“I
always try to capture the vibe of the show so when
a fan or someone else looks at the photographs
they can feel like they were at the show. In the
end, I’m getting the opportunity to document part
of an artist’s history, and that’s a pretty special thing,” enthuses
Sammy Roenfeldt who specialises in rock music performance
photography. He always brought along his camera to rock
concerts to snap his favourite performers, but felt a little jealous
of the professional photographers who got the best locations
and access to shoot the action up close. Eventually, fired by his
passion, Roenfeldt acquired a good SLR, taught himself the skills
to go with it, and negotiated access through musician friends.
Soon he was shooting local bands on assignment for music
magazines, covering the 10th anniversary Soundwave Festival,
one of Australia’s biggest music events. Everything fell into place
when he shot Paramore and the band posted many of his images
on its website. His career snow-balled from there and he has now
spent the last two years travelling around Australia and the world
documenting bands on the road both on and off stage.
Another performance photographer, Chris Herzfeld, says,
“My whole philosophy is that I want to take a shot so when
it’s reproduced in a magazine or a newspaper, you’re going to
stop and look at it and get a feeling for what the show is like.
Hopefully it will make you want to see the show.”
With a cinematographer photographer father, Herzfeld
grew up in an environment filled with “a million cameras”
and he ref lects it was natural for him to go into photography.
He began working as a professional performance
photographer in 2003, as the photographic technical manager
on Australian Dance Theatre’s (ADT) major project ‘HELD’,alongside New York dance photographer Lois Greenfield.
“I have found that although a performance subtly changes
every night, there are moments that jump out at you that are
really strong, and that as an audience member you’ll remember.
It’s those types of moments that you want to capture,” he says.
Meanwhile, Philippe Penel explains, “I’m seeking to
capture the essence of what the performer is projecting,
but also the theatrical lighting and ambience, which can be
dramatic. The best performers make you feel many emotions,
and they make you forget their technical and acting skills, the
countless hours of practise. You’re left with the raw beauty of
the act, and that is what I seek to portray in my images.”
Penel always liked photography, and remembering how
he played with cameras as a child, he muses there must be60 AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
Shooting stage performances
requires planning, skill and
instinctive timing. Rob Ditessatalked to three experts who
share their best tips and tricks
for capturing dynamic and
memorable images.AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY + DIGITAL SEPTEMBER 2015EXPERT TIPS Shooting Live Performances
show
Let the
begin