Celebrating five years of local music photography exhibition FromThePit, an exceptional collection of iconic contemporary live snaps was chosen to be on digital display across publicly accessible screens of Aotearoa in May 2023, including a placement in the Parliament visitor centre at the Beehive. This is Ōtautahi photographer Lucas Perelini, who submitted a photo of local artist and mentor to many, Sacha Vee.

What’s your name, where are you from and how did you get into photography?

I’m Lucas Perelini or LP, born and bred in Christchurch and I’ve been playing around with cameras for most of my life but got into photographing gigs towards the end of high school and in my first years at uni.

What’s your philosophy around taking photos?

To capture cool moments as well as the vibe of the event and the energy of the artists.

Which Kiwi act do you enjoy taking photos of most and why?

Truly any act because the energy of seeing musicians, producers and DJs perform live is infectious but narrowing it down Sachi and Shihad are definitely up there with their sheer stage presence as well as the production their shows come with.

If you could pick one camera, one lens and one flash, which ones would you pick, and why?

Canon EOS1dx, Canon EF16-35mm F2.8, Canon 600EX Flash. Why? Because I know that kit like the back of my hand cause it’s what I’ve been shooting with for years, doesn’t matter that it’s not the latest (by a long shot) or the greatest but it gets the shots I want and works day in day out with no worries.