Faces Behind the Music

Faces Behind the Music is an ongoing series of portrait photographs by Wayne Budge that documents high-profile contemporary singers, songwriters and musicians.

During recent years, we have lost a number of contemporary musicians. Artists such as Michael Hutchence, Billy Thorpe, Chrissy Amphlett, Doc Neeson, Stevie Wright, and singers such as Darryl Cotton, Jim Keays, and Jon English, who changed the face of music here in Australia forever.

Budge's black and white portraits utilise low-key lighting to illuminate certain areas of an image, which gives the portraits a dramatic look of light and shadow compared to a traditional black and white photograph. These portraits were not staged in a photographic studio, and most of the images were taken in the artist’s homes or in their own surrounds. These artists also presented themselves as to how they wanted to be portrayed and photographed. Over the years, Budge has worked closely with many Australian and overseas artists, enabling him to truly capture the soul and character of these living icons.