PhotogRaPhy

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Rock
Photography
b y ju s tina villanu e va
an
introduction
<< a great
resource for
learning how to
find things to
photograph
h u nte r qualities a pho to grap h e r s h ould
h ave by a u tho r D a vid La Be lle :
B u rning Des ire / Curiosity / I m a g i n a t i o n
/ L istening / People watching / I n s i g h t /
A b i l ity To Blend / Prepa ra tio n / Pat ie nce /
P e r sistence / Planning / A Nee d T o S h a r e /
Re s o ur ceful ness / Co nfidence / Com pas s ion
What is rock photography
Jim Marshall is one of the most famous rock photographers ever. He used
to say that he could SEE the music.
A great music photograph shows the music. It can be a portrait, a live
shot or a candid documentary photo that shows how a musician lives. It can
show life backstage or in a van. It can show fans' reactions and emotions.
The most important thing it needs to show, however, is the power of music.
important Photographer Qualities
Passion
having a deep fire within you to document a music scene
Awareness
understanding the culture you are capturing and the magic that surrounds
you
Patience
having the calm persistance to wait for the right moment
Discipline
having the technical skill to make the images you see in your head
elements of art
Principles of art
(building blocks of visual art)
(arrangement of the elements)
Line
Pattern
Shape/form
Rhythm / Movement
Color
Proportion / Scale
Value
Balance
Texture
Unity
Space / Perspective
Emphasis
H ow
d o i g et sta rt ed?
What do I need?
To make your very first pictures you need a camera. Cameras can cost
anything from free (a gift) to $40,000. Cameras are everywhere, in your
phone, your ipod, in pharmacies (disposable cameras are awesome too).
When you are just starting you should use what you can get your hands on
(aka the cheapest thing) and learn the basics. The camera you have on
you is better than no camera at all.
Once you start shooting more and more, you can RENT a camera or buy
a REFURBISHED camera. I bought my first DSLR (digital single lens reflex
camera) at B&H (a giant photography gear store) for $400. It was money
I saved up. Even though the camera looked pretty crappy and was taped
all over, I still own it and it works great.
H ow do I get access?
Besides having a camera, the second most important thing you need is
ACCESS. I started out in the DIY (do it yourself) scene where I didn't need
permission from someone's publicist to take pictures. I could just show up
and take pictures.
The bigger the band or musician, the tighter the security and accessiblity
will be. A lot of smaller all ages clubs are awesome. BUT, if you need to get
into a “Photo Pit” you will need a “Photo Pass” to get there.
One way to get a photo pass is to contact the band directly through email
or facebook.
When a band is too big for personal contact, you can find out who their
publicist is through their record label or website. OR you can ask the venue
directly. And when that doesn't work, you can use the school-paper angle (“I
am doing a story for my high school newspaper”) and you can use the “I'm
working on a school project” angle. And at first you might sit out a lot of the
big shows, but if you keep at it (and with a smile the whole way) you will be
shooting at MSG in no time.
Eventually you will learn what magazines and blogs are right for each band
and you can freelance for those magazines or blogs and they will help you
get into the bigger shows. But until then, discover the next big thing at the
All Ages shows (like matinees at ABC No Rio). And use your small point and
shoot or camera-phone to make pictures and develop your style.
H ow do I go pro?
Here's a list of what makes a professional photographer a “professional”.
This is from the Photoshelter Blog. After the CEO of Flickr made a
statement about professional photographers no longer existing, the founder
of Photoshelter compiled this list. I live by this.
A Professional Photographer:
1. Approaches a project in a manner that shows respect for both the
subject and the client's goal.
2. Works with a client to achieve that goal under specific budget
constraints.
3. Delivers the end result, as agreed upon, on time and in a manner that
shows the client's most critical needs are understood.
4. Finds ways to make a client's life easier from the beginning of a
project to the end, including saving them time and making them look
like a hero.
5. Is prepared to face any problem with a creative solution, from the most
dire to the off-the-wall.
6. Takes criticism and adjusts (quickly) in order to get the job done.
7. Can completely pivot among all kinds of changing circumstances.
8. Presents, negotiates, agrees, executes, invoices, and follows up with
consistency and personal pride.
9. Knows how to pitch and market oneself with accuracy so the promised
service is what's delivered.
10.Researches the subject of a story and contributes insights and vision
that make the end result better.
11. Builds rapport with a subject in a way that gains unique access, makes
them more comfortable, or exposes their personality.
12.Keeps one's composure while dodging bombs, borders, and mobs,
linebackers and foul balls, sharks, elephants, horses, and bees, roadies,
divas, tornadoes, and brides and any other incoming threats or
obstacles, and still gets the job done.
13.There's nobody I've met on this planet who can tell stories like a
professional photographer can. Period.
The most important thing you can do as a photographer of any kind
is to BUILD TRUST. Build trust with musicians, people around you
(like other fans), people who pay you and yourself.
The
T ec h n i ca l
these are your camera controls
focus
The focal point is a point at which rays of light converge.
Most lenses have numbers on top that measure your distance from a
subject in feet or meters. You can use those numbers to focus on your
subject. If a guitarist is 3 feet away from you, you can use that guide on
your lens to get a better focussing point.
Once you learn how to control your lens and manually focus, you will be a
master at getting the best shots.
Once you learn the space of a room, you will be able to walk in, look
around, and set your cameras settings. You will have done so much shooting
that the scary technical parts of photography will be second nature. You
will become your own light meter.
Aperature
The measure of the lens opening which dictates how much light enters into
the lens. It is measured by an f-number (sometimes called f-stops).
In concert photography you always want your lens to be opened wide,
which means a smaller f-number (somewhere from f/1.4 to 2.8 is ideal in
scenarios when a flash can't be used). However, the larger your aperature
(again, a smaller number), the more your background will be blurred. This
makes focussing extremely important.
Shutter speed
The amount of time that light is let into the lens to expose an image. In
concert photography you want a fast shutter speed to capture moving
people. I try to keep mine at least at 1/125 of second when I'm not using a
flash.
iso
The ISO number dictates the camera's sensor or the film's sensitivity to light.
The higher the ISO the more light the camera lets in, but this also means
you will have a higher amount of grain on your images.
White balance
Adjusting your white balance to the color temperature of the room will
allow the colors in your images to be more realistic. Color temperature is
measured in kelvins.
Candles and matches have really low color temperatures and produce a
reddish-orange hue. Flourescent lights, daylight (the sun) and cloudy skies
produce a white light.
Other terms to look up
RAW, depth of field, perspective distortion, rule of thirds, panorama, timelapse, fill flash, motion blur, macro, pinhole, red eye effect, lomography,
vignetting, cross processing, bokeh, megapixels
Some
r es o u rc e s
photo blogs
Books
Alice Wheeler
featureshoot.com
(there is an endless
Francine Winham
flakphoto.com
list of photography
aphotoeditor.com
books you should
famous women
strobist.com
check out. go to your
photographers
mastheads.org
library and STUDY
Diane Arbus
blog.photoshelter.com
as many pictures as
Eve Arnold
photorumors.com
you can.)
Tina Barney
thisisacult.org
noplasticsleeves.com
Lillian Bassman
women rock
Margaret Bourke-
photographers
White
music blogs
Angela Boatwright
Donna Ferrato
brooklynvegan.com
Merri Cyr
Nan Goldin
pitchfork.com
Justine DeMetrick
Jill Greenberg
stereogum.com
Cindy Frey
Dorothea Lange
spin.com
Jill Furmonovsky
Brenda Ann Kenneally
invisibleoranges.com
Lynn Goldsmith
Nina Leen
cvltnation.com
Janet Macoska
Annie Leibovitz
rookiemag.com
Catherine McGann
Helen Levitt
amoeba.com
Maria Mochnacz
Vivian Maier
Clare Muller
Mary Ellen Mark
magazines
Marcia Resnick
Linda McCartney
Tom Tom Magazine
Sheila Rock
Cindy Sherman
Decibel Magazine
Pennie Smith
Lorna Simpson
The Fader
Gloria Stavers
Vice
Ellen Von Unwerth
photography
Rolling Stone
Elizabeth Weinberg
organizations
ASMP
Documentary
Assistant
// American Society of
Editorial
Set designer
Media Photographers
Event
Food Stylist
Fashion
Prop Stylist
PPA
Fine Art
Stylist (clothing)
// Professional
Food
Art Director
Photographers of
Forensic
Photo editor
America
Lifestyle
Retoucher
Medical
Art Buyer
YPA
Paparazzi
Producer
// Young
Photojournalism
Agent
Photographers Alliance
Product
Designer
Police & Legal
Digital Tech
RockArchive.Org
Portrait
Artist Representative
// look at famous
Real Estate
Coordinator
rock photographs
Sports
Studio Manager
and read about the
Still Life
Model
people who shot
Stock
Accountant
them
Street photography
Bookkeeper
Travel
Attorney
other Types of
Underwater
Caterer
photography
War
Costume Designer
Aerial photography
Wedding
Hair & Makeup
Animal & Pet
Wildlife
Astrophotography
Architechture
photo inudstry jobs
Commercial
Photographer
a guide to r o c k
p hotograph y