Zen Archer

I spent last weekend photographing the New York Dolls and then for the BBC the influential and experimental American composer George Crumb (above).

It was actually surprising to me how many types of photographer I had to be. A Reportage Photographer, Press Photographer, Classical Music Concert Photographer, Portrait Photographer, Rock Music Concert Photographer and Snapper (there's always room for snapping). So when folks ask me what type of photography I do, I can tell them.....................



Now, these skills do not appear overnight. When I first turned professional in 2006 I was mainly photographing educational workshops using and developing a reportage style. You need to have a quick eye for this and capture interaction with educators and students. This includes facial expressions of "I don't get it" to "Ahhh the penny just dropped". With-in this there is also sense of place, time and project. Lots of these pictures have appeared in BBC Proms Guide since 2006 and in music magazines to illustrate the BBC's and other media organizations commitment to education and learning through music.

This is where I started learning about reportage and the message every picture tells a story. Sometimes it will but it is also the best 10 or 20 pictures that will define the day. Remember to synchronize your camera,s if using more than one (to get all the shots in time order) and shoot and compose with your legs. Move around.
The pictures I take are often used in a book or website to support and archive the learning project that I was working on.

The more educational workshops I do the more I am looking at the students face, without being over baring. I try to avoid using flash particularly in a studio or a concert hall and wind up the ISO to 800 and look for the light. There are times however where flash is good, to capture dance moves when stage lights are not there and to capture the violin bow on the up in a dark rehearsal. Most professional musicians however do not like flash and will not allow flash so then a tripod and cable release is essential.

More soon on press photography. Including some links and pictures of photos that have appeared in national newspapers this week.

Talking of skills not being honed overnight my daughter is one of the leads in the school Christmas play, where she is King Balthazar, one of the 3 Wise men. All of the major roles this year have gone to girls. Lots of budding Meryl Streeps but no budding George Clooneys.

She has practiced and practiced the lines, morning, noon and night. Not just the lines but all the songs that go with it. There were a few worries when the teacher told her that she would be riding a camel in the play. This was soon put aside when she was assured that the camel was just really a painted cardboard box with straps and dangling legs.

No time for tidying her room though!