As the lights went down at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion before US alternative rockers Garbage took to the stage last weekend, Bob King was in his natural habitat: the photo pit at the front of the stage peering up through the viewfinder, ready to shoot the first three songs; a photographic policy that only allows short term access to capture the artists.

It’s a routine that King has been through thousands of times.

“You’re shooting very quickly in those three songs,” King said.

“I’d have shot three or four rolls of film, 150 shots. Today I can run off 800, 900 images digitally”

With an archive of more than six million images, King set about publishing a book chronicling his time documenting the world’s most famous bands and musicians as they performed on stage.

“My last book was in 1980 and about six years ago I thought I’d compile another and here it is, three and a half kilos of my photos.” King said with a laugh

In the day and age of the smartphone, where millions of photos are taken and shared instantaneously, it’s easy for some to forget the value of the eagle-eyed professional photographer.

Starting out as an amateur in the 1960s, King took his camera along to concerts he attended with his friends. The Beatles, The Yardbirds, Dusty Springfield and The Rolling Stones to name but a few. 

“I vividly remember the audience members (at the Rolling Stones concert) saying ‘Why are you taking photos of the concert?’ as if I had rocks in my head!”

Those photos however, give Mr King the distinction of being Australia’s longest serving rock and roll photographer, having covered almost every major act to tour the country since the 1960s.

His status as one of Australia’s best snappers has seen him work as the official tour photographer for acts as diverse as AC/DC, Bon Jovi, INXS, Barbara Streisand and Neil Diamond, both a thrill and a privilege in his eyes.

For all the shows he’s attended, just don’t ask him to recall what the band played while he was shooting.

“Today with the three songs, and even shooting a whole show I can leave the venue straight after that and you can ask me ‘What did they play?’ and I couldn’t tell you,” he said.

“I might sing along to the song as I’m shooting but  I'm concentrating on getting the action ... Totally 100 per cent concentrating on what I’m doing.”

Images from The Bob King Collection by Bob King

Published by New Holland Publishers

(www.newhollandpublishers.com), RRP $99.99,