morning making duplicate slides for The Judds. I
just shot them over the weekend. I'm
making prints for Natalie from the Dixie Chicks.
Brian Wilson is working on a live
album in Los Angeles and I'm in the middle of
organizing for that. Between all of that,
I'm making phone calls and invoicing people.
Around four this afternoon I'll have to
go and shoot Peter Murphy, which means I have
to lug four cases of camera equip-
ment over to the venue, shoot him, bring that
gear back home, grab some dinner, and
then go back tonight and shoot his show. That's
a pretty normal day."
POINTERS FOR THE JOB SEARCH
"It's a bit like catch-22: you can't shoot
concerts unless you've already shot con-
certs. The first thing you're asked is, `Who
have you shot in the past?' If you say you're
just starting out, they're going to say, `Go
start with somebody else.' They may ask what
magazines that you've worked for. You've got to
come with experience, but how do you
get that experience? You've got to have someone
who will vouch for you." Approach
local bands and hone your skills shooting them.
When you have the beginnings of a
portfolio, talk with club and theater owners to
see if you can shoot a show for their use
to further your experience in shooting bigger
shows. Once you have a good book, then
approach magazines, artist managers, and record
label representatives.
PAUL NATKIN, PHOTOGRAPHER/PRESIDENT, PHOTO
RESERVE, INC.
Paul Natkin decided to become a photographer in
1971 for the sole reason that it
provided free admission to sporting events. He
learned the basics from his father. "I
CASE STUDY:
THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT THIS
JOB:
"Up-and-coming bands that believe all their own
publicity. I find it
amazing that managers don't tell bands that
they should act in a more
respectable manner. This is the only business I
know of where you can
be in it for 25 years and be treated [badly] by
somebody who is not
even 19 years old and has been in the business
for about six months."
THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS JOB:
"When people are nice to me; when people have
respect for me. It
proves that what I've worked at all my life is
actually worth some-
thing. When a band like the Dixie Chicks
personally requests that I
come out and photograph them, that's pretty
darn cool."
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