Magazine Assignment - Research

Ami Barwell

Ami Barwell known as the Rock 'N' Roll Music Photographer. She is the worlds leading music photographer, she has photographed a range of album/single covers, press shots, portraits and Live shots of the worlds top bands and solo artists.Ami is based in London and has been shooting within the music industry for the past 10 years now. Her ability to capture the raw essence of her subject on film has earned her a solid reputation as one of the worlds leading music photographers. Ami's photography had gained worldwide critical acclaim, both portraits and live shots. All her photography encapsulates the true spirit of rock 'n' roll - passion, emotion, sex, sweat and soul. 

- I think these two shots above are real strong photos. I could see these being used for single or album covers and how the writing would lay out on these photos. You also get the message that this guy (Karima Francis) is a guitar player which most artists like to show in their photos. I like the composition of this photo as nothing is central and the main focus point is the man. 


In her career she has travelled the world as a tour photography with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Snow Patrol, Ian Brown, The Copper Temple Clause, The Blood Brothers and more. Ami's wide range of clients include EMI, Virgin, Sony BMG, Classic Rock Magazine, Warners, The Grammy Awards, Oyster Magazine, Universal and Atlantic records. She has worked with artists and bands such as Kasabian, Kings of Leon, Ian Brown, Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Franz Ferdinand, The White Stripes, Paul Weller and many more. 

"Ami captures something nobody else can."

- This shot of Brisa Roche is one of my favourites that Ami has done. I feel this is a very unique shot that I have never seen before. I love the whole concept of using a range of different microphones to show basically what she is - a vocalist. The lighting within this photo is also very strong as it is a main beam of light shining on her from the left with a dark background, this shows she is the main focus and subject of this photo but also you get the message she is a vocalist. However, if i was to put this on a album or single cover, I would take out the background and put in a colourful background so you don't loose the different microphones that are covering her as I feel in this shot you do loose it with the dark background. 
STUDIO

- I noticed that most of Ami's work is black and white, I feel this is good for what she is aiming for in her photos as most of her photos look mysterious and also shows the life of a rock 'n' roll artist with the random but cool clothes and the bold make-up. Also the lighting within all her photos is very important, there seem to be a running trend of a main spot light on their faces and the instrument, this is a good way of getting across the message that there faces are giving. For example, in these two photos above you can see the girl concentrates on more the upbeat rock 'n' roll type with the instrument looking important to. In the second photo you get the message he is more down to earth type of music. 
LOCATION

- This two shots are taken on location with natural light. I feel it works with the natural day light to, the first shot you can see it was taken on a dull evening, I feel this works very well with the message of the photo as it shows a side of rock 'n' roll. The second photo, you can see it was quite a sunny day but with the shadow of a bus, it still has that rock 'n' roll edge to it, and also a guy laying down on the floor shows he has a crazy side. Also, throughout Ami's work she has showed the element of what the artists specialise in, in both of these photos you see the instrument which artists like to put across. I feel both these photos follow what they're trying to put across so Ami's showed you can also do this on location without the drastic lighting to show the rock 'n' roll side of an artist.

Artist Two. Danny Clinch

Danny Clinch has established himself as one of the premier photographers of the popular music scene. He began his career as an intern for Annie Leibovitz and went on to photograph the likes of Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Kanye West, Kings of Leon, Will.i.am, Tupac, The Smashing Pumpkins, Blind Melon, Jay Z and many more. His work has appeared in publications such as Vanity Fair, Spin, Rolling Stone, GQ, Esquire, The New Yorker and The New York Times magazine. He has also photographed a lot of artists/band which have appeared on their album covers. Danny has presented his work in numerious galleries and published two books, Discovery Inn (1998) and When the Iron Bird Flies (2000) 

- This is one of my favourite photos of Danny Clinch's. This is a very simple photo but has a lot of strong features about it, for example, the two microphones hanging with the black background shows he is a vocalist but Jay Z is one of the biggest artists around so the microphones emphasis how important he is. The lighting in this photo is very effective, its a main spot light on the right side of his face, you establish who it is and also can see the message is clear that he is the main focus. I could see this photo used on album or single covers, its a very recognisable photo.

- If I was doing a photo shoot of a band/group, this would be a shot I'd like to use. I feel this is a strong shot with the dim lighting just on their portrait. In this photo you can also establish how many people are in the group and what their framing is like. Also, the message that I feel this photo is trying to put across is basically what they're but also want you to understand who the lead vocalist is and so on. This shot is clearly set in a studio with there own set up lighting. They would of used a black back drop using a honey comb, the lighting would be set up in front but sort of behind them so you can get line of lighting around their faces. 

- This photo is a location shot, set in like a home studio . The lighting within this photo is mainly natural light which is coming in from the window, i feel this is very strong sort of lighting as there is many interesting objects around him e.g. the piano, guitar etc. however the main focus is the guy so the beam of light from the window shining on him shows he is the main focus of this photo. This is also an interesting shot as it shows what instruments he plays around him which is also putting across the message to what his music is about. 

- This last shot is also a location shot. In this shot you establish what instrument the artist plays and you can also see the face of the artist so people who watch his videos will be able to recognize the artist. The lighting in this photo is the natural daylight, its not too bright so it doesn't look washed out. The message you get from this photo is that he bases his music around his guitar and that his music is quite down to earth. I think this because of the natural setting with the grass, flowers and the mountains in the background. The framing of this photo is quite effective, with the artist centre of the photo, also the layout of everything else in the shot is laid out that there is something where ever you look, like the mountains for the background.

 Image 1
This is one of the images I want to base my photo shoot on. Could be done in the studio or on location.
What I like about this photo:-

• The beam of light on the artist - shows his the main purpose of this photo.
• Establishing what instrument he plays - you'll know what his music will include.
• Holding the instrument in an interesting way - not boring, shows something different from other photos.
• Interesting angle of the camera - emphasizes how important he is.
• 
  

Image 2
This is another one of the images I want to base my photo shoot on. This one i would have to base in a studio or even a live event if I could get to one. 
What I like about this photo:-

• The lighting - adds colour to the photo but also shows the framing of the artist.
• Action shot - strong photo as its the artist doing what they're promoting.
• The layout - not central, has an insight on the lights. 
• The smokey effect - makes it look a bit different and interesting. 

Photo shoot with my Musician 
photo shoot in the Studio - 5th December 2011 - 12:30pm. 
photo shoot on location - 5th December 2011 - 9:00am - 12:00pm


Floor plan

My three edited photo's
Final Chosen Edit.

- My musician called Jack Grimshaw wanted a few different shots with his name clearly stated so you can establish who he is. I have done this within all of my three photos.