Robert F. Spencer, an iconic Australian rock guitarist born on September 5, 1957, became known as a later addition to Skyhooks (1977–1980) and The Angels (1986–1992). He joined Rose Tattoo in 2017. As a songwriter, he contributed to The Angels' repertoire, notably as the sole writer of their single "Finger on the Trigger" (1988), which ascended to the top 40 of the ARIA Singles Chart.
Bob graciously consented to be featured in a 'day in the life' journalistic article, giving me the opportunity to capture his everyday activities. Armed with my Canon 5D IV and a 50mm lens, I chose to shoot manually, utilizing only natural light, akin to what a true field photojournalist would employ.
Adept at tinkering and tweaking his own gear to perfection. From years of rocking out at major gigs all around the world
While I was engrossed in shooting and asking numerous questions, I almost overlooked my settings. I chose to shoot in manual mode with a 50mm lens to challenge myself.
Bob shared his guitar practice routine, caught up on some work, and decided to show me some photos from his time in Skyhooks. Thats Bob as a young man with Skyhooks
Apologies, I'm not sure who captured these, but what an incredible perspective from the band's point of view.
Bob gestures animatedly towards Michael Gudinski, the legendary founder of Mushroom Records and iconic band manager. Captured mid-gesture, Bob exudes energy and dynamism. Although the photographer remains unknown, the images are striking in their intensity.
As a guitar player myself, Bob demonstrated some of his licks on the guitar to me.
At the time of this shoot Bob was with Rose Tattoo: waiting to be picked up to his next gig.
As part of the TAFE course, developing a creative technique was a requirement. I chose to employ a method as seen here.
Before the photo shoot, I made a point to visit Bob to break the ice. We had crossed paths once before at a guitar shop in Sydney called Guitar Crazy, back in the '80s.
I had roughly 10 to 15 minutes to talk and snap a few pictures. Despite completely botching my camera settings, I was able to rectify them in Lightroom.
This photo was woefully underexposed, but after tweaking it, I discovered something remarkable. The guitar emerged looking like Excalibur, and Bob was so impressed that I decided to have a print made.
Bob, with a piece by Leunig in the background, is a friend of his.