.e a camera getting stolen/falling off the stage)

I’m actually an incredibly cautious person, I think maybe that comes from my mum. I also have an incredibly bad memory, I lost my wallet 6 times last year, so naturally I now prepare for everything to wrong.

But to pick a moment, it was definitely about 12 months ago when I had a toddler spill orange juice all over my laptop on the plane.

I no longer use my laptop when flying, unless I have a window position with an empty seat next to me.