FEATURE: #NoFilter: The Music Photographers Shooting High

FEATURE:

#NoFilter:

PHOTO CREDIT: Annie Leibovitz/IN THIS PHOTO: Keith Richards

The Music Photographers Shooting High

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MY previous feature concerned music labels and those that are…

PHOTO CREDIT: Sacha Lecca

supporting and promoting the best talent around the world. I collated the finest labels and why, in my opinion, they were worth a serious look. I will, at some stage, concentrate on producers and an area of music that is relatively undersubscribed. We get into the mindset that all the glamour and excitement comes with a career as a musician. Many overlook the importance of those behind microphones and mixing desks – and those who photograph and film concerts/musicians. I know many music photographers and all have their own reasons for taking it up. It is the excitement of capturing that single moment. Defining a gig or encapsulating a particular look can stay in the memory for years. I included a famous photo (up-top) by Annie Leibovitz as she, in many people’s views, she is the finest music photographer who has ever lived. She has snapped iconic images of everyone from Iggy Pop, Paul McCartney and The White Stripes – photographing Hollywood stars like Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lawrence.

PHOTO CREDIT: Christie Goodwin/IN THIS PHOTO: Katy Perry

There is a great article that provides a realistic and encouraging narrative of how to become a photographer – and the costs and realities involved. It does not take a lot of money to get started but, once that passion and ambition grows; the equipment needed to get those top-quality shots will climb. I can understand the desire photographers have and why they hanker to shoot that ‘perfect’ image. In a lot of ways; images of gigs/musicians can be more iconic and enduring than the music itself. A fantastic self-portrait or composition catches the eye and gets in the mind: a wonderful mid-gig photo is that visual documentation of a unique moment. The genuinely inventive and quality photographer are harder to get hold of than you’d imagine. I review so many great artists but they are let down by a surfeit of good-quality images. Hiring a photographer can be expensive but, if you get a selection of great shots on your social media, that makes a more attractive and appealing proposition.

IN THIS PHOTO: Ashley Osborn

Ashley Osborn, who features in this rundown, explained why she took up photography and the highlights she has discovered:

“I was shooting at least three shows a week in Chicago, editing each monthly issue, and working full-time at Starbucks. It was so much work but it was worth it. Things started to take off. I met a musician named Craig Owens in 2012 and I started shooting his band, Chiodos. Early in 2013, my friend and musician GOLDHOUSE asked me to join him for a weekend tour to take photos and document it. Then Chiodos asked if I could come out on Warped Tour that summer for a few days. My manager at Starbucks rearranged the books so I could take time off, still keep my job, and get paid. I don't know if that was [kosher], but I really appreciated it. In the fall of 2013, I went on my first tour with PVRIS. I was friends with Lynn Gunn, the band's vocalist/guitarist, and I'm pretty sure I cried when she asked me to come on tour. It was just them and me, and we were kind of winging it. I took photos of the tour, burned merch CDs on my laptop, and sold them at the shows. It was probably the hardest and most exciting month of my entire life, but it really solidified that I wanted to do this”.

To celebrate the pioneering and hard-working photographers; a list of the finest music snapper from around the world – with one of their typical shots, Instagram (and official/social media) page – and where one might find them snapping away…

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