Word going around the internet has it that there was a hardcore show somewhere in Chicago that was limiting photographers. I don’t know what bands were playing the show and I wasn’t curious enough to find out more information about a show I had no intentions of driving to Chicago for.
Chances are that if this show were happening in the Pittsburgh area, the show would have probably consisted of bands that I wouldn’t want to see or at a venue that’s an hour out of town that I refuse to go to anymore.
A person that runs a DIY label in northern California said they were in favor of such restrictions and was inundated with comments, both for and against their statement, to the point where they left the internet platform where they felt compelled to share their opinion. At times, I could understand the point they were trying to make. I could also say that their moral high horse only has three legs, much like my own.
When I’m taking pictures at a show, I try my best to stay out of the way and be aware of my surroundings. Having played road crew for my fair share of shows, I've learned a little bit of etiquette to not interfere with the show itself.
With the exception of DRI, bands have always been appreciative when I take the time to come out to their shows and take pictures. I have been in the room to take pictures of various bands playing their first show, their record release show or their final show. I have, on several occasions, also had the privilege of taking pictures of some of my Punk Rock heroes. Being able to document all of these situations makes it worth the effort to do the thing.
The amount of people that actually give a shit about music in Pittsburgh is a very small percentage of the population. My goal has always been to go out and document the bands that play in this town in an effort to say that, yes, we were here and we did these things even though no one asked us to or cared that we did.
The other side of that coin is that I have been in small, dark rooms when three or four other photographers have shown up and there were so many flashes going off it was like a photo shoot. I’ve been to a show where a photographer wouldn’t get the fuck out of the way and stood right in front of the singer the entire set and would put his camera right in their face. I’ve also seen someone bring a step stool into a show and had a large, muscle bound fellow stand guard and act like a bouncer while they stood on it to film a show.
Everything has its extremes and its limits. Either no one comes out to document that these things happened or they border on the ridiculous and the first four rows of people all have cameras. But these days, the first four rows of people all have their phones out and record the whole night so it really doesn’t make much difference.
There is a happy medium that can be found but I doubt that anyone would give a shit about upholding it and would end up doing whatever they wanted to anyway. It’s that lack of common sense and self awareness that leads to places putting rules into place. It only takes one dipshit to ruin something for everyone. Like the dipshit filming duo that I’ve encountered that put their tripods all over an already small stage and then proceed to push people out of the way so their sweeping shots of the musicians from the front of the stage aren’t interrupted. I’m pretty sure that no one watching the video of a hardcore show on their phone while pooping is handing out extra points for cinematography.
Without a doubt, Chicago is a completely different environment with its own set of challenges than Pittsburgh, but this town is slowly becoming over-saturated with photographers and I don’t necessarily see that as a bad thing. I enjoy watching pro shot videos of shows that I missed because I was off shooting another show that was happening at the same time. I always try to make space and trade places with other photographers so we can all get our coverage. And as the number of people that come out to take pictures of shows seems to be growing, the number of paying media outlets that care about underground music is rapidly shrinking. We’re all out here doing this thing on our own. It would probably be best if we all looked out for each other as best as we can instead of competing.
I’ve been doing this for years now and I have never gotten any response whatsoever from any local publications that I’ve reached out to about freelance work. The only times that they’ve responded was when I caught them “borrowing” my work and I’ve had to raise hell to be compensated for the use of my pictures.
I don’t get paid to do this and I know I probably never will so I won’t be quitting my day job any time soon. Websites and publications that offer to pay in exposure and experience are a fucking joke. I’m sure my mortgage company would gladly accept the exposure that I received for a picture that I took instead of money, once I figure out the likes to USD conversion rate.
I always make sure to pay my cover charge or buy my tickets to get into shows even when there’s a photo pass involved. I fully understand that if everybody gets into the shows for free, the shows will stop happening. Especially with the rising expenses that touring bands of all levels face.
When I’m shooting a show, I always try to stick to the periphery as best I can and operate in the area of the speaker stacks. I know I’m not the only one in the room so I try not ruin anyone else’s night out by getting in the way. If a show is overly crowded, I’ll stay in one spot and make due with the angles that I’m given. And with my proximity to the PA and the drums, I always try to lend a hand in putting things back together when they inevitably go wrong.
Over the years, I have been kicked, elbowed, run into and splattered with booze. Those are all occupational hazards that I’ve taken into consideration by not taking expensive equipment into a place where it might end up damaged. I keep the gear budget low because I know at some point the worst will happen and instead of getting angry, I’ll just go out to the store and pick up another cheap camera in the morning. I have seen photographers walk into the shittiest of clubs and basements with the most expensive gear and I can only think, “Wow, that looks really expensive. Godspeed to you, good sir.” It’s like they don’t know what happens at these shows and failed to plan accordingly.
Between working shows and taking pictures at them, I’ve been at it so long I’ve become incapable of being a spectator. It’s rare that I’ll go to a show without a camera and when I do it feels so awkward. Standing around waiting for something to happen and then getting back in my car when it’s over. I figure that if I’m going to be in the room, I may as well put myself to work and be useful somehow.
Since I don’t drink and I don’t socialize, it feels very strange to me to be one of the crowd. Especially when I always end up surrounded by the unavoidable gaggle of white dudes with beards that bother the ever living crap out of me with their know-it-all conversations at the top of their lungs. I’m trying to watch a band play and listen to their music, could you please shut the fuck up or go back to your wife and kids?
I don’t know if there’s a solution to any of these issues. Or if these issues are even severe enough to be addressed at all. I mean Punk was all about instituting rules and such, wasn’t it?
I’ll try my best to keep shooting shows until the arthritis in my knees tells me differently and I’ll leave the pontificating to those that think they know better.
No comments:
Post a Comment