Faces of Rock

Written by Dominique Minor
Monday, 31 August 2009 13:58

 

 

If the word “rocktographer” were added to the dictionary, local musician, art gallery curator, teacher and photographer Zack Smith would be one of the first people deserving of that title.

Since 2003, he has captured the eyes and ears of local music fans with his band Rotary Downs and his visually striking photographs. His work has graced the pages of the local and national music press, including Antigravity, Mojo, Spin, and Rolling Stone.

On August 29, 2009, at Carrollton Station, Smith embarked on an artistic effort to capture what he called “the new influx of experimental and unique rock bands Post-K.” And how did he did do this? By taking pictures of every person in attendance.

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What inspired you to come up with this concept of taking pictures on the anniversary of Katrina this year at the show?

Actually, the concept that I'm doing now is similar to a few things that I've done before in the past, where I've brought out different types of backdrops and photographed people in different neighborhoods, different events, but mostly always shooting film. I'm trying to go for a more “fine art” approach with the snapshots, and there never really was one for the Katrina anniversary because I never really thought that I wanted to celebrate something that has come from it. Because it's been nothing but, you know, the government not being there, things not going back as it should be, et cetera, et cetera. But the last four years I've been really impressed with the whole rock scene. What was once called “indie” is not indie now, since indie began to define a sound. All these musicians are not on a label and are doing things independently, so it can be called indie again. And I don't think this was happening in as big an effect as it is now versus before the storm. I think after the storm what happened was a lot of musicians, the same rock guys, came back to New Orleans with such a bigger strength and an energy that there's so many good things that have popped up; different bands such as Big Rock Candy Mountain, Smiley with a Knife, Caddywhompus coming from Houston, TX. It's a unique turn. The New Orleans Indie Rock Collective, a lot of different booking agents in town booking at The Republic, One Eyed Jacks, and other venues. They're booking bigger rock bands that used to never come to New Orleans. So, there's this collected energy going on and that's definitely something that I've noticed and I wanted to take this opportunity to capture it. And it just so happens these three great bands that I talked about earlier are playing on the anniversary. That was my inspiration.

 

Can you explain exactly how your photo set-up works?

The actual light is very similar to a ring light. A ring light is a photography tool, [it's] the light that circles around the lens itself, giving a different light source to use when you're taking portraits. Basic lights come from the top of the camera, or [the] strobe, which is the offset from the camera. So, having the light so close to the lens source gives these very unique, eerie-looking and powerful portraits when you're shooting full face portraits. So, this light box that I'm using is actually an old sign with reflective material that I found at The Green Project and I modified it to fit a camera. And when they get right in the scene, their face, or my lens and my focal point totally engulfs their face. They really do have a unique affect on the face.

What I'd like to do with the images is to collect all the best ones and print them in a grid format and print that grid with maybe 30, 40, or 50 images, depending on how many I get,  into one big piece and show that somewhere around town in random areas that I'm going to pick out later.

When did you come up with the idea for shooting the photos at Carrollton Station for the show with Smiley with a Knife, Caddywhompus, and Big Rock Candy Mountain?

I'm always looking for unique opportunities to photograph people, so it's always kind of like an option at anytime whenever I smell something going on out there; all the pieces kind of come together. I was going to be at the show anyway. Caddywhompus is one of my favorite bands right now, as well as Big Rock Candy Mountain. Mike Girardot who is in Rotary Downs is also in Big Rock. Last week, I went to The Green Project and I found this box, and I wanted to find a good opportunity to use it. So, I put two and two together, asked the guys if was cool if I came by, and I just realized it was on the anniversary. I found a good reason for why I needed to be out there photographing people.

As a musician, as a photographer, and being very involved in the local scene, is there anything you can think of directly that –-besides the event of Katrina happening-- brought on this sort of renaissance that's happening in New Orleans rock music?

I said that in one of my blog posts, about the renaissance thing. The New Orleans Photo Alliance was started; the Arts Council finally got off the ground. A lot of artists started opening galleries up on St. Claude Ave. so you had all of this alternative art space. Although, there were few of them already going on. But I don't think that the rock scene was given its due because so much is focused on the jazz, the blues, and funk scene here, and the musical families. There's a lot of attention and emphasis put on the music that's been here forever, and I'll give credit where credit is due. Those guys do a great service to the city. I think that the whole reason that the rock scene and the indie scene is kind of galvanizing is that anybody who came back to New Orleans, or are coming back to New Orleans just because it's a cool place or a place to hang out that's cheap. But when people came back here, shit wasn't cheap. Rent wasn't cheap. It wasn’t easy to live here. You couldn't find the things you wanted. So the people that wanted to be here— really, really wanted to be here— had the desire to make things better. I think because of that group mentality all of these different pockets of the arts, have a more grassroots, powerful approach. Especially, this whole rock scene and this whole indie rock scene. Not that it wasn't going to happen anyway, but I think that it just gave musicians a more pertinent reason to jump on board and actually do their best.

Could you tell me about of your other photography with other local bands?

A lot of the work I do is editorial. I do a lot of album artwork. I've worked a lot with the local rock scene. I do a lot of Antigravity Magazine covers. I recently did album cover for the yet-to-be-released solo record by Alec Ounsworth, the lead singer of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. That's coming out in October. I've done some other stuff, Mojo Magazine with Al Green and Tom Waits. Rolling Stone, Spin. A lot of stuff on the music angle. I stay pretty involved in the music scene since I play in it. And it pretty much is my livelihood too. I'd be shooting myself in the foot if I didn't support the scene that made me.

What happened first? Were you just mainly playing music and then kind of branched into photography?

Music's been around me forever. I started playing drums when I was 14-years-old. I was in a few high school bands. I changed it up in college [at Louisiana State University] and I picked up the camera. I'm also a teacher [at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts]. And what I've told people that are struggling, I always tell them, “Just shoot what you love.” You're not going to get anywhere as an artist if you are making art that is not wholly yours or respected by you. You would be much better working in a factory. I started eventually shooting peoples' portraits and doing live music right when I moved to the city from Lafayette. Before that, I did about two years of traveling before moving here to New Orleans in 2000. I became the Tipitina's and House of Blues house photographer. After shooting a lot of music in New Orleans and getting in with the scene, a lot of the musicians knew me as the photographer and trusted me that way. And when I started playing with Rotary Downs in 2003 more and more musicians started to trust me more as a photographer. Musicians don't want their pictures taken anyway, and to have pictures taken by a photographer who understands the music and the image side of things I felt it gave a big angle of trust because I have been able to bridge the gap. Around '03 I combined both disciplines, so about 6 years ago and I've been doing that sort of big juggle ever since.

As far as the concept that you have going for the Katrina anniversary photo project, what has been the reception so far to what you're doing?

I think it's been pretty—all positive—but pretty understandable. This is not the first time I've sent out a random e-mail telling everyone that I have a new thing I want to do, and I want to photograph you. This one more than ever there's been an overall understood reason as to why I'm doing this. Everyone understands the Katrina anniversary thing. So, hopefully it's something that is a little bit different and hopefully it will celebrate [the anniversary] a little bit differently.

 

Frontpage photo courtesy of Herman Leonard. Blake Haney pictured above.

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