We were looking for a guy with really cool hair to interview for Ride The Lighting. We found this dude. Turns out he’s a sensational music photographer for Rolling Stone, Spin, Q and more. Plus, he’s an internet legend – in fact, one of the foremost purveyors of music photography tips and tricks in the world. Funny, we just liked his barnet. Ladies and gentleman, we give you the man behind the truly brilliant ishootshows.com – Todd Owyoung…

Questions by Fanny & Ass… damn this keyboard, sorry… Danny & Ash.

RTL: What was the first concert you photographed? On what gear? And how did it turn out? 

Todd: The first show I shot was the Avett Brothers in February of 2006 at a small club with about a one-foot stage. I had a friend who was going to the show and invited me along. This was long before the Avett Brothers reached the acclaim they have now, and I had no idea who they were. I had been into photography for several years and on a whim decided to bring my Nikon D70 and my Nikon 50mm f/1.4. I figured that if I didn’t like the music, I could always amuse myself by shooting photos. As it turned out, the bands were fantastic and I loved shooting them. Looking at the images after the gig, I was just struck by the thought, “Maybe I can do something with this.” I just loved the experience and the challenge of nailing an image of a performer that captured the spirit of the show and their music.

While I had a Nikon D2x at the time, I brought the lowly D70 because I didn’t want the D2x to reek of cigarette smoke. Naturally this aversion to bringing expensive camera gear to smoky dives went out the window immediately. A week after that first gig, I had tickets to another show, Andrew Bird, and decided to contact his publicist about photographing the event. She set up credentials and the rest is history; after that first photo pass, I was hooked.

RTL: Are there two or three photographers you have drawn most inspiration from?

Todd: I think that more than anything, there are photographers whose careers are incredibly inspiring. All the legendary photographers like Jim Marshall, Annie Leibovitz, Mick Rock – but more generally, anyone else who has ever made an iconic rock image. Personally, I think that there’s a little slice of immortality when one is able to create something iconic. That’s what I’m chasing at every gig I shoot.

RTL: How close is your photography to the level you wish to reach? What are you currently most keen to improve?

Todd: Regarding technical skills, I’m always excited to continue honing my portrait and lighting skills. When you’re able to build an image through lighting, depth, styling and posing, it seems like the amount one can learn is infinite. In terms of career, I often feel like I’ve only achieved 5-10% of what I want to accomplish. I’ve only been shooting music for 6 years – this is just the start for me.

RTL: You photograph so many concerts, how do you avoid it becoming a formulaic process for you?

Todd: While I feel completely comfortable shooting pretty much anything live and loud, I think that photographing so many shows is exactly what keeps it fresh for me. There are always different genres, levels of production and types of venues, it never truly gets boring. When I do feel like I’m falling into a groove or getting too comfortable, I take it as a challenge to push harder and deliver more compelling images.

RTL: Do poor lighting set-ups ever make you want to storm out of the pit? And do you ever use flash?

Todd: There are times when I’ve been shooting an opening band that have made me laugh at the lack of lighting. But when it’s the main act that has bad lighting, it’s enough to make one want to cry. Bad stage lighting can be frustrating, but for live music, it’s right up there with death and taxes. Unless you’re shooting only arena gigs, it’s really inescapable.

I do use flash, but my goal is always to make it look like stage lighting. Personally, I love shooting with flash at shows, but that’s when I have the freedom to place multiple flashes on stage. It takes a level of trust from a band, but the results can be amazing. Flash often gets a bad rap with people who shoot live music, but it’s just a tool to be used, mastered, and applied appropriately.

RTL: Where do you stand on photo contracts for live shows?  Ever refused to shoot a gig because of one?

Todd: I’ve definitely walked out on many gigs because of a photo contact sprung at the venue, or flat out refused assignments when severe contracts are sent ahead of time. Not all contracts are bad, but photographers must be mindful about exactly what they’re signing these days.

RTL: You have built a remarkable profile not just through your photography but through your blogging. Do you think blogging/social networking is a truly essential part of marketing yourself as a photographer in 2012 or just something you enjoy?

Todd: I do think that savvy social networking can make for very successful marketing, but it’s also something that I enjoy. I started my blog in mid-2007, I never dreamed that I’d have such dedicated readers around the world. I think that an online presence can be a huge asset for clients and colleagues alike. In a field like music photography, I love that I’ve been able to connect with people across the globe who have the same passion I do. In terms of business, my blog has been a huge asset as well – it shows not only a very organic presentation of my work, but it shows my character as well. I had one client for a corporate shoot say, after seeing how I replied to almost every comment on my blog and answered questions, “This is the guy.”

RTL: Your photo tips are used by thousands of people across the world – did you make a specific decision one day to share your knowledge? Ever wonder if you should have kept your secrets to yourself?

Todd: When I started www.ishootshows.com, one of the main goals was to share what I learned along the way as a music photographer. I’d been shooting concerts for about a year when I launched the site and certainly pretty new on my journey as a music photographer. There weren’t really many blogs about music photography at the time, so I decided to share as much as I could through the site. 

There are moments when I regret sharing so much information, mostly due to the fact that there are people I’ve personally helped who have turned around and tried to compete for the assignments with me or established colleagues with whom I’m friends. At those times, I can’t help but think of one scene in the documentary Exit Through The Giftshop where Bansky, reflecting on the rise of Mr. Brainwash, deadpans, “I used to tell everyone I met to be an artist… I don’t do that any more.”

However, this feeling hasn’t stopped me from posting advice and tips, as the benefit from me doing this far outweighs the bad. When I started www.ishootshows.com, I always wanted to help the field of music photography and the people who want to pursue it, and this goal hasn’t changed. I love sharing knowledge and feel really honored that people all over the world are employing some of what I’ve shared. I’ll share tips and techniques as long as I can.

RTL: What’s your career highlight so far?

Todd: Shooting alongside Ride the Lighting’s own Danny North, of course! But in all seriousness, I’ll give you two….

One definite career highlight really has been the opportunity to work with some of the top music shooters in the world, including my brother Chris Owyoung, Danny North, Andrew Whitton, on editorial assignments and corporate shoots alike. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to do what you love, work with people who are the best in the game, and actually get paid to do what most people would (and do) do for free.

On the flip side, I think I’m most pleased about the small things. For example, I’m working with a very young and talented band in NYC right now. I was initially contacted by their label and management because of a referral from a music publicist. To me, it’s incredibly thrilling to be able do work based on word of mouth and personal recommendations from people in the music industry.

Anyone can eventually work to shoot huge arena gigs, but I think it’s a professional accomplishment to get to a level where people are starting to seeking me out for projects, big or small.

RTL: Do you ever get sick of being asked for photography/gear advice?

Todd: Just about any photographer loves to talk gear and photography, and I’m no exception. My only regret is that I can’t often respond to the individual requests I receive. I try to share as much as possible on my blog to benefit the greatest number of people. I do cringe a little when I can’t respond to individual emails – dozens and dozens every week – simply because of the time that would require. To try and assuage my sense of guilt, I try to write articles on the topics that I’m most asked about.

RTL: What are you most looking forward to shooting or accomplishing this year?

Todd: World domination. More realistically, I think I’m past due to head over to the UK for some proper fish and chips, as well as a festival or two!

Go see what Todd does at www.ishootshows.com and www.toddowyoung.com

POSTED BY ASH

Glen E Friedman was one of the first photographers whose work I fell in love with. I discovered his photography through my love of Fugazi, but before becoming one of the foremost photographers of the ’80s US hardcore punk scene (incl Minor Threat, Black Flag et al), he defined the way the then-burgeoning West Coast skate scene of the late ’70s was documented. He also shot many iconic hip hop photos for the Def Jam label (Public Enemy, Beastie Boys and so on). The first book of his I owned was The Idealist - bought for my birthday by the Kerrang! staff many moons ago. I love its randomness - it’s photography in a wide sense, not confined to genre. Shots of a raging Henry Rollins, or a hard-faced Ice T nestle with abstracts of shopping mall trolleys, snow, skies and so on, and to me it makes perfect sense. That book showed me you can shoot music without solely being a ‘music photographer’ and it remains a huge inspiration to me, as does his determination to use photography to communicate his passion, rather than just being a shooter for hire. His other books include one consisting just of his Fugazi shots (‘Keep Your Eyes Open’) and perhaps his definitive work, ‘Fuck You Heroes’. I love them all. No digital trickery, no obsession with gear, just an obsession with rebellion, adrenaline, alternative thought and how to capture it all on a roll of film.   

His website is burningflags.com and his Twitter handle is @glenefriedman.

POSTED BY ASH

Hanging out with Lana Del Rey when she’s wearing a tiara and has blood dribbling down her face: we’ve all done it. But Russ O’Connell does other things too, including managing and commissioning the photographers at the UK’s most prestigious music magazine, Q. Previously, he had the same role at celeb-obsessed weekly Heat. Ever licensed a set of photos for 40 grand? He has. Read on, this is fascinating stuff…

Interview by Danny ‘I Don’t Get Out Of Bed For Less Than 39 Grand’ North*

Danny North: Let’s get our readers acquainted with you first.  Tell us a bit about your background, what was your first picture editing job, and how did you get into it?

Russ O’Connell: I studied photography at Camberwell College Of Art, then went on to do a degree in photography down in Exeter. When I finished university, I started to go in the direction of wanting to become a photo illustrator, managed to get a few commissions, but it was like being stuck out in the middle of the sea without armbands, so I began to investigate getting work placements at various photo libraries and magazines. Heat magazine was one of the first to come back to me, four months unpaid work experience turned into a seven-year career there where I eventually made Picture Director at the pinnacle of the magazine’s popularity, I then made the move over to Q magazine where I have been the Picture Director for the past three years.

Danny: I suppose that would make a good argument for unpaid internships?  How did you manage for four months of unpaid work?

Russ: I wouldn’t choose to be unpaid, but often that’s the only way to get your foot in the door, especially in the current climate, companies are tightening their belts, trying to get more for less. If you are going to go down the internship/work experience route then you have to make yourself indispensable and prove your worth, that way people take notice of you, of your commitment and passion. I had to sign on to the dole and was getting housing benefit to help me during that period, luckily my parents helped to fund me too. I think the key is to work out if you can afford to do it, if you are really really passionate about it, then you will find a way to make it happen. Most companies only offer a week or so work experience, I decided to stretch that out to four months as I knew that way I could make myself indispensable to them and also be in a great position to be there when an opportunity arose, which it did. Fate? Maybe, but also determination that paid off.

Danny: Picture Director at Heat must have been an intense job, that magazine is wall-to-wall images… and weekly! What’s your best memory form working there?

Russ: It was intense, but also really exciting, I was lucky enough to work there at the magazine’s peak, selling 600,000+ issues a week. I used to bid crazy money on paparazzi sets of images, £3K, £5K, £15K, even £40K – there was a hunger for those type of pictures, to be the first magazine to have them exclusively, it was a real buzz winning a bidding war, or getting a set of images first through your relationship with photographers and photo agencies. I think in terms of buzz, it was probably winning a bidding war on a set of Beckham images that rose up to £40,000!

Danny: Having dealt with pictures from agency photographers and then worked with editorial photographers, do you see them as completely different kinds of people?

Russ: Very much so, unfortunately now the majority of paparazzi photographers aren’t trained photographers at all. They have limited, if no, concept of photography or the understanding behind it, they are purely employed to serve as image-making machines to feed the hungry media disposable images of the current person/‘celebrity’ of the moment. The job of the paparazzi is simple, to try and capture that person before anyone else and get the pictures off to the agency or picture desks as quickly as possible. The role of the paparazzo used to be a skilled, almost covert role, staking out someone for hours or even days on end, using long lenses so not to intrude on that person directly in hope to capture someone doing something they shouldn’t be doing or something out of the ordinary that will genuinely make an interesting set of images. I think those days at large are fading, the Phil Rameys of this world and Frank Rosses are now shadowed by truck drivers and kids with no photographic training or understanding, being given a digital camera, putting it on A or P mode and literally jumping in the face of their subject in a scrum reminiscent of an England rugby match.

On the flip side, the editorial photographer’s job is more calculated and planned, a real understanding of composition, exposure and subject all plays a part in a good editorial photographer’s working method, the editorial photographer needs to develop a rapport with his or her subject, understand that person and what it is they are trying to say and develop that into an image worthy of standing up a feature or story.

Danny: Q is Britain’s most prestigious music magazine… in an age where the competition for photo work is fierce, what does it take to become a Q photographer?

Russ: A complete understanding of your subject, and a good understanding of composition and technical skill. You would be surprised by the number of photographers approaching me who have never shot a band or musician before claiming that they feel that they are suited to shoot for Q. I’ve even had pet photographers approach me for work. I understand it’s tough out there and people are more than ever looking for new ways to make money, but I’m not going to employ someone who has no concept or experience of what it is like to shoot a musician or band. To shoot for Q you really need to know your subject, be a skilled photographer and be different, offer something different that sets you apart from the rest of the pack.

Danny: What are the most common mistakes by up and coming photographers when showing you their portfolio?

Russ: Overuse of images, if you have two great shots of someone from a live gig or studio session or even just one, just show those, there’s no need to show the whole session to prove you can shoot a lot. I think self-editing is a really important skill that photographers need to take time to develop. Often it helps do have someone else edit your work as you can become blinded by your own work – it’s hard to become self-critical of work you are proud of, but you need to take into account who you are showing it to and if it’s the right thing to include in your folio, whether you think it’s great or not.

Danny: Do you strive to give Q a specific ‘look’ with its photography, and how specific are the briefs you give your photographers?

Russ: Quality control is very important to me on Q, I think it’s important to retain a visual identity to a magazine so the readership knows what quality they can expect to see. With that in mind, when I joined Q I very much pushed the photography in the magazine further, I was getting bored with seeing the same old style press shots and basic lighting used for the shoots, so along with the then Creative Director I made it my mission to revitalise the photography in the mag and create some sort of visual identity, upping the level of photographers and concepts.

Danny: One thing that springs to mind is a comment you made to me about noise in images. It seems like pixel-peeping photographers (aren’t we all?), and the industry at large are insanely paranoid about noise. You seem to understand the nature of it from screen to print more than most. Does this understanding come from working with film back when you first started?  Explain the major differences between how we see it on our screens and the final results in print.

Russ: I think many people have started to realise that it’s about the image rather than the ‘noise’. Even if noise is present in an image on the screen it will look very different once it is printed. I believe it’s mainly down to viewing distance, you don’t look at a magazine page with your nose touching the page, so of course it will look very different viewing the whole image printed on a page as opposed to blown up 100% on your monitor. My thoughts are that if you like the image it shouldn’t matter about noise. With 35mm film, some of the best images have been taken with really grainy black-and-white film, 1600 or even 3200 ISO film, yet back then no-one complained that the images were too grainy, they simply accepted it as part of the image and character of 35mm film – it makes it what it is.

Danny: What’s your favourite Q shoot from your three years there?

Russ: Biffy Clyro on a roof in LA shot by Austin Hargrave. I briefed Austin that I wanted them playing their instruments, giving attitude to really show the energy of Biffy Clyro, needless to say he hit the nail on the head, the image has everything going for it, the energy of the band, the setting/location, lighting. It’s one of those truly great rock ‘n’ roll images.

Danny: Having started out as a photographer, do you recommend becoming a Picture Director as a career path to others?

Russ: Definitely. It’s a role that I wasn’t even aware existed when I was at university, we were led to believe that becoming a photographer or photographer’s assistant is the only option out there, but becoming a photo editor to me is the best of both worlds: you get to work with some of the world’s best photographers, look at amazing imagery everyday, meet some truly talented people and you can also get the chance to shoot stuff yourself if you are confident enough. 

*N.B. That was a joke… he actually won’t get INTO bed for less than 39 grand.

POSTED BY DANNY

See that slick looking dude over there, hanging around behind a stage somewhere —>

He’s masterminded the career of bands including the Kaiser Chiefs, The Cribs, The Vaccines, Crystal Castles and White Lies. We asked him about his own career, the highs and lows of his job (although, he tells us, it’s not a ‘job’ really) and a bunch of stuff about photography, including: “three songs, no flash - for heaven’s sake, why?”.

Paxman North was chief interrogator. Photo by Peanut.

Danny North: Who was the first band you ever managed and how did you end up managing them in the first place? 

James Sandom: The first artist I managed was a guy called Even Johansen, known as Magnet, signed to Ultimate Dilemma initially, and then Atlantic Records. As with many twists and turns in my career there was an element of fate involved. Even was previously frontman in a band that enjoyed brief success in the 90s called Libido. A couple of guys from his former band were my neighbours on Weavers Way in Camden Town where I lived briefly in 1997/98. One thing lead to another, I spent some time with them, and subsequently with Even, and offered to help him. Magnet was about to release a fantastic debut record called ‘Quiet & Still’ in Scandinavia, and that got me on the rails, as I was able to land both record and publishing deals in quick succession for Magnet off the strength of this self-financed debut release. My first success of any note was also largely coincidental, a couple of my wife’s teenage friends Jesper Mortensen and Jeppe Breum Laursen were making music in Denmark as Junior Senior, I heard ‘Move Your Feet’, got on a flight to Copenhagen and that chapter began.

Danny: You had proved yourself as an independent manager. What influenced your decision to join the SuperVision group and who were the first band that you managed after joining them?

James: I had already joined SuperVision during this time, actually. I had mutual connections there through Adam Driscoll who I’d crossed paths with three or four years earlier when I was in the band Mr Baker. We released a single on the Blue Dog label, through V2, which Adam ran. I was also friends with Be Rozzo who runs the Barfly clubs, also part of the same group of companies that would eventually become MAMA Group. I’d met Be around Camden in the ’90s, frequently at shows in his London venue. Adam gave me a shot, I was working alongside Paul Craig who was manager of The Webb Brothers at the time, and had worked with Michael Hutchence – and learned a lot of the fundamentals of the business, and in equal measure what to do alongside what not to do. They were defining years for me. 

Danny: Let’s talk about promotional photographs - how important are great promos to an artist or band, and what makes a great promo shot in your opinion?

James: Vitally important. Opinions are formed on first impressions, and a great promo shot can draw you in. I’m a great believer in the iconic, aspirational quality of rock ’n’ roll, and believe an artist’s identity is in many ways as important as the music. It’s just another part of the package and a reason to believe in the artist. The greatest shots are generally those with character, and an air of mystery to them. 

Danny: How do you go about choosing a photographer to shoot a band/artist’s promos?

James: It more often than not comes down to existing relationships these days, but at the heart of the decision is definitely the photographer’s work and our belief they can do the job to get the best from the artist in this situation.

Danny: Do artists/bands ever get trained in how to pose for the camera? Which of your artists would you say is the best at it, and which is your favourite promo shot?

James: We’ve never had an artist train as such, but ultimately those that enjoy real success are basically training all the time and over time you’d hope they’d get better and more confident in front of the camera. From our roster there’s a couple of artists especially good, Franz Ferdinand have taken some great cover shots, where they instantly have a ‘classic’ look ranking alongside artists like the Stones, Dylan or Bowie – rather than their modern day contemporaries. Alice Glass & Ethan Kath from Crystal Castles always capture that sense of mystery and intrigue and will go to extreme lengths to create striking images, as NME discovered when Alice sliced Ethan open in front of Tom Oxley and begun licking the blood off his chest!

Danny: There is an increase in the amount of bands asking photographers to sign copyright transfer contracts at gigs – what are your thoughts on them? 

James: It’s the way of the world, in modern times with the internet enabling any photographer to post their work publicly and share it, I can appreciate the artists’ desire not to have any old work out there – with no quality control – so I guess this measure helps protect against that.

Danny: The ‘three songs, no flash’ rule can often make live photography a bunfight. Can you explain why this is usually in place?

James: An interesting point. For some artists it’s logistical, for instance from our roster there’s rarely a show where Ricky Wilson from Kaiser Chiefs, or Alice Glass from Crystal Castles don’t use the pit as part of the show, therefore there’s a safety element both for the photographers, the artists themselves and most importantly the crowd in having the pit clear. There’s an element of respecting the crowd with this too, the fans that have made it to the front few rows are invariably the most passionate – if their gig experience is starting at the back of a sea of photographers, it’s not ideal.

Danny: What’s the best thing about the work you do? And what’s the worst?

James: I can only speak personally, but it isn’t ‘work’. At 38 I still don’t feel as though I have a job. I’m surrounded by the culture I loved from the earliest age, and whilst I’m fiercely passionate for success for my artists (and as a result for myself too) and often 18-20 hour days are reality, I still never get up in the morning feeling as though it’s work. This is my lifestyle, and I wouldn’t change it for the world other than the time it means I don’t spend with my wife and son. That’s the worst aspect, there’s no divide. I don’t ‘leave the office and work is done’, work travels with me 24/7.

Danny: If any of our readers are considering becoming artist managers, what do you wish you had been told at the beginning?

James: The ability to deal with such a vast array of characters, each with their own idiosyncrasies is a skill I hadn’t envisaged to begin with. Over time you sink or swim to a degree. I’m drawn to very strong characters, which means managing some wilful people in the best sense as they have a true sense of their own aesthetic, and worst as you’re essentially responsible for any steering in the wrong direction! The skill of being appreciative of an artist’s desire, but strong enough to present the bigger picture and if necessary convince them of a more suitable solution from time to time is something to bear in mind from the start.

POSTED BY DANNY