Kenzie’s moments on film

We look into the world of Kenzie Pigman, a sustainability manager by day and a photographer come the dark hours. She is based in Wellington and like many of our feature photographers, has a deep passion for film and will most likely be seen at a gig running around with her film camera. The following is a bit of a bio about Kenzie, and an in-depth journey into her love for film – all in her own words. 

When people ask where I'm from, I say, "Well, I'm originally from California," immediately followed by, "But I did a semester at UC, and now I live in Welly." I think a part of me wants to add a wee bit of credibility, especially since the music scene I run around in is all Kiwis. 

Somehow, I ended up here, thousands of miles away from home, running around San Fran and Meow, standing on speakers, crawling over tables, and going to the film shop multiple times a week. Just like everything in New Zealand, my journey as a photographer is connected to someone who knew someone who knew that person. One opportunity led to another and then to another and then all of a sudden, I was shooting a couple of gigs a week while working full time (all pre-COVID, of course). 

I have always been infatuated with photography, but more as a means to observe life rather than an actual creator. 

When I moved here at the end of 2018, I found myself surrounded by musicians and creatives. For a while that was without a camera in hand – which I now pinch myself for thinking about all the fun shit could have documented had I started earlier. Around May of last year, I picked up a film camera, and we've been attached at the hip since.

For years before all of this, I would edit my iPhone photos and even digital camera photos to look like film. With film, you could take a photo on five different cameras with five different types of film, and every single photo would look different. That is something you could never get with digital. I've just recently picked up a medium format, Mamiya RB67, from Junktion NZ and I can't wait to take some juicy portraits with that gorgeous thing. 

I got into film for the result but fell in love with the process along the way. With 36 exposures (or less depending on what you're shooting), it forces you to not only observe everything around you to compose correctly but also to be confident in that composition – because once you've taken the photo, that's that. It's almost a thrill really – a killer mix between decisiveness and uncertainty at the exact same time. This photo of Eli and Jamin from Miss Cressida is a perfect example of that. I always want to capture the frothy interactions between bandmembers – that's when the whole vibe of the gig can show through. 

A good photo is either gorgeously wholesome or seeping with energy – or a sexy mix of the two with the right scenario. I like to live my life in a mix of "this is wholesome as fuck" and "holy shit this is fun" – and I hope my photography reflects that. 

A "wholesome" night playing ninja and drinking boxed wine. This night was like a movie scene – twerking on the walls, Beyonce blasting with the lights off, and lots of screaming mid ninja and charades. I love this photo because everyone has thrown their hands in differently. Relaxed hands, floaty hands, clenched I'm-gonna-fucking-win-this-round-hands. Game nights and gigs – those are the two places you'll usually find me.

I think I started out taking photos of friends having fun, which quickly turned into taking photos of some talented friends having fun and doing what they love. 

I met Arjuna through mates around this time last year, just as his debut single, "Deep End" was about to come out and I was waiting for my new film camera to arrive in the mail. He's one of the first artists I started photographing. He's a beautiful, genuine, and crazy talented human. 

Tora Bombora is my ideal mix of wholesome as fuck and way too much fun. I hooned around the whole weekend with nothing but my camera in hand, a rain jacket (when necessary), and a smile on my face. If I'm honest, nothing quite compares to that Tora feeling.

In and out of sets on day two of Tora, my mates and I played a couple of fiery rounds of P's and A's in Warkina's tent. With no cell reception, finding friends (that you're not camping next to) is like playing a game of hide-and-seek. We walked around, calling Warkina's name until we heard his laugh echoing from the back left of the campsite. I love how this photo plays with the idea of being half in–half out. It was pouring rain at this time, which made the lighting of the photo all the more moody.

Are you as worried about Arte's leg as I am? I was watching Drop Legs from the hill at the start but made my way down to get a closer look halfway through. This was one of two photos I took during their set and the last photo of the roll I had in my camera. With the crowd passing around a joint and Arte floating around the stage, there seemed to be a harmonious exchange of energy between the crowd and the band. Beautiful vibes.

Tora also gave me Fran (who recently featured on Yo, Vocal and mentioned my photography – thanks, Fran!). Post Tora, we both took some piccys for The Raddlers & Shag Rock gig at Meow. Here is Fran and Baily dancing their hearts out while the rest of the Raddlers boys grooved out on stage. 

This has to be one of my favourite photos ever. My mate, Beattie, brought this fabric to 121 with the intention of making a shirt on day two. We spent an hour at the Arts & Crafts tent with a handheld sewing machine. The lady working there gave him these pants, which happened to match his fabric perfectly. I've never seen the kid so happy. 

I met the Corduroy lot late last year and have since taken heaps of photos for their sold-out shows around NZ. This was the last leg of their summer tour, and it was absolutely packed to the brim. I spent the whole night climbing through that tiny space between the crowd and the amps to get from point A to point B. 

My first time shooting at Whammy Bar in Auckland for Corduroy's tour. If you've been you'll know 1) it is a tiny, sweaty cave and 2) there is a random pillar in the middle of the stage. Because of that, I was struggling to get the solo photo of Riley I wanted. So as a song was finishing, I darted from the back of the stage by the drums to Riley for a quick shot before jumping back into the crowd. I was only planning on shooting one or two rolls this night, but I ended up shooting three. The third was a backup Color Plus 200, which I never shoot gigs with. I wasn't expecting the colours to come out as great as this, which makes me love it even more. This was a defining night in my journey as a photographer – I was given free rein to run around the stage as much as I wanted, and I loved almost every photo I got back.  

VMorg aka Ben Morgan, has played a massive role in my development as a photographer – introducing me to artists, hiring me as the photographer for VMorg events, or just by being a world-class human. After a groovy time snapping piccys for Heavy Chest and Cloak Bay, I gathered all the boys together for some group love backstage. 

Spacey Jane at Meow in March. Without fail, Spacey full sends every time. This is the kind of energy that got me into gig photography in the first place. 

Please enjoy this wholesome photo. Photos like this reinforce why I never leave the house without one of my cameras in hand. This one was taken just as the light was turning, and I was screaming while trying to capture the moment before they drove away forever. DAS26. 

This is from my very first roll I got developed. It makes me laugh every time I look at it. After a gig, we stayed up all night watching the Cricket World Cup (on a Sunday). I wish I could share an audio clip of the absolute anarchy and screaming that took place the whole game from the boys. Even though NZ lost (sorry sensitive topic), we were all still pretty high on life and decided to walk up to this lookout point in Vogeltown to watch the sun come up. Butts and the NZ flag – yep, what a time to be alive.