This morning I was reading an interview with now-famous Belgian DnB musician Netsky. He’s a great down-to-earth guy. I even photographed him a few years ago, before the big hype.
In the interview he talked about living on the road, where after weeks at a time being Netsky, coming home and just be Boris again.
Being a photographer on location feels exactly the same. Last week I was shooting three consecutive days at the city festival Genk On Stage. With only a few hours of sleep after that, I already left for Antwerp, where I spent two fulltime days photographing the Scandic hotel.
Two completely different things, as in concert photography you play the hand you are dealt, in just three songs. No light, a musician standing still? A microphone stand in the way? Too bad! Move to the next stage and try again. Interiour and architectural photography on the other hand often meaning packing four cases of gear, and taking your time to carefully observe the location, place strategic lights, make a picture, and adjust. Repeat until you get the result you want, where all the fine details are right.
The best part, a team of people ready to assist you to do your job. Just like a hospitality manager welcoming a musician to the backstage, we had a great PR team with a well stocked Press room. In the hotel I had access to assisting staff and room service.
These people made sure I could be on my best, and thus make their ‘thing’ look as best as possible too. And I did.
After those exhausting five days, clocking in at around 65 hours of work, I came home. The following day, I started the laundry. And while sorting socks, I couldn’t wait to hit the road again.
