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Current mood:  angsty Category: Life
Howdy!
Here's part 3 of my interview with Alice Barkwell of Playgrounds Magazine in Columbus, GA
When did you begin to do rock photography?
I used to borrow my Grandmother's camera to take to concerts in Columbia, South Carolina when I was a kid. I'd sneak them in and take pictures even then so really, I was doing it long before I ever got paid for it. I guess I started getting paid enough to call it "working" in about 2002 and got about 5 good years of it before the performing and playing started dominating my life again.
Which came first, playing or photographing music?
I guess playing but as I said, I really was always doing both to some degree. On a professional level, playing came first.
How are they related?
If they are, it's mostly in the sense that I can see what's coming from having done it. There are times when I can tell something's about to happen and get over to the area for the perfect shot before some of the other photographers who don't have the experience from the other side. Granted, that may just be wishful thinking but I think there's some validity to that.
Does doing one make you better at or different at the other?
I think so, but it's just my opinion. Some of the best photographers I know don't play music at all. Being a musician may give you more of an edge on an even playing field but a great photographer's still going to beat out a musician taking pictures even if the picture is of a musician.
You and Amanda have a cool deal where she writes about the shows you photograph. How did that start?
That hasn't happened in a while since we've stopped working on shooting and reviewing but that basically came about when 24 hours weren't enough in the day to do all of the picture editing and the reviews. Amanda stepped up and helped me out. Plus, she was there for the whole show usually and caught the parts that I missed while photographing or being escorted from one area to the other.
Amanda is so gorgeous. Do people ever wonder how you got her to go with you? (lol)
I certainly wonder. And to answer your question, yes. Now, I would say "thank you" but isn't that really for her to thank you? Oh well…thank you just in case it is somehow my place!
As a band member and also a photographer do you try harder to wear colorful clothes, have a nice back drop and have some decent lighting than the average band does?
I certainly enjoy the "image" and visual components. I want something cohesive. Again, luckily, I've found the right band mates to fit right in with that. We complement each other without being the same and we each have our own onstage "personas" as it were. At least I think we do. We are certainly not interested in standing around in the dark staring at our feet during a performance. You can call it "posing" or being fake but you'd be wrong. It's absolutely real to me. I do what I feel like doing and I will turn it loose at a live show. The other guys do the same.
As a rock photographer, which was your most thrilling shoot (or 2 or 3) and why?
You ought to know that's almost impossible to answer. If I had to choose a few, I'd go with the tip-top of the classic rock field. Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones and The Who were probably the ones that I still can't believe I was able to photograph and am still so thankful that I did. I can't even put into words for someone who doesn't feel such a close connection to the music. Unless you've stood onstage while Robert Plant sang "Black Dog" or "No Quarter" or hung around backstage chatting with legends like you've known them your whole life, it's hard to explain it. It's strange. It's like the people on your TV have come to life and the walls of reality versus fantasy and stardom are broken. These are people…well, not just like you and me, but they actually exist as humans in our world in a way that one wouldn't otherwise even think about.
Who have you met that really thrilled you?
One of my shortest meetings probably would fit that bill. At literally the last minute, I was asked to go backstage and photograph Ringo Starr. I met him, we chatted some small talk, he made a couple of pointed and very Beatley jokes and before my heart even finished racing, he was onstage singing "It Don't Come Easy." I didn't even get an autograph or my picture taken with him but it's Ringo-Friggin'-Starr, y'know? I met him!
The next part will be coming soon!
Join The Critical Darlings this Friday night for another taping for television at Hank's Garage in Atlanta, GA! Here's a vid of pics from our last appearance there set to "Worms On The Pavement".
ROCK!
C
7:00 PM
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