The Great and the Powerful : Volume III

Hey all!  Sorry for being late this time; I'm thinking I'm going to post these on Sundays now.  Anyway, this week, our very own member Tngabor is being interviewed and featured!  Save all questions for the comments .


What got you started shooting concerts?
Officially and in short: at about the middle of 2010. But i was
trying to photograph concerts before that.
Basically it all started with me being a musician (a drummer,
yes, i'm a drummer ) and a few years later my dad bought a
digital camera, so it was natural for me to fuse the two, as i
was self-teaching myself drumming and photography.

What equipment do you use?
In the start i used a Fujifilm FinePix S6500fd (the 'Behemoth at Exit10'
was taken with that camera), then i bought a used D80 (almost all photos in my concert
photography gallery are taken with it).
Now i use a D7000.

Types of lenses?
18-105mm - it's crap, but it's good for concert photography where the band is close to you.
I recommend it to everyone. Also the 18-55mm is good for people on a budget.
I also have a 50mm F1.4, but i rarely use it for concerts.

How would you describe your local music scene?
It's bad, but very passionate.

What music style do you generally shoot?
Metal and rock. But i would love to try myself out in Jazz.

Do you post-produce photos, what program do you use, why?
Always. I don't consider my concert photos as photojournalistic.
So i don't care about that documentary value crap
Anyway, i use lightroom, photoshop and Silver efex.

Favourite live experience shooting photos?
Hmm...
I don't have one favorite experience that i can point to.
Pretty much all of the concerts i photographed were great in some ways.
The thing is, when i go shooting a band i always search for that
moment that sums up the whole gig. The decisive moment if you will.
And if i get close to capturing that, then for me that was an
awesome experience.


The 'Avernus Live, 2012' photo for example sums up the gig greatly.
Everybody was screaming and headbanging. And even though you can't see
the people moshing, screaming, you can feel it being "reflected" on the guitarist.


The 'Bane Live III, 2011' for example is cold and "distant", and that's
good because the band plays black metal. It's a very "evil" photograph.


The 'Decapitated Live II, 2011' also sums up the atmosphere nicely,
because Decapitated's music is dark and very energetic.
So yeah, for me the atmosphere is more important,
and if i capture this, then for me it was an awesome experience

Ever had photos published, where, when?
No. But hopefully i will have some published in the coming weeks

Ever been paid, or sold photos, to whom, who were the photos of?
I've got paid once.
I got 1000RSD, which is less than 10 Euros.
Other then that, no

Favourite band and music style?
I listen to a lot of bands and genres,
and it would take too long to write them down.
In short: everything not commercial.
Everything not MTV.

Do you play an instrument or write music, explain?
Yes, like i wrote: i'm a drummer

How long have you been shooting live bands?
A little less than 3 years.

What band past or present would you most want to photograph live?
Hmm... good question!
I don't know. Ulver maybe? Or Sigur Ros.
The thing is that sometimes some bands amaze me, and other bands
that i think will be great (big bands) are just plain s**t live.
Type O Negative for example: great music, but (was) bad live.

If you've been accredited to enter the photo pit as an "official photographer" what steps did you have to go through to get there?
I never did that. I don't like big festivals.
I prefer small clubs where the crowd and the band are much more intimate.

Any horror stories?
Actually, once at the Exit festival 2011 (or 2010 - not sure) i accidentally got
an accreditation as a photographer. Placebo was going to play, but i wanted to
watch another band on a smaller stage. Anyway, i got there like 5mins before
they were going live, and all the photographers needed to sign some kind of
paperwork to able to go in the photo pit and photograph them. And i didn't
have any documentation with me...
I didn't get in, and i was very angry

Why shoot music? What else do you shoot?
Because it is close to me, i know the people, and understand their personalities
and frustrations and that's why i think i can photograph them better.
Besides concert photography i don't photograph much.
I got a job as a Web and Graphic designer so i'm focusing on that.

Ever had a photo stolen and used without your authorization?
Maybe
I don't know.

And a feature; make sure to check Gábor out!