Music careers

Photographer Ewen Spencer is pretty busy these days besides taking pics of music types including The White Stripes, The Strokes and Outkast; he’s just published ‘Open Mic’ his first book of photography, which gives an insight into the movers and shakers in the Grime scene. Later this year he’ll begin shooting the artwork for the next album from The Streets with his old pal Mike Skinner. YM asked him for some advice on how to make it as a top music photographer…

YM: How did you become a photographer – did you study?
ES: I left school at 16 without any qualifications, then I ended up doing an art foundation course at the local art college in Newcastle. On that foundation course you studied different mediums within the arts and one of the them was photography, it got a grip on me and I just loved it so much it was all I wanted to do. I borrowed equipment from the college; a lot of them will have usually have dark rooms and basic equipment. Afterwards I did a degree in Editorial Photography at the University of Brighton.

YM: Do you need an expensive camera to take good pics?
ES: Not at all. A lot of professional photographers these days use a very basic point and shoot compact camera that you can get for around £40-50. It gives you a certain kind of look that some people really like. Especially if your work is photographing people it can work really well. It’s definitely important to learn the technicalities of photography, there are classes at technical colleges that will teach you the basics and they’ll often have dark rooms that offer help to younger people as well, to get them involved in photography.
 
YM: Did you have to work for free at first?
ES: Yes I did unfortunately. Even now, if it’s the right sort of job for the right publication – if it’s an interesting project I’ll do it. For instance, there’s an American magazine called The Fader, they might commission me to go to Sweden and photograph a rock band that I really like. They’ll give me the money for the travel and for my film and processing and possibly for a hotel and food and drink while I’m there, but that’s all. But you get the opportunity to go somewhere different and take some photographs that will look really strong in your portfolio. I often find that the more enjoyable and rewarding work is stuff you don’t often get paid for - it’s just great creative work.

YM: How did you get into taking music pics – taking your portfolio around a lot or shmoozing?
ES: It just comes from my own interest and background in music. I played in bands when I was younger and I’ve always been a big record collector and very much into good rock bands.

 

YM: What music artists have you photographed?
ES: I work with Mike Skinner and The Streets, I’ve done his two album covers and I do a lot of portrait and magazine work with him. I’ve always enjoyed film and cinema and cinematography inspired a lot of the work with The Streets and also with The White Stripes on their ‘Get Behind Me Satan’ album.

YM: How did you get to do the pics for The Streets albums?
ES: I’d been working for different music PR companies and magazines like Sleaze Nation, The Face and i-D. If you take a portrait of a band for a magazine they put you in touch with the publicist of that artist and you keep in touch with them, they will often commission publicity pictures of those artists from you at a later date. If they like your work and you’ve established a good relationship, they’ll often commission you and pay you a small fee. In this case I was working with a lady at a publicity firm in West London, she had just taken on The Streets, he hadn’t released the first album yet and she sent through a sampler of ‘Original Pirate Material’. As soon as I heard it, I thought – ‘I want to work with this guy!’

YM: How did you find the experience of photographing the Grime scene for your Open Mic book?
ES: I followed different groups of lads around – it’s a predominantly male dominated scene – for around 18 months. It was electric what they were doing, they created their own culture out of boredom and necessity and that’s what I love about British youth culture. I don’t think there has been anything as significant since possibly punk.

YM: What’s the difference between studio work and reportage?
ES: For reportage you’re on location and you’re going into somebody else’s environment, you have a lot more control when it’s just you and a studio. The difference with reportage is you’re going into their world and picking up what they do, how they live – you’re intruding really so you need to gain the trust of people. You have a responsibility as a photographer going into somebody else’s environment, you have to be true to yourself and also not let anyone down that you’re photographing.

YM: Is it important to get your photos in exhibitions as an up and coming photographer?
ES: Absolutely. Exhibitions are a good place to start. When you contribute to a good exhibition you’ll come out of it knowing a lot more about who you are and what you work is. Exhibiting your work is a great right of passage.

YM: What are the best perks?
ES: Having an exhibition or a book with your name on it is great but first seeing your work published in a magazine is the best thrill. My first picture to be published was Roni Size for Q magazine, and then I did Massive Attack for an American magazine. 

YM: What are the downsides?
ES: Constant rejection when you first leave college or university. When you’re taking your portfolio around you shouldn’t believe or react to what people say. Sometimes you go in and people look through a portfolio you spent two years making while they’re on the telephone to someone else about what they’re having for tea! It’s kind of demoralising and it hurts. You might get a whole day of that walking round going to see record companies, PRs and magazines. But you’ve just got to keep at it and prove them wrong.

YM: What photo are you most proud of?
ES: The Streets pictures, I really like those and the pictures of the Grime scene from the Open Mic project, I’m very proud of that. I also did a project about teenagers that was published in a few catalogues and photographic books and I’m very pleased about that.

YM: What advice would you give to budding music journalists?
ES: Photograph something you love; think really hard about something that you’re passionate about. The main thing is to develop an ability to photograph something that’s very mundane and everyday, but to make it look interesting. There’s a chap I know who photographs people in the street who are lost asking directions – people looking at maps and A to Zs in the middle of London – the photographs are hilarious. That’s a real skill as a photographer. Go and photograph your room and make it look interesting – that’s a big challenge. You can’t just pick up a camera and become a great music photographer, you have to challenge and push yourself, work really hard at it. It takes years of hard work, but it does pay off.
 
Ewen Spencer ‘Open Mic’ is available now from all good bookshops £9.99
www.ewenspencer.com

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