Music and Concert Photography

Singin’ the Blues, Triptych, Seattle Pop Museum, USA, 2019

One way a handful of photographers make a living is by photographing concerts, bands, and musicians.

Emphasis on “handful”.

Not my cup o’ tea but, if it were, I suppose my style would be something like what I have posted here… 

(I made these photos from a video that was playing on the big screen at the Seattle Pop Museum. Please let me know if you can identify the performer–I neglected to write his name down at the time, and he was dern good. I’d really like to credit him here on this blog post.)

Here are ten music photographers you probably never knew that you knew:

Some Classic Music Photographers (mostly from my generation!)…

—Danny Clinch – Musician, music lover, photographer and filmmaker; Johnny Cash, Tupac Shakur, Bjork, Bruce Springsteen, et al; Studied with Annie Lebovitz

—Charles Peterson – The Seattle music scene in the 80s/90s; Nirvana, Mudhoney, Soundgarden, et al

—Anton Corbijn – Dutch photographer, music video and filmmaker; U2 (“The Joshua Tree”), Depeche Mode

—Henry Diltz – 60s/70s music scene and a musician himself; iconic image: “The Morrison Hotel” for The Doors

—Pennie Smith – Her first job was following a Led Zeppelin tour; works in monochrome; The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Jam, U2, Radiohead, The Clash, et al; iconic image: Paul Simonson smashing his guitar (“London Calling”)

—Bob Gruen – NYC rock scene from the 1970s on; John Lennon, Yoko Ono, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Ramones, et al; still working!

—Jenny Lens – Punk scene in the USA and London; Germs, Blondie, Captain Sensible, et al; best photographer name, IMHO

—Jerry Schatzberg – Celebrity portrait photographer and filmmaker; Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, et al

—Brad Elterman – Hollywood punk scene of the 70s and 80s; Blondie, Ramones, The Runaways, et al

—Mick Rock – Principal photographer for the Rocky Horror Picture Show; Davis Bowie, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, and that iconic Bohemian Rhapsody image for Queen; next best music photographer name, IMHO

So go for it, you young photog, and add your name to the list–just start hanging out with that up-and-coming band you absolutely know will make it big!

Singin’ the Blues, #1, Seattle Pop Museum, USA, 2019

Singin’ the Blues, #2, Seattle Pop Museum, USA, 2019