This extension of our module challenges us to construct photographic images, which combine staging and creative lighting. In addition, the final piece is anticipated to be a series with a coherent narrative. As an amateur guitarist, I am eager to photograph a sitter responding to musical stimuli instead of verbal or psychosensory direction. Drummer Benjamin Bell from the band Brightlight City has posed for several portraits with me in the past. He has a natural and distinctive camera presence that will be captured in a studio setting.
Aims / Objectives / Concept
My objective as a photographer is to portray the essence of Ben’s likeness with the energy of rock and roll drumming. The visual vocabulary of the film Drive (2011) is the basis of my production design. Its thematic colour palette is stylised, cinematic and transferable to stills photography.
Since completion of my previous project, I have invested in a Mamiya 645 Super - a medium format analogue camera. It is now a permanent part of my imagemaking process. Coloured gels were efficacious in the piece and they will appear again to recreate the neon lighting of the film. Furthermore, I shall explore studio lighting modifiers as a means to sculpt my subject’s features. It is my aim to accentuate Ben’s physicality by highlighting the angles in his face and clothing. He has some modelling experience; therefore, my photographs shall be inclusive of fashion and lifestyle imagery. With music of his choice playing in the background, I will assist him to find poses.
The final piece will be presented as a men’s lifestyle editorial shoot. Straight photography will be the basis of the work alongside an experimental triptych. The two artists outlined below inspired my initial photographic investigation.
Pennie Smith (Born 1949) is a British photographer renowned for her music reportage works in black and white. Her image of The Clash’s Paul Simonon smashing his bass guitar featured on the cover of their London Calling record and it is considered one of the greatest rock and roll photographs of all time.
Born in London, Smith attended Twickenham Art School studying graphic design and fine art. Her early commissions were for Friendz Magazine - a passion project developed with Barney Bubbles and Nick Kent. However, her breakthrough work would feature Led Zeppelin on their 1970s tour. As a staff photographer for the NME, she became a cultural icon for other aspiring music photographers. Her camera lens has graced the presence of artists such as The Rolling Stones, The Who, Debbie Harry, U2, The Stone Roses, Manic Street Preachers, Radiohead and The Strokes. She resides in the railway station that she bought and converted as a student and continues to freelance as a photographer.
Standing at less than six feet away from Paul Simonon at the Palladium, New York, Smith could sense that the moment was about to unfold. Simonon was in a particularly troubled mood that evening and the shutter of her 35mm camera instinctively released as hell broke loose. This abstract photograph - raw, grainy and enraged - came to define the punk rock ethics of The Clash. In 1979, Joe Strummer selected it to be the cover of London Calling, itself a masterpiece and influential to a multitude of recording artists such as Nirvana, Bruce Springsteen and the Beastie Boys. Later in Smith’s career, it was recognised by Q Magazine as the greatest rock n’ roll photograph of all time. However, she almost dismissed the shot on the technical grounds - it was out blurry and out of focus.
‘He was in a really bad mood and that wasn’t like him. You can’t really tell it’s Paul but I guess that’s the point. It wasn’t a choice to take the shot. My finger just went off. I said, ‘It’s completely out of focus, it won’t work!’ But Joe wouldn’t have it. He said, ‘That one is the photo.’ So I thought, ‘Ok I’m not going to argue. It’s your bloody album, get on with it!’ I’m pleased I took it, but it’s a bit of a weight around my neck. It keeps coming back to whack me on the back of the head - nicely in some instances, but aggravatingly in others.
The Jam stood like Englishmen - shoulder to shoulder in every photo but The Clash were tactile. They seemed more at ease and made better shapes. They’d hug each other, grab each other’s shoulders, fool around. They were slightly artsy, definitely non-conformers.’ (Walker, 2019)
Tom Andrew is a London-based photographer with a portfolio spanning music, fashion and portraiture. He has a distinctive experimental lighting style bringing together a plethora of imaging technologies. This project is named after his self-proclaimed subject matter - visual sound.
An appreciation of analogue photography started early in Andrew’s career while he worked in darkrooms and as a lighting technician. Film was a rare commodity while he was growing up and his parents encouraged him to be selective of the shots that he would take. This attention to detail is still apparent in his photography today. In order to introduce predictability, his works incorporate choreographed movement and he often references contemporary dance practitioners. This aesthetic has caught the attention of commercial clients that include Nike, Puma, Aquascutum, Warp Records and Sony.
Andrew’s lifestyle editorial shoot for Mixmag featuring producer Mura Masa is the main inspiratory piece for this assignment. The sitter is presented as a balance between lines, colours and textures, with a composition that unites the abstract and figurative. It is a comparative reinterpretation of Smith’s London Calling record cover. Swatches of light illuminate the darkened studio background. Opposing orange and blue forms represent Mura Masa’s eclectic music - clubland pop, soul, punk, folk and hardcore edits. He appears in full length and in conventional portraiture poses; however, the back of his head is included in addition to other poses that occlude his face.
‘I compose images with strong graphic forms while also looking to capture a spontaneous point of elegance, which often involves exploring colour and movement. I will meticulously plan out lighting before taking most pictures. I like my images to quite often capture things that are rarely seen in moving image or real life. My lighting facilitates this through commonly capturing movement and enhanced colours.
In Applied Composition, I wanted to take a collection of photographs where the application of line and colour compliment found compositions on the body - in some cases structuring the images with a fine balance between both these elements - to question the area of skin used or to forget the idea that the body is even present. The objective being to create images with a flow in concept, the project sits between beauty and painted art.’ (Kent-Smith, 2020)
It will be a challenge to amalgamate the platforms of music, film and photography. My voice is rather formal; therefore, the influence of each may be subtle. Smith’s iconic photograph is the aspiration for every music photographer - genre defining and timeless. The authenticity of the motion blur and soft focus are a potent combination. Although I am not a reportage photographer, I will create a scenario in the studio that allows my sitter to perform without inhibition. Music playing during the shoot will be imperative without any direction from me. Andrew’s technical lighting requires a degree of choreography. Coloured gels will be matched to reflect his palettes and the nature of my sitter’s musical preferences. There is a fluidity to a drummer’s movement that is visually satisfying. I shall attempt some shots that are rehearsed to ensure specific movements are recorded. Drive (2011) as a film has many facets and I shall analyse it in the next blog post.
Kent-Smith, J. (2020). Turning The Wheel - Mura Masa Is Setting Off On A Whole New Direction. Mixmag. Available from
www.mixmag.net/feature/mura-masa-cover
[Accessed 10/04/2020]
Walker, R. (2019). ‘We Had the Same Brain’ - How Pennie Smith Turned The Clash Into Icons. The Guardian. Available from
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/nov/11/the-clash-london-calling-pennie-smith-photography
[Accessed 10/04/2020]
Pennie Smith, London Calling, 1979
Tom Andrew, Mura Masa, 2020
