I had such an AMAZING time on Reuben’s photoshoot. He was going to be a tough one because he was really sceptical of the whole thing, but he was doing it for his mum. He’ll admit that he doesn’t like being in front of the camera and doesn’t think he’s very photogenic. But I beg to differ. Our goal was just to get ONE great photo for his mum. In the end, it was hard for them to choose. Here is the story behind how his church played a big role in preparing him for a career in lighting and some of the amazing images we created together.

Tell me how you got into lighting. Are you also into sound or is it just lighting? Lighting, sound, vision, which is video and stuff. I kinda do it all. When I was eight years old, I thought the sound desk and the lighting desk looked kinda cool. You know, all the flashing buttons. So I just asked if I could learn. And then some of the guys there took me under their wing. Then for ten years, I learned lighting at church and eventually gained connections and am turning it into a career.

Very cool. How old were you when they started letting you do it on your own? Pretty early on. I reckon nine or ten. As a 14-year-old, when COVID hit, we had a church conference of over a thousand people. But then we had to split it between smaller locations. So at fourteen, they just said, “You can do the lights.” No help because they couldn’t bring extra people across because it was COVID. I had to run lights for a thousand people. So they just threw me in at the deep end. 

Wow! So at what point did you feel like this was something you actually wanted to do for a career and not just volunteer on a Sunday? When I started to get invited to do the bigger shows, where I was working with industry professionals who also volunteer their time. Through that, I got the opportunity to actually be one of the lead lighting operators for those big 3,000-person shows. I realised I really enjoyed it, I had a passion, and a talent for it. That’s when I thought, “I can turn this into a career.” 

I know you’re getting your feet wet in the professional world, but where do you see yourself maybe five years from now or ten years from now? My hope would be that I’m well known across the industry for my good quality work and being booked out by big artists and big acts to do their lights or sound.

What do you think AI’s impact will be on this kind of work? I personally think that our jobs won’t be replaced by AI as much as people think it will. I think there’s something to be said about the human creative spirit, the passion that comes behind our work and that’s something that AI can never replace. It’s a very artistic process whether you’re mixing sound or doing lighting. Just like AI photography or AI art is not as meaningful as real photography or real art.

Let’s talk about the photoshoot.  Whose idea was it and what were your thoughts when it was first presented to you? It was not my idea. If you know me, you would know that I absolutely despise photos. I will absolutely avoid them at all costs. I don’t think I have a good smile. It Mum’s idea, my sister had a photoshoot with you in the past. I was fully against the photoshoot idea!

So what made you eventually go along with it? Up until the photoshoot, I was still very hesitant. But as it got going, I sort of landed into it. I was still even up until the results came out, I was still convinced it was not going to look any good. 

Actually, this is this is a bit of a confession, but the day you came to do the photo reveal,  I was trying to come up with an excuse for how I could get out of it, like, not be here when the photos were revealed. 

Oh, really?  At what point did it kinda switch over from, “I don’t wanna be here” to, “Oh… this isn’t bad.” I think by the second photo I went, “Oh, shoot! That looks kinda good. I reckon some of these might actually be good.” 

How did your feelings evolve during the photoshoot? At first, I was not really looking forward to it and was a bit hesitant. Then I started to feel pretty comfortable. I think that’s kudos to you. I didn’t feel like you were some weird photographer. The fact you’re willing to work with my ideas and ask what I want out of this photoshoot. I ended up really just enjoying it.

I reminded myself, “I’m looking for one good photo. I’ll just do whatever I can to get that.” Then, by the end of it, we were coming up with ideas with the lights, and I was sort of getting into it myself. I was thinking, “This is quite fun!” 

What was your favourite photo from the shoot? It’s hard to tell because there’re so many good ones with different things. The smoulder is hilarious. Like, it seriously looks like I’ve got some sort of bold beauty filter on it. It’s quite funny, but I think it’s quite a good shot. 

I think my favourite one has to be just my fingers on the soundboard. It’s not got my face in it. It’s just a cool shot of just me doing what I love doing. I’m going to put it up on my wall. It’s a representation of me that I feel comfortable with sharing. 

What was the highlight to your high school career?  I think it has to be Anastasia. Performing on stage as the villain and also being one of the award-nominated lighting techs. Managing the stage and the backstage together was the highlight of the year. Also, doing it with my sister.

What might you say to someone who says photoshoots are not for me? I said I would never do a photoshoot. I did everything I could to get out of the photoshoot. I was incredibly sceptical of the photoshoot. But we got 36 good photos out of it. And that’s, I reckon, 36 more than I’ve ever had in my lifetime. 

What was it specifically that made it more enjoyable or less intimidating? It wasn’t intimidating at all. I felt like you were always trying to make me look the best as I possibly could. It wasn’t me floundering on my own. It was a partnership and a collaboration to get some amazing looking photos. You’d say, “sit here, do this”, and then I would follow it and just trust your vision. And also, I know your heart of wanting to get good looking photos of young people. So I thought, “I know that this photographer is on my side.”

Thank you for that. I do feel we were striving for the same thing here, which is to make you look good and to make the whole experience enjoyable as well. If we can do that, then that’s a win for me. Thank you!