Photographer Chris Frape talks about his quest for the perfect photo

These days the photographer is constrained to steady ground with his cane in tow, a vastly different vision of the man that was.

But he’s determined to bounce back with a vengeance.

A horrific surfing accident at a Shellhabour beach 12 months ago left his right ankle broken in several pieces.

The once energetic life of Wollongong’s music scene spent months in bed recuperating, also giving him time to reassess his craft.

The recovery journey has had major ups and downs, including severe bouts of depression and several surgeries, but Frape has used the downtime to look deeper at his work and calculate what makes the perfect image.

The 40-year-old started to backtrack through his extensive catalogue, mainly of bands he shot over the past 20 years.

Nirvana, the Sex Pistols, Crowded House’s final gig, Hermitude, plus South Coast favourites Shining Bird, Hockey Dad and the Pinheads – moments of time all captured on film.

Frape calls it a “self study” with the help of his mentor, Sydney photographer and art curator, Paul McDonald.

“It’s given me a clearer vision of what I want to get out of my photos and what I want to show,” he said.

The result was exhibited at Thirroul’s Black & Gold gallery in May, titled “Fracture Zone”.

Frape not only wants to use this to benefit his other personal endeavour, documenting Wollongong’s music scene, but also to pass the knowledge on to others.

“Hopefully the journey I’ve been on will be some sort of inspiration,” he said.

Shining Bird lead singer Dane Taylor said Frape’s passion for art and photography has brought many creative minds together and finds his work amazing.

“He can capture the raw energy or what’s happening. He seems to be able to take a photo in between moments on stage and it comes across as a very natural thing,” Taylor said.

“I reckon he’s the most prolific music photographer in the Illawarra at the moment.”

Frape will be bringing himself, his cane, his cameras and his knowledge “in full strength” to teach workshops at the upcoming Creative Jamboree weekend at Mount Keira.

The September retreat, hosted by Wild Rumpus, has brought a dozen artists from different mediums to give people an immersive artistic experience in the rainforest.

Frape’s biggest tip for the perfect image, “try to tell the whole story of what you see in front of you”.

His goal for the next five years is to collate the images he feels worthy into a book which he is adamant will end up in the State Library.

The revelation came after looking through the slides and photos of his late father.

“Once you’re gone, unless you’ve got your legacy printed, exhibited or known by people, it’s just gone.”

For more information on Chris visit www.facebook.com/chris-frape-photo

For more information on the Jamboree: A Creative Weekend Escape visit: www.wildrumpus.com.au