A Photographer

A Photographer’s View

Now that Opry North has had our 1^st Anniversary this past February, we decided that we must express our concerns about a few aspects of the music industry. We are not trying to make waves nor are we pointing fingers. This is not what Opry North is for. I was always taught by guys from the ‘old school’, which I belong to as I’m going to be 40 (and have been reminded of many times) that one bad photo can cost you your integrity or even your career, so stay away from them.

The easiest way I can express myself about photography, photographers and concerts is by saying this; in the 40’s and 50’s photographers were treated just as well and as importantly as their counterparts the writers, and were treated with almost star-like considerations. Artists, managers and publicists knew that if you treated the photographer with respect, the chances were good that he would provide you with a near perfect photo, making you look the best you could. Lately we have noticed a lot of the photos on the Internet are of such poor quality that I might as well have been the person on stage singing, as the photos are so dark you can’t tell who it is other than the name underneath the photo.

Okay, I’m the first to say that I’m not perfect and conditions do exist that push the photographer to the point of packing up and going home. The best of photographers who know how to manipulate their equipment to shoot in almost total darkness will admit that simple actions could be taken to help them out. We have shot over 30 concerts in all types of conditions; rain, snow, hot, cold and extremely poor lighting. The photographer is usually asked to shoot the first two songs with no flash. Oh, this isn’t really that bad if you know your equipment. The problems start when you’re then asked to stand 100 feet away from the stage. This act has just eliminated 90% of the photographers out there. The fastest 200mm zoom that I have is a 3.5; if you’re lucky enough to have $12,000.00 invested in your camera and lens (the lens being a 1.8 aperture) you’re still in business. Sorry, but most of us cannot afford this gear. I have $4,000.00 in my camera and by the time you buy flashes and lenses I’m up to almost $8,000.00. You have to stop somewhere.

I’m sure the promoter, the publicist or the artists themselves do not do this knowingly. The resulting coverage is something that just isn’t given enough consideration. Think of it like this; you’re onstage giving the best performance that you’ve ever given, your band is tight and the crowd is going nuts. Sounds great, right? Nope. When you step off the stage someone close to you tells you something was missing, the music wasn’t right – no punch. Horror sets in when you realize that you’d just done your set with only the monitors on! This is the feeling I get when I go to a web site and read a deadly article about a show, then click to see the photos. Crap… among the worst I’ve seen. My question is…WHY? If they suck, leave them off! Or better yet, take steps to ensure that you’ll have good results.

Recommendations to help us out:

BULL PEN AROUND THE STAGE: Offers security and gives videographers and photographers a shot from under 30 feet away…great pictures, remember?

SECURITY: Remind security that photographers are there to do a job too…why bother with having coverage if the photographer will be hounded by security and can’t do a good job. Who’s being hurt? The artist, that’s who.

LIGHTING: If you decide on no flashes allowed, try to have the stage lights brought up for the first two songs…one single spot from directly overhead will make you look ghoulish.

APPRECIATION: Remember, a good photographer would be honoured if you wanted to use his photo(s) for your website – we are, and we let you have them for free!

Remember that everything has to tie in together. You spend a lot of money on the stage crew, the lighting, the sound, the promotion/advertising and your whole career. It only makes sense that you would want a complete package so consider the resulting coverage. It should reflect the effort you’ve put into the rest of the show. After all, if you won’t care enough…who will?

Written by Wayne Tozzi

All opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of anyone else in the music industry or the media.