Sergio interviews music photographer, Gavin Goodman.

Photography is an essential side of the music industry. Many legendary poses and moments have been immortalised because someone has been at the right place at the right time. MusicReview managed to chat to the man behind the lens, Gavin Goodman.

How do you approach shooting a band or gig differently from other work?

Well, to be honest, it’s an area of photography that doesn’t always make me a lot of cash – if you know what I mean – but it’s something that I truly love.

I’ve been a “muso” since I can remember, and I have a pretty good knowledge of music – being able to play quite a few instruments and having been in 1 or 2 unknown bands – and this all makes the music arena one that I feel quite at home in.

When shooting live performances, you don’t have the ability to control any external factors that you may be able to when shooting other subject matter. For example, a crowd can be a formidable thing – just getting through a crowd can be tough, but you really have no control over them. Stage layout and how a band uses it can also make or break a shot and, of course, lighting – when bands talk to the technician before their set, it can make such a huge difference to the show.

Any favourite bands/festivals that you’ve gotten the opportunity to shoot?

Obviously, the big festivals around JHB. Woodstock is always a good time, Oppikoppi, Road to V was cool, and Save Zimbabwe Now was a recent one that had a really nice African flavour. I also do love Battle of the Bands formats.

Band wise:

Comrade Fatso and Chabvondoka, from Zimbabwe, were particularly something to remember. I have always liked politically-themed concerts, especially when artists have something important to say.

The Uncut bring a bit of punk to the table and have been a favourite band to shoot. They almost always put on a great show and have a great chemistry on stage with each other, as well as with the crowd.

Die Antwoord. I recently snapped a few pics of them on stage – really great shots. They get the crowd electric.

The Coke Strokes have a nice following – people go mad at their gigs and it’s nice to watch a band feed off the crowd like they do.
My mates from the bands MTKIdu and Model-C are also always great to see and their shows keep getting better and better.

Generally, most of my favourite bands to shoot are the young up-and-coming bands. They often put so much of themselves into their performances and that really comes through in the photos.

Have you done any photographic work for albums?

I have done some album work for a few lesser known bands, but at the moment I predominantly send through photos to the bands for them to use on their websites, blogs, fan pages and other web-associated forms of publicity. By doing so, I get great exposure and so do they.

I have also made it a goal to do more documentary style work with 1 or 2 choice bands in the old school ways i.e. go on tour with them, get the shots of them practicing, and even just hanging out. Basically, shots that a lot of albums lack today – pictures where you get to see the band’s personality.

When you do biography or portfolio pics for bands, how do you normally approach it? Anything you look for?

I guess the band’s character will come through if you spend enough time with them altogether, especially when you are trying to squeeze everyone into a frame. It requires a good eye and the ability to direct them a little. You might also notice something that you can play-on in terms of using their group dynamics. Sometimes the band will have an idea of what they want and it will lead us in a direction. We will discuss their concept and try to make the concept work, or tweak it to suit the band’s image.

If you could shoot any band in the world, who would it be and why?

That’s a great question. There are so many bands that I would love to take photos of! But I would have to say Skunk Anansie. A friend of mine just saw them in London recently, and said they totally rocked the house. I have always liked them. They have so much energy and character. I just know that would translate into beautiful pics.

How long have you been a photographer?

I started learning about it all probably around 2001 – playing around more as a hobby with an amateur SLR camera. Then over the years, I just built up my gear and my name. It was only this year that I started going solo and making a go of it as a main means of income and going full tilt!
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Find out more about Gavin at www.g-a-goodman.com.
All photos are copyrighted to Gavin Goodman. Please ask him for permission before using them.

- Sergio Pereira
sergio@musicreview.co.za
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