Capturing Sound
Cultured
Shooting bands can be a complicated task, but seasoned photographer Peter Ellenby breaks down the tips needed to simplify the process
My favorite thing to shoot is music. Live shots, portraits, anything I can get in front of my lens as long as it’s loud. There is something about the unified creativity of music and photography that has captivated me since I was a tiny lad. I’d spend hours looking at all of the photos on my albums just thinking how cool it would be to shoot rock stars. Luckily enough for me, I have been able to achieve that goal to a certain extent. I mostly shoot indie rock stars, but stars nonetheless. One of my favorite cameras to shoot those stars with is Hipstamatic.
Relax The first key to shooting band portraits is to have a relaxed band to shoot. They are not models and often do not feel super comfortable in front of a camera. Nothing seems to loosen a band up more than breaking out the iPhone and shooting some Hipstamatic shots. A few years ago I was working with a group from Australia called the Kin. The shoot was with them and their Bay Area based producers the Rondo Brothers. The shoot was going OK but I felt a certain tension, so for the first time ever I decided to shoot a band with Hipstamatic. As soon as the “serious” camera was in the bag and I was snapping Hipstamatic shots the mood changed completely and we got some truly inspiring shots. That was the moment I knew that Hipstamatic would be one of my main tools on any shoot.
It’s the band not the location One of the things I’m constantly combating is bands who think they have “The Best Location Ever!” for a photo shoot. Location is nice and important, but it should take a distant back seat to the actual musicians. The people in the photographs are the most important thing in band portraits. My favorite way to shoot is to just find a starting point in a city and then go for a walk with the subject and find some spots as you go, but always have a few destinations picked out. A few weeks ago I shot Thao and the Get Down Stay Down for the cover of the San Francisco Noise Pop Festival’s program guide with Hipstamatic. Thao and I met at the Bottom of the Hill (sf’s best venue)
and strolled around on a chilly and bright winter day looking for good light. We wound up near a massive staircase on the nearby UCSF campus and that is where the cover shot was taken. The great thing about Hipstamatic is that there are so many lens and film options that you can dial a few combinations in for each location and create a vibe in the camera. Then put your focus on the band.
Pick your pak To me the best thing about Hipstamatic is that it makes you think like a serious photographer. You have to pick your film and lens, just the way you would with a real film camera. Once you press the shutter your selections are irreversible. It’s nice to experiment a lot and find what combinations work for each band or musician. I recently was commissioned to do promo photos for the new Queensryche lineup and I instantly knew that Tintype Pak would be perfect to do some individual band portraits with. One of my other favorite combinations to use when shooting portraits is the Foodie Pak, I just love the soft focus of the Loftus lens and the vibrancy of the DC film. . Another favorite combo is the Libatique 73 lens and Ina’s 1935 film. Pat Spurgeon from the band Rogue Wave actually turned me on to that combo. The possibilities are endless so just have fun and find what works for you and your subjects. Having two Hipstamatics going at a time is great as well so I often also shoot with my iPad. With two cameras I have two shooting options and also keep the flow of the shoot going.
Rocking it Live The key to live music photography pretty much boils down to anticipation and positioning. Knowing the music is of course a huge plus so you can anticipate the moments of rock action. There is nothing that beats shooting a nice lively band, like Public Enemy and getting some Flavor air time. Setting your Hipstamatic for the shoot can be pretty tricky since lighting varies drastically from venue to venue, festival stage to festival stage, and it’s only getting harder with the popularity of LCD stage lights that have a tendency to make color digital shots look sort of alien. I love to shoot black and white options live for this reason, but it all really boils down to taste, so see what works for your local clubs and venues. One of my go-to live lenses is the Watts lens, a nice bright companion to any of the Hipstamatic films. John S is another lens that does a fantastic job live. I really enjoy shooting with wider angles live so I have my Olloclip (fish eye and wide angle external lens for iPhone)
handy. Another good tip is to find a case with a lanyard like the Hipstacase. You do not want to drop your Hipstamatic in a photo pit or a mosh pit or any pit for that matter.
