High Fives 2021 No. 8 – Handheld in Black and White

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Time for another selection of Allan’s photos from the few months when we actually had proper gigs happening again. We’ve asked him to be a bit creative with themes this year so he’s come up with a title that no-one under the age of fifty will understand to link the photos.

Why black and white? Well, a variety of reasons; sometimes it’s a creative decision, made in advance, that monochrome will look better. It might be the artist’s choice; that’s happening more often these days. And sometimes it’s about the stage lighting. It’s a frustrating but understandable situation in small venues. The smaller rooms that are the essential first step on the ladder for upcoming bands will always struggle financially, particularly after an enforced closure over a long period of time. When the money’s tight, you look after the essentials first and that’s always going to be the sound. If it doesn’t sound right punters and band are unhappy. If the lighting’s not dramatic, or even bright, no-one cares (well, maybe the photograpers. So, I don’t complain, I just get on with the job. It helps that technology gives us the option to edit in colour or monochrome with one mouseclick. Here are a few examples.

Lina Stalyte @Servant Jazz Quarters

My first shoot in this venue. Like so many in London, it’s in a basement; not a criticism, just a statement of fact. This one was promoted by Lorraine Solomons at Success Express and featured two artists I’d shot before and three I hadn’t. The lighting on stage was patchy; if you found the right spot, you were well-lit. Lina Stalyte was last on the bill was one of those performers that are easy to photograph; she’s elegant, expressive becomes totally immersed in the song, shutting out everything else. This shot, where Lina looks totally unself-conscious was acceptable in colour, but monochrome emphasized the contrast between Lina’s fair skin and top and the dark background. It doesn’t always happen, but I knew this one was a winner when the shutter fired.

Jim Maving @CTZN Brew Twickenham

The first gig at CTZN Brew was only a few weeks earlier, so this was relatively new territory. Dean Owens and Jim Maving (great musicians genuinely good guys) were performing and the gig was promoted by Phil, Kevin and Lucy from Eel Pie Records. The lighting was, well, it was pub lighting; no interesting colours but bright enough to work with. The sightlines weren’t great, but the customers were really tolerant about having their view blocked for a few seconds (with their permission obviously).

With fairly harsh and uninteresting lighting, monochrome was an obvious choice, but there was another deciding factor. Jim, like me, is silver-haired and, unless the lighting is dramatically coloured, just looks better in black and white. I’ve shot him a few times now and I’m starting to think of him as Monochrome Jim. Given a choice, I wouldn’t have the mic and stand in the shot, but I don’t think it detracts too much from a shot of a great musician in action.

Hannah Aldridge @The Half Moon, Putney Keeping it really contemporary, this was shot two days ago at a gig where Hannah was supported by Isabella Coulstock. I’ve shot in the Half Moon and few times and I’ve shot Hannah loads of times; she’s a joy to photograph. I know the good angles at The Half Moon and I had that rare experience of the lighting being more interesting than I expected. Monochrome processing was a choice rather than an imposition for this shot. It was originally processed in colour, but the lighting and contrast are perfect in black and white. The distance between Hannah and the dark red backdrop means that the background is barely reflecting any light, emphasizing the perfect lighting on Hannah’s face.

Amy (Nova Twins) @Becontree 100

The first time I shot Nova Twins was in a basement (see what I mean) in Dalston six years ago. They’ve been working constantly since then and now they’re playing festivals – this one was Parsloes Park in Dagenham. They’re a lively performers and with decent stage lighting (even in bright sunshine), it wasn’t going to be difficult to get good action shots (it definitely wasn’t). Amy and bass player Georgia design their own outfits and they’re usually pretty lively and colourful, which would make you think that colour would be the right processing choice, and it was for most of the gig – I got some really vibrant shots of Amy and Georgia. Then this one came along; as hard as I tried to make the colour shot work, the combination of the hazers and the lights created a horrible colour image. Obviously with an image as striking as this, you don’t give up easily, so it was the black and white click and it was easy from there on in.

Down with the Stereotype @High Tide Festival

Promoted by the great people at Eel Pie Records, this was the second High Tide Festival with bands playing in venues around the town and on an outdoor main stage. The opening band on the main stage was Down with the Stereotype, winners of the local Battle of the Bands, organised by the Basement Door Charity.

Lighting on the stage was hit and miss. In sunshine it was perfect and the colours were vibrant, but when a cloud passed over, everything was muted. I got some nice colour shots during the set (the band were magnificent, by the way) and bass player Will is a force of nature, constantly creating photo opportunities. This classic foot on the monitor shot happened when a cloud passed over, but it’s a nice monochrome.

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