Tony Sleep sums it up perfectly - nothing I can add...
http://tonysleep.co.uk/no-budget-for-photos
Enough said!
Saturday, 27 August 2011
Friday, 26 August 2011
Belladrum Festival
One of the prizes was weekend guestlist and photo-pass for the Belladrum Festival in Beauly, Invernesshire.
This was my first outdoor festival, as a punter and as a photographer, and my first time sleeping in a tent since 1975. It turned out to be a fantastic experience - the weather (contrary to the weather forecast) was glorious, right up until the end of the last night. The atmosphere was fantastic, the food was great and not overpriced, I met some great new photographer friends, and got some great images of some great bands.
Highlights for me photographically, were Texas, Deacon Blue, Vintage Trouble, Metaltech, Echo & The Bunnymen, Newton Faulkner and the Gerry Jablonski Electric Blues Band.
I got quite a few fun crowd shots too!
Without further ado, here are some of my favourites from the weekend:
Ian McCullough - Echo & The Bunnymen
Easy Star All Stars
Texas
Texas
Vintage Trouble
Vintage Trouble
Vintage Trouble
Ricky Ross - Deacon Blue
Lorraine McIntosh - Deacon Blue
Deacon Blue
Gerry Jablonski Band
Gerry Jablonski Band
Metaltech
Metaltech
Newton Faulkner
Black Country Communion
Playing catchup with the blog again, as I've been really busy.
I had the honour of photographing and reviewing Anglo-American supergroup Black Country Communion at the end of July.
This is one I was really excited about, as I love their music.
The band consists of Glenn Hughes (Trapeze/Deep Purple/Black Sabbath) on bass, phenominal blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa, Jason Bonham (son of Jon Bonham/Led Zepellin) and Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater) on keyboards.
As an added bonus, Micheal Schenker was supporting, and as a double added bonus, I met Glenn Hughes, got to shake his hand and have a quick chat.
As a triple added bonus, the band's PR agency were bowled over with the images and have been using them in PR. One of the images of Joe Bonamassa has been submitted to Guitar Techniques magazine as they are running a big story on him in the October issue (due out in September) and my fingers are crossed that I get my first magazine front cover.
As a quadruple added bonus (there's a pattern here!) the PR company have invited me down to Blackpool in October to photograph Bonamassa's concert as part of his solo tour.
I wrote up a review on the BCC concert for Mudkiss, which you can read here
Sunday, 10 July 2011
The next step - Agency work
I've been doing a lot of soul searching about where I want to to take my music photography.
I've been following the debate on 'working for free' closely and standing two steps back to see both sides of the argument.
Everybody who attempts music/live concert photography will know that it takes a lot of time and hard work to build a quality portfolio and contacts - no portfolio, no accreditation.
I've worked with some great bands on a 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' basis . . .bands who have become good friends. They have helped me to build my portfolio, and have been instrumental in opening doors to wider horizons.
On the other hand, I can sympathise with pro music photographers who have watched their industry decimated by photographers of varying abilities working for free, getting under their feet in the pit with little knowledge of pit etiquette, and sometimes, taking the accreditation away from the working pro.
I had decided early on to pull the plug on the 'free' work as soon as practicable, but couldn't see how I could move forward. Working on the local circuit, it would take a saint to educate bands into valuing the work of a good photographer. The band (generally) gets paid, the venue earns money, the bar staff get paid, the cleaner gets paid, the photographer doesn't. Not only that, the photographer leaves the gig to start hours of hard work, editing/processing/refining and delivering the images, long after the gig is over.
There is a real skill-set involved, plus a huge investment in equipment and time, but the advent of the digital age has undermined the quality of a good music photographer. Almost everyone owns a digital camera and a complete amateur can get lucky with a great shot every now and again. Why should a small band pay for the services of a pro in this D.I.Y age?
The line between serious 'amateur' and the professional has blurred.
There are some very talented 'part time' photographers out there, consistently producing quality work and there are some pro's who seem to do nothing but complain, and have lost their spark.
I greatly admire any professional photographer that makes a living out of music photography, I suspect none of them are running Ferraris or away on their yachts at the weekend - they must be doing it because they can't imagine doing anything else.
I stopped working for free, and as expected, the work dried up - overnight - ZILCH.
I have been befriended by a high profile professional music photographer and her manager on Facebook, who have given me some priceless advice - THING BIG
I am the original 'self doubter' and learned the lesson that if you don't value your own work, nobody else will.
So how do I move up a step?
I have two objectives:
1] To cover higher profile artists
2] To get paid
There are a couple of brick walls that stand in your way.
To achieve 1] you need to get accredited (get a photo pass)
To achieve this, you need to be working for someone, either a publication or an agency, or directly for band management.
Printed publications are pretty much sewn up, with either staffers or preferred freelancers.
On-line publications are where most head to and are a great way of getting the passes.
Music blogs are a good place to start, but again, they will have a preferred team of 'correspondents' who understandably guard their territory closely, plus, in most cases there is no payment involved - you get the pass and portfolio images.
I contribute to Mudkiss Fanzine. It is a highly respected blog with a large team of contributors (photography/live reviews/album reviews and exclusive interviews)
The Mudkiss team do what they do out of a passion for music, and are non-profit.
There are others that fill their pages with free content from contributors, but make a profit from advertising revenue - erm, no thanks! It really goes against the grain to work for free to make profit for others.
The ultimate goal, and where the real money is, is to work directly for the bands/management, as a tour photographer, or carrying out portrait shoots for tour programmes and album covers.
This is for the very gifted few.
I decided the next step would be agency work.
Some high profile acts stipulate 'no agency photographers' and the money is split between you and the agency, typically 60/40. Some will only send you a cheque when you have reached a monthly target, or payment gets carried over to the next month. Some will do all the photo pass chasing for you, some expect you to do it.
Some agencies will send you the assignments, others will let you pick and choose and use them as a reference for the accreditation, some are a mixture of the two.
The agency option kind of resolves 1] and 2] - it gets you in front of the bigger artists, and you have the potential to earn money. You only get paid if the agency sells the images and you won't get rich any time soon, but can be a useful residual revenue stream if you build up a substantial library.
I have until now viewed working out of Scotland to be a disadvantage, but it has one major advantage - a few high profile bands will start their tour up North and work their way South. This means you can get in at the very start of the tour and have a better chance of getting your images sold, as the tour is 'hot' news, more so than for the dozen shooters in a pit in London near the end of the tour.
With this in mind, I went about getting signed to an agency.
I took a hard look at my portfolio, and what the agencies were actually using/selling.
I took a sledge hammer to my portfolio, carried out a major cull and re-edited the rest to the best of my ability.
The end result paid off and I have signed to the very first agency I applied to - Big Pictures.
Big Pictures is reputedly the world's biggest celeb/entertainment picture agency, run by Darren Lloyd (yes, Mr Paparrazi)
I'm now looking forward to my first assignments for them.
I'm only a couple of years into my path as a music photographer - it's a small step forward, but one thing I have learned is that one thing leads to another and doors open - you just have to be smart enough to dash through them before they shut again.
I've been following the debate on 'working for free' closely and standing two steps back to see both sides of the argument.
Everybody who attempts music/live concert photography will know that it takes a lot of time and hard work to build a quality portfolio and contacts - no portfolio, no accreditation.
I've worked with some great bands on a 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' basis . . .bands who have become good friends. They have helped me to build my portfolio, and have been instrumental in opening doors to wider horizons.
On the other hand, I can sympathise with pro music photographers who have watched their industry decimated by photographers of varying abilities working for free, getting under their feet in the pit with little knowledge of pit etiquette, and sometimes, taking the accreditation away from the working pro.
I had decided early on to pull the plug on the 'free' work as soon as practicable, but couldn't see how I could move forward. Working on the local circuit, it would take a saint to educate bands into valuing the work of a good photographer. The band (generally) gets paid, the venue earns money, the bar staff get paid, the cleaner gets paid, the photographer doesn't. Not only that, the photographer leaves the gig to start hours of hard work, editing/processing/refining and delivering the images, long after the gig is over.
There is a real skill-set involved, plus a huge investment in equipment and time, but the advent of the digital age has undermined the quality of a good music photographer. Almost everyone owns a digital camera and a complete amateur can get lucky with a great shot every now and again. Why should a small band pay for the services of a pro in this D.I.Y age?
The line between serious 'amateur' and the professional has blurred.
There are some very talented 'part time' photographers out there, consistently producing quality work and there are some pro's who seem to do nothing but complain, and have lost their spark.
I greatly admire any professional photographer that makes a living out of music photography, I suspect none of them are running Ferraris or away on their yachts at the weekend - they must be doing it because they can't imagine doing anything else.
I stopped working for free, and as expected, the work dried up - overnight - ZILCH.
I have been befriended by a high profile professional music photographer and her manager on Facebook, who have given me some priceless advice - THING BIG
I am the original 'self doubter' and learned the lesson that if you don't value your own work, nobody else will.
So how do I move up a step?
I have two objectives:
1] To cover higher profile artists
2] To get paid
There are a couple of brick walls that stand in your way.
To achieve 1] you need to get accredited (get a photo pass)
To achieve this, you need to be working for someone, either a publication or an agency, or directly for band management.
Printed publications are pretty much sewn up, with either staffers or preferred freelancers.
On-line publications are where most head to and are a great way of getting the passes.
Music blogs are a good place to start, but again, they will have a preferred team of 'correspondents' who understandably guard their territory closely, plus, in most cases there is no payment involved - you get the pass and portfolio images.
I contribute to Mudkiss Fanzine. It is a highly respected blog with a large team of contributors (photography/live reviews/album reviews and exclusive interviews)
The Mudkiss team do what they do out of a passion for music, and are non-profit.
There are others that fill their pages with free content from contributors, but make a profit from advertising revenue - erm, no thanks! It really goes against the grain to work for free to make profit for others.
The ultimate goal, and where the real money is, is to work directly for the bands/management, as a tour photographer, or carrying out portrait shoots for tour programmes and album covers.
This is for the very gifted few.
I decided the next step would be agency work.
Some high profile acts stipulate 'no agency photographers' and the money is split between you and the agency, typically 60/40. Some will only send you a cheque when you have reached a monthly target, or payment gets carried over to the next month. Some will do all the photo pass chasing for you, some expect you to do it.
Some agencies will send you the assignments, others will let you pick and choose and use them as a reference for the accreditation, some are a mixture of the two.
The agency option kind of resolves 1] and 2] - it gets you in front of the bigger artists, and you have the potential to earn money. You only get paid if the agency sells the images and you won't get rich any time soon, but can be a useful residual revenue stream if you build up a substantial library.
I have until now viewed working out of Scotland to be a disadvantage, but it has one major advantage - a few high profile bands will start their tour up North and work their way South. This means you can get in at the very start of the tour and have a better chance of getting your images sold, as the tour is 'hot' news, more so than for the dozen shooters in a pit in London near the end of the tour.
With this in mind, I went about getting signed to an agency.
I took a hard look at my portfolio, and what the agencies were actually using/selling.
I took a sledge hammer to my portfolio, carried out a major cull and re-edited the rest to the best of my ability.
The end result paid off and I have signed to the very first agency I applied to - Big Pictures.
Big Pictures is reputedly the world's biggest celeb/entertainment picture agency, run by Darren Lloyd (yes, Mr Paparrazi)
I'm now looking forward to my first assignments for them.
I'm only a couple of years into my path as a music photographer - it's a small step forward, but one thing I have learned is that one thing leads to another and doors open - you just have to be smart enough to dash through them before they shut again.
Friday, 27 May 2011
The mad weekend comes around again!
Tonight is the start of the crazy manic weekend called Mo Fest in my home town of Montrose.
It starts tonight at the Town Hall with Skerryvore, supported by Jill Jackson (ex Speedway)
Tommorrow, I cover 21 bands across 14 venues and slightly less on Sunday.
On Saturday, I start at 12pm and cover bands in half hour increments (including getting in position at the next venue) right through until 1:30am.
It's exhausting, but great fun.
Pictures coming soon, both here and on the official Mo Fest Official website
It starts tonight at the Town Hall with Skerryvore, supported by Jill Jackson (ex Speedway)
Tommorrow, I cover 21 bands across 14 venues and slightly less on Sunday.
On Saturday, I start at 12pm and cover bands in half hour increments (including getting in position at the next venue) right through until 1:30am.
It's exhausting, but great fun.
Pictures coming soon, both here and on the official Mo Fest Official website
Saturday, 14 May 2011
3 Songs No Flash - Photography Exhibition
Things have been a little crazy here, which have prevented me from blogging for a while, even though I've had things to blog about!
One of the main reasons is a promotion within my day job which has proved to be a hectic and stressful settling in period.
My quick blog today is to tell you about an upcoming exhibition I am part of.
I am a member of the Official Photography Team for the Montrose Music Festival.
17 venues, over 60 bands over one weekend between the three of us - myself, Wendy Adie and Brian Smith.
An exhausting schedule, but great fun!
This year we are putting on an exhibition at Montrose Town Hall called '3 Songs No Flash', featuring our images of bands across the town in previous years, along with a section featuring some of our other concert photography work.
The exhibition runs from 23rd May to 5th June.
The music festival itself is on over the weekend of 27th 29th May, so if you are in town, swing by for a little light relief from the madness.
The displayed 18" x 12" images will also be available for sale at a very reasonable cost.
Hope to see you there!
One of the main reasons is a promotion within my day job which has proved to be a hectic and stressful settling in period.
My quick blog today is to tell you about an upcoming exhibition I am part of.
I am a member of the Official Photography Team for the Montrose Music Festival.
17 venues, over 60 bands over one weekend between the three of us - myself, Wendy Adie and Brian Smith.
An exhausting schedule, but great fun!
This year we are putting on an exhibition at Montrose Town Hall called '3 Songs No Flash', featuring our images of bands across the town in previous years, along with a section featuring some of our other concert photography work.
The exhibition runs from 23rd May to 5th June.
The music festival itself is on over the weekend of 27th 29th May, so if you are in town, swing by for a little light relief from the madness.
The displayed 18" x 12" images will also be available for sale at a very reasonable cost.
Hope to see you there!
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Dr Feelgood
"Leave all the lights up, we're a pub band and we want it to look like we're in a pub"
That was the explicit instruction to the lighting engineer at Montrose Town Hall from Dr Feelgood, and what a great decision it was.
For a change I had light to spare, and light that wasn't dancing all over the place.
I was wearing two hats on Saturday 2nd April . . . part of the official photography team for MoFest, Wendy Adie, Brian Smith and myself, otherwise known as the 'Triple A Team'.
I was also there to review the show for Mudkiss Fanzine.
You can view our collective gallery from the night on the official MoFest site and the Mudkiss Review here.
That was the explicit instruction to the lighting engineer at Montrose Town Hall from Dr Feelgood, and what a great decision it was.
For a change I had light to spare, and light that wasn't dancing all over the place.
I was wearing two hats on Saturday 2nd April . . . part of the official photography team for MoFest, Wendy Adie, Brian Smith and myself, otherwise known as the 'Triple A Team'.
I was also there to review the show for Mudkiss Fanzine.
You can view our collective gallery from the night on the official MoFest site and the Mudkiss Review here.
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