The thing you need to know… this is a rambling rant, not an educated argument for or against. I’d hate to disappoint anyone.
I bloody well hate 90% of photographers who photograph live gigs here in Brisbane.
A very good article on the Collapse Board website here about one of the aspects of photographing touring bands led me to firstly think about the role of live photographer which in turn left me considering what it is I see week in, week out that really gets on my goat. I didn’t want to sully their site with my rant.
My main beef is a simple one and it comes from the job of live photographer coming with no training and no guidance from other photographers or anyone in particular. Why is it that photographers at live gigs feel that they’re so bloody special?
As someone who’s been to a gig almost every weekend for the last 20 years, I like seeing bands on stage. What I don’t like is someone with an over sized camera jumping about the front of the stage completely distracting and at times obscuring my view of the performance. I hate the unregulated behaviour of music photographers! I hate their flashes going off and hate the way they persist in getting up the grill of bands to get ‘that shot’.
Photographers in the traditional sense are there to document a performance and a moment in time. Now the role requires you to be present and to know how a camera works. Proximity to the performance is preferable so the shot is not obscured by audience arms and such but for the most part. The subject matter does most of the work. Some artistry is required in regards to angles, framing and attempting to get a shot that isolates the routine and makes it look extraordinary. Again a lot of that ‘extrodinary’ element comes down to the performer. Think of Iggy walking on the crowd. That is more right place right time than anything else.
But back to Brisbane… Why do photographers have to stick their massive lens up in bands faces? If it’s such a powerful, expensive zoom lens, then go to the back of the room and stop disturbing the show. The Powerhouse, Rosie’s, The Step Inn, Hi Fi bar, Ric’s, Woodland, X and Y – any place with a stage four foot or lower makes me cringe when I see most folks come in with their pro-camera slung over their shoulder like a trophy prize. There’s one person who I’ve been told, shoots for faster louder that I despise. I’m sure they’re a nice person but when I see them at a gig I just know they’re not going to stop shooting till someone throws something at them. Another person who gets on my goat, from what little I know just shoots bands for themselves but I’ve been to shows where the volume is low and there’s no barrier between the performance and they’re there less than one meter from the performer clicking so loudly they are more audible than the music. Man I wanted to kick that person. Lastly, a close friend told me about a local photographer who had a few drinks at a d.i.y punk show a few months ago and then decided to get some close ups of one of the punk bands. Apparently one of the members of the band got annoyed with this person sticking their lens in his face and after repeated attempts at shooing him off, hit the guy. From all reports, no one was surprised that this eventuated.
I find the 20-something, vice looking dudes are the worst. No etiquette what-so-ever.
All this means that I love what is called “the three song rule” with touring bands. As a punter (which I am 90% of the time) it means that all the photographers are gone after 10min and it’s just me and the band (and the several hundred other folks around me).
Photographers shouldn’t interfere with a show. As a performer, sometimes it’s hard enough ensuring the song is played correctly and an actual performance is given let alone having a photographer climb on stage and sit under your cymbals trying to get ‘that shot’. True story!
I said at the start, 90% of local photographers annoy me. The other 10% are great. One or two I have learnt a lot from watching them do their thing, almost invisibly, only to see a magnificent photograph in print a few days later.
So if you have to photograph a show…
* Kneel Down (unless the stage is high enough for you to stand without obscuring the performer on stage). Even better, stand at the far edge of the stage where the speakers are.
*Stay far away from the guy/girl using the flash (or kick ’em in the ankles). Any decent Canon or Nikon with a 2.8 f stop lens doesn’t need a flash. Ever! What do you think stage lights are for?
*while the best shots usually come in the last three, not the first three songs. If you’ve got the freedom, choose one or two songs to do your thing then rack off to the side or back
While I’m not completely innocent on the points above. I try my hardest and I do remember that everyone at the show paid to get in, I got in for free to document the show. Technically that makes the punters in the room number one and me much further down the priority list to the band on stage.
Happy snapping!
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