Being a photographer to artists on tour demands quick thinking, making do with what you have to work with in the frenzy of backstage goings on.
Melbourne-based Renée Stamatis is one such photographer who, despite having the all-access to some of Australia’s and the world’s biggest electronic and non-electronic musicians, sometimes has to work around hectic schedules and not-so-optimum environments.
Stamatis, who has been using a Canon 5D MKII throughout her professional career, had to make do with what she had when she was photographing Los Angeles-based electronic producer Sam Baker aka Samiyam during his tour under music and event curators, The Operatives.
Renée Stamatis x Onra
Renée Stamatis x Flying Lotus
In the third of our fortnightly photography instalment of Renée Stamatis’ artist portraits, we go behind the scenes with her as we find out that the devil is in the detail when working in complete backstage darkness and barging awkwardly into some back-room intimacy.
What was going on in this very moment between you and Sam?
Actually, I had taken a few frames and realised I wanted to use a grid on the flash head I was using (the grid is a way of focussing the spread of light, so that it centres on the subject and falls off very quickly, leaving a darker vignette edge of the frame).
I left him there with Jerry Poon (The Operatives frontman who had brought him out for the tour) while I ran down through the venue and up to the office where my gear was being stored. As I ran up the stairs to the office, I thought it was strange that a chair was laying blocking the top entrance, but I was in a hurry so just bustled right through – I had ran right into an “intimate moment” between some venue staff! It was an awkward mess.
So this photo of Sam was taken as I was puffed out while retelling the story of what had just happened! As you can imagine, we were all laughing pretty hard.
For this shot I ended up using a Norman 400B portable battery flash system, with the grid on the flash (which I ran to get from the office). This flash was the love of my life for a long time, borrowed on innumerable occasions from Andrew Curtis, my long time mentor and friend.
What was Samiyam doing there?
He was out for his Asia Pacific tour through The Operatives. This was right after he finished his set, and he got off stage buzzing with energy and we got straight into it.
What did you guys talk about?
That his set was the soundtrack for office sex that night. The Barry White of Beats. Haha!
Was the barrier easy to break down with your subject?
Super easy, Sam is very chilled. He was a little shy at first, but we quickly got into joking and laughing and clowning around. I guess we had a pretty good ice-breaker (the office sex and all).
Why this photo out of all the rest?
For me, it is the draw string from his jacket sweeping off to the side. A split second of a moment frozen.
More of Renee Stamatis’ work with artists can be viewed here.
Renee is currently working on a portrait series examining the psyche through constructed identity, to be exhibited in late 2014.
