People // David Garrison // Blog

The final post from a piece I wrote after a panel on photography got me thinking about the relationship between musicians and the people who capture images of them.

Insider Access
There have been a lot of changes in how people watch and interact with a band and one of the most significant ones is the camera-phone. We've all heard about the democratisation of information, as in journalism (and music if you've hung around Indaba for any length of time), and it's very clear that it's changed the dynamic of the concert experience - except perhaps at certain venues in Japan, where, according to the panel, watching through your phone is still considered rude.

For photographers, this is an important trend, since there are suddenly boatloads of people recording different elements of the session who previously would've been just listening. When everyone's a shutterbug, it means that photographers need to be just that much better; it means they're pressured to take even more insightful or distinct photographs - ones that are more appealing or stylistically differentiated than they've ever needed to be before.

Musicians should care, too, because there's a marked change in the composition of people who capture and spread the images that become a performer's public-facing brand. At a practical level, the accessibility of technology and the prevalence (and credibility) of blogs means that a $300 camera can now get you the access only a professional photographer used to be able to get. "Write a blog and say you're the chief photographer", says Natkin, who pointed to 67 (I'm assuming he didn't really count) photographers covering REM at Stubbs as proof of the expanded media landscape.

And yet, there are a few practical points that continue to differentiate the creative work of elite photographers.

Longer access. Many venues only allow photographers in for the first three songs. But that's not as hard-and-fast as you might think. As Natkin notes, "Given that the point of setting out a play list is to build up and get warm, most photographers aren't allowed to shoot the best part of a show." See if you can negotiate your way into shooting the whole show. You may be surprised to find you're the only one left - for no other reason than that you thought ahead to ask. Bands are your allies here, since they're probably saving the best for last and they'll want that captured.

Context. The show doesn't just happen on-stage. Having a relationship with the band both gives you more pre- and post- shots and gives you insight into when the most representative shots will occur.

A sense of what's cool. With the continued shift toward digital and reductions in marketing budgets, photography is feeling the heat. More than ever before, people only want to pay for what's cool and what will resonate. And, with the openness of the Internet, they can be picky; they have access to so much material that, if they don't think you're good enough to get them "cool-in-a-shot", they can take the DIY approach, trust their own instincts and go somewhere else.

Along with the fact that a goodly proportion of people deciding who to hire for record companies are young and look for signals that reflect what they think is cool, this all just means that professional (and semi-pro) photographers need to be able to show different styles and content types. So, when you think about landing photo gigs, consider that you're more likely to be successful if you [a] generate interesting insights in more than one genre, [b] generate interesting insights around more than one part of the show, and [c] generate interest insights that will resonate with the person making the decision.

How Do You Take a Good Photograph?
This is what it all comes down to. Here's what the panel had to say.

Wright. Be ready. If you don't have a camera ready to go and with you, you've lost the moment. It's a real decision each day whether you're taking photos or not.

De Wilde. Try to have fun with the people you're with. Timing is really magic. Someone famous once said, "There's nothing worse than a sharp photo of a fuzzy concept."

Natkin. There's always a decisive moment. Don't take shots around it. Wait for it.

Weschler. Be passionate about your subject - it shows. There are two types of photo: spontaneous shots and planned shots. Love the first. Prepare for the second.