7.21.2009

Jazz Festivals and Photographers

No photo today ....

Today in Twitter, another photographer welcomed me as a new follower saying ...

Hi Juan , we are friends on FB and both Jazz photographers. It's been a great summer of shooting, lots of festivals. Hope for you too.

I answered :

"hi,

frankly, I don't go a lot to festivals, not fan. Why ?

1)there is a lot of photographers and we don't take original photos.. it seems that everyone take the same shots

2) i don't think it's a good thing to cover 6 or 7 concerts per day, I prefer to focus totally on one concert and my work is much better only with one (or two, or until three GREAT max)

3) I don't appreciate a lot the audience of the festivals, I prefer the audience of the clubs, we find more easily true jazzfans and true jazz promotors

4) I believe strongly that this music sounds much better in clubs than in festivals.Lot of musicians too, I know it but it's much more money for them playing in festivals.. a truth

5) today .. majority of jazz festivals are not jazz festivals. For example Montreux Jazz Festival programms only 8% of jazz, sad ...

6) often, photographers are not well treated in festivals.. much more star system. Working in clubs is much more cool

7) we found always the same artists in jazz festivals.Too much are ignored and public is not curious of new heads,in clubs .. we found new heads, discover new things, more easily

that's for why I only cover festivals when they hire me and almost never as a freelance

and that's why for me this summer is a good occasion to finish my book and to finish my future official website

hope i have not disgusted you to go to festivals ! I simply give you my opinion"

and after my collegue said me :

"I don't take offense, we all have our particular preferences (and opinions) for photography. Festivals and clubs each have pros and cons."

I answered :

"yes, true. I prefer deeply clubs because we are more closer to musicians and I believe that in photography when we make portraits it's important to be close

then I think that musicians are more focused and relax, so playing better, in clubs, I dream to see one day Sonny Rollins playing in a club. Disadvantage.. lights are lower.. but finally it's an advantage, if we are really a good photographer. Low lights are not a problem and we take advantage of them.

advantage of festivals : lot of musicians, lot of managers together the same day, ok..it's good for our business, lot of portraits of known people in one day but .. are we making only business or art ?

Are we just collecting star portraits ?

My purpose is to document the jazz.. all the jazz .. not only the jazz we see on festivals. I try to make money with other type of photography (press, fine art, events like weddings, etc)

too bad that you don't give me true arguments for festivals apart the energy between crowd and musicians.

I add here that festivals would have to represent all the type of jazz. Now, it's not the case in a lot of festivals. The mission would have not only to make money but also to present new things

Personally, I love a lot of Jazz(es). From Roberta Gambarini to Peter Brotzmann. I would love to see one day Peter Brotzmann playing in Montreux !

Dear readers, you can give your opinions putting comments

4 comments:

Esther said...

Tienes toda la razón del mundo. Ya ves, por mis comentarios en mi blog, que opinamos lo mismo. Quiero calidad, no cantidad.

Por cierto, amigo, me he comprado una nueva cámara Nikon, fantástica, la D700. Es una maraviilla, no tiene ruido , sí mucha nitidez. se va a notar un cambio tremendo. A ver si aún me da tiempo a poner algunas fotos en mi blog hechas con la nueva cámara, hace tiempo que no pongo nada. Y además el viernes me voy de vacaciones a Dénia hasta septiembre no vuelvo.

Coges vacaciones? Aquí en Madrid hace un calor que es insoportable, no se respira bien.

tenemos la misma idea de lo que es el jazz. Comparto tus opiniones.

Vaya fotos chulas que haces.

UN FUERTE ABRAZO.

bijinga said...

Modo sutil, inteligente y elegante de expresar con las palabras y la acreditación de tu trabajo fotográfico la auténtica cultura jazzistica....

La base de tu obra artística, se fundamenta en la profunda sensibilidad que manifiestas,
una persistente creatividad y excelente visión de futuro...

Considero muy interesante tu proyecto es un placer seguirlo ....

Saludos....

Eliana Vasquez Osorio said...

Hola Juan Carlos,
Lei todo el post, y me sent'i como mirando por entre un rendijas tus correos...
Algo en lo que estoy de acuerdo es el punto 5 (de la primer respuesta).

"5) today .. majority of jazz festivals are not jazz festivals. For example Montreux Jazz Festival programms only 8% of jazz, sad ..."

Otro ejemplo es el festival de jazz de Rotterdam... :( sad as well...

Bueno, encontr'e tu blog por pura casualidad. Muy chevere.
Adios, Eliana

Anonymous said...

maybe u r right
maybe u r a little bit to hard ( on yourself? )
photography is the freedom of expression
what about if people like to be speed&industrial?
instead of passion&sensitive?
good or not,
people will judge!
and the guy on twitter was just finding a subject to start a conversation,
seems like it was a wrong step..........

Don't forget to visit my other blog "Juan Carlos Hernandez - Life Photographer"

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