Decided to send out a letter to other Photographers/Artists to see if this idea is something that they would be interested in. The people I have selected are not necessarily my favorite photographers in the industry but are people who I believe have integrity and believe in creating something interesting and pushing the boundaries.
The letter/email I sent out was as follows:
"Hi there
I am attempting to produce and get published a book collecting images from some of the countries most passionate and talented Music Photographers. The idea started after becoming more and more disillusioned with the current Music Photography scene, after spending years travelling the country photographing bands just for the love of creating something interesting, it then becomes very frustrating to go online the next day to see the 100 badly lit and framed photos of a show taken on someones phone and now all of a sudden they are a Photographer.
Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that Photography is popular at the moment and that more people want to be involved, I work in a studio that provides workshops to Amateur Photographers and I enjoy sharing ideas, concepts and techniques with people who want to shoot more. But thats the difference, there should be more than just pressing the shutter and hoping for the best. I want this book to contain images that have a certain powerful element behind them, images that have been considered and draw you in.
Basically, to get to my point, would you be interested in providing imagery for this idea? All Photographers will retain copyright. At the moment it is just something I wish to put together to see if there is an interest. It is not my aim to make money from others, it is purely an idea of bringing together a group of artists to produce something we could all be proud of................and if we get a publisher interested, then we talk payment for use of imagery etc.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Ps. Please excuse the bulk message format, but if I have contacted you it is because I love your work and would love for you to be involved.
All the best.
Phil H
philiphardmanphotography@gmail.com
www.philiphardmanphotography.com"
Wednesday 31 October 2012
Expanding on book idea 2
Thinking about combining the eBook idea with the Music Photography idea. With the age of Digital Photography there seems to be more and more Photographers at live shows every week, camera in hand they don't even need to be anywhere near the bands, with the invention of longer lenses and more powerful flashes the internet is awash with imagery the morning after every show.
It would be my wish to produce a book collecting a series of images documenting the hardcore/metal/punk rock scene in the South of England at the moment. The hook of the book will be that the images would be provided by many different Photographers all who have a more creative edge to there images than the standard point and shoot style that is taking over the internet. I will seek out these Photographers and get them to submit a selection of images and some text outlining there love of Photography and Music and why combining these is a love of theirs.
The beauty of this idea is that it combines everything that I have thought about so far in the build up of this project; photographing people and there passions, Music Photography and eBooks.
****Update to post****
I could combine the idea of shooting a portrait of each of the subjects as discussed in my first idea.
It would be my wish to produce a book collecting a series of images documenting the hardcore/metal/punk rock scene in the South of England at the moment. The hook of the book will be that the images would be provided by many different Photographers all who have a more creative edge to there images than the standard point and shoot style that is taking over the internet. I will seek out these Photographers and get them to submit a selection of images and some text outlining there love of Photography and Music and why combining these is a love of theirs.
The beauty of this idea is that it combines everything that I have thought about so far in the build up of this project; photographing people and there passions, Music Photography and eBooks.
****Update to post****
I could combine the idea of shooting a portrait of each of the subjects as discussed in my first idea.
eBook Research
Found a video online which demonstrates the possibilities of an eBook over the traditional printed paperback. The first minute or so demos the basic uses of an eBook, page turning, zooming etc, but the latter half of the video shows that you can link from any part of the page; taking you straight to a website (if this is possible then I imagine linking to emails would also be easy to do). Also a massive benefit that I could see was that you could highlight a part of text, or just one word, then either look this up in a built in dictionary or go straight to Google to look it up.
I will be researching more into this idea, I think it would be something a bit different to produce an eBook, utilizing these benefits.
I will be researching more into this idea, I think it would be something a bit different to produce an eBook, utilizing these benefits.
Tuesday 23 October 2012
Book idea 2 (Music photography)
As well as looking into and researching for my '60 Seconds of Passion' book idea, I will also be looking into creating a series of images documenting the Rock, Metal & Punk Rock scene in the south of England. This is something that really interests me and I enjoy shooting a lot. It will be interesting to see what becomes the better outcome.
'The Disciples' by James Mollison
The images themselves were originally part of an exhibition but have now been released as a book (See below). The front cover of the book doesn't strike me as a photography book at all, at first look it has more of a 'Bible' feel to it (fitting in with the name 'The Disciples'), that is until you look closer at the design around the Title and you start to realize that these patterns are all famous musicians or bands logos/names. This intrigues the viewer, especially one who has an interest in music. I don't own a copy of this book so I can't comment on how it looks once you open it up but my view on the images themselves is below.
James Mollison has chosen to concentrate on the audience of famous musicians/bands. The way he has achieved the images was by setting up a small portable studio outside venues at particular shows and individually shooting portraits of the die hard fans, he then Photoshopped each of the images into the panoramic images you see below.
The product of this is a series of images that not only show groups of die hard fans together but also shows us how far these people will go to emulate there idols in an attempt to form their own 'individual' identity. The images pull the viewer into the world of celebratory admiration which has escalated in the past few years and creates a bizarre form of irony in the fact that these individuals feel that they are, in fact, each an individual and not following the crowd.
James Mollison has chosen to concentrate on the audience of famous musicians/bands. The way he has achieved the images was by setting up a small portable studio outside venues at particular shows and individually shooting portraits of the die hard fans, he then Photoshopped each of the images into the panoramic images you see below.
The product of this is a series of images that not only show groups of die hard fans together but also shows us how far these people will go to emulate there idols in an attempt to form their own 'individual' identity. The images pull the viewer into the world of celebratory admiration which has escalated in the past few years and creates a bizarre form of irony in the fact that these individuals feel that they are, in fact, each an individual and not following the crowd.
50 cent
Dolly Parton
Iron Maiden
Kiss
Madonna
Mc Fly
Missy Elliot
Oasis
Rod Stewart
The Casualties
All images found at:
Monday 22 October 2012
Book idea '60 seconds of Passion'
My first idea for my book is a series of images based around classic cars and there owners. I wanted to base the book around something that I have not previously had much of an interest in but seems to be something a lot of other people are quite passionate about. My thought process behind this is so the book can be a kind of exploration of the feelings people have towards there obsessions and how they justify the time and money they spend on them.
I then started to think that maybe classic cars was quite a specific thing to base a book on, but still I was interested in the concept. I then realised that the concept could be carried across to any obsession or passion that someone may have. I decided that the book could concentrate on peoples passions and allow them a medium to, I want to say explain themselves but that sounds too accusing, I guess I mean I want to allow them an outlet to express there passion/obsession to others through a series of images supported by text. The text will be supplied by each of the subjects and will be consistent in there approach to explaining there love for each passion. It will be recorded by me offering each person 60 seconds to explain to me why they love what they are passionate about and I will record this and then type it out to fit into the book. Then each 60 seconds worth of text will be accompanied by a series of images working around and withing the parameters they explained.
The book will be called '60 Seconds of Passion'.
I then started to think that maybe classic cars was quite a specific thing to base a book on, but still I was interested in the concept. I then realised that the concept could be carried across to any obsession or passion that someone may have. I decided that the book could concentrate on peoples passions and allow them a medium to, I want to say explain themselves but that sounds too accusing, I guess I mean I want to allow them an outlet to express there passion/obsession to others through a series of images supported by text. The text will be supplied by each of the subjects and will be consistent in there approach to explaining there love for each passion. It will be recorded by me offering each person 60 seconds to explain to me why they love what they are passionate about and I will record this and then type it out to fit into the book. Then each 60 seconds worth of text will be accompanied by a series of images working around and withing the parameters they explained.
The book will be called '60 Seconds of Passion'.
Tuesday 16 October 2012
Made in the UK: The Music of Attitude 1977-1983 by Janette Beckman
Made in the UK: The Music of Attitude 1977-1983
This book is a collection of images that document the Punk scene that erupted in England in the late 70's to early 80's, all the images are shot by Janette Beckman. The cover grabs your attention using an over saturated black and white image of a group of punks against an, again an over saturated, British flag. Yet the flag is in colour, this demonstrates the clash between the punks and what the flag stands for, a massive part of the punk revolution. The white text against the black background also adds to the bold/brash feeling of the book before you even open to the first page.
"When punk first rocked, the rough and rugged style on the streets was a world away from the super-slick music videos and corporate stylists that were to follow. And photographer Janette Beckman was on the front line of that hyper-energized time, capturing “the look” of the musicians and kids who were loudly defining an era. Collected for the first time in Made in the UK, Beckman’s powerful portraits celebrate the music and the attitude of Punk, Mod, Skinhead, 2 Tone, and Rockabilly culture in the UK"
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Made-UK-Attitude-1977-1983-Powerhouse/dp/1576873935/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1350400211&sr=8-7
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