Inspirational Music Photography

As I want to potentially explore music photography in my photo essay. I have chosen a selection that I find inspiring to get me thinking about how I would tackle the theme in a unique way. I focused on 'Rock and Roll' photographers, but the reason for this is simply down to personal taste. I wanted to find images that represented youthful rebelliousness to tie back to the Gavin Watson images I chose in week one. Also, the images didn't necessarily have to be of musicians performing, it could be just musicians themselves in their day-to-day life. This is another potential topic of exploration.


Jenny Lens

This photographer is a personal favourite of mine. Lens captured the late 1970s LA punk scene in her photography, and photographed influential and successful bands such as The Ramones and also the younger generation that followed them. This included the pioneers and progenitors of West Coast hardcore punk, the Germs (See final image of Darby Crash).

I admire how Lens captures both the mayhem of the music being performed and also of the audiences and fans of the performances. She captured and presented the punk aesthetic in her photographs that still shock the viewer as much today as the punk movement actually did at the time. 

Mick Rock

Rock is known for the iconic images that he took in the era of early 1970s glam rock. He has photographed the likes of David Bowie, Queen, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop and still continues to photograph pop sensation today.

I found the image below to be inspiring. This photograph of David Bowie and Mick Ronson, depicting them in all of their androgynous glory, seems almost humorous. They appear taken out of context -  their attire and shocking fashion sense would make sense if they were depicted on stage, but Rock has photographed them on a bus ride through the countryside as they sit down to have a civilised meal. He has represented these influential rock stars in such a way where the setting and space chosen gives us a glimpse into their normal lives, off stage and off the television.

Pennie Smith

Smith is known for producing images and portraits of musicians with an almost mythical quality. One thing I find intriguing about this photographer is how she came to produce an iconic image that we can associate with a particular band, a particular decade and a particular youth subculture ethos. By hitting all three of these things, Smith has managed to create a piece of work that is celebrated, but many may not know it was created by her.

This image was used as the artwork for The Clash's album London Calling. It was taken at a show at the New York Palladium in 1979 and depicts bassist Paul Simonon about to smash his bass guitar. This shows Smith's dream-like, mythical quality I spoke of earlier. The spotlight shining on Simonon almost hints at religious symbolism (the sun shining through the clouds cliche), showing how such an innovative and pioneering band of the punk rock scene were considered idols of their time. The dream like quality she implements almost seemed to foreshadow how quickly the first wave of the punk rock movement would come to an end. She has captured a brief moment of the intent to destroy something; an act of anarchy and anti-authoritarianism. These nihilistic ideals are said to have been the reason why the first wave of punk rock was over by 1980.