Arts and Events on December 14, 2021 »Arts and Culture
Photographer Joey Wharton took a photo with famous musicians Angelica Garcia (left) and Natalie Plath (right). These two musical geniuses have lived and played in Richmond in recent years .
Photographer Joey Wharton was everywhere on the tour with the Hard Rock American Aquarium.
He was tall and thin, dressed in black, black hair with tousled hair, wearing a black mask, and a black camera with a thick wide-angle lens. As a photo ninja, he moved like a shadow behind a drum set, secretly took a close-up shot of the pedal steel guitar, then slipped to the back of the room, passing through the crowd backlit by the bright stage lights to take pictures of the band. He disappeared in the background, but after the performance, the wires were coiled, the amplifier was boxed, and what was left would be fleeting images taken by the photographer from a strange angle.
The live footage of the Wharton School is full of energy and energy, capturing the passion of the performance, from intimate close-up shots to angles large enough to engulf the entire crowded room.
But he didn't want to be a photographer in the first place. He has a degree in graphic design from VCU and has served as the creative director of several regional print publications, including Chesterfield Living. The last school project of the Wharton School of Business was a pop-up book about fonts, hoping to bring a newer aesthetic. But the photography they use is competent, but not suitable. "I realized that the only way I wanted to get what I needed was to do it myself," he said.
His girlfriend, now his wife Emily, already has a camera. This is an old-fashioned semi-professional Canon from the early 2000s. She received it as a graduation gift, but it is still idle in the closet. He went online to study the basic elements-aperture, shutter speed and ISO trade-offs. Then jumped into the abyss.
"In order to figure this out, what is the hardest thing I can photograph? He asked. "Oh! Live music. "
His first band shoot was at the Good Day RVA Music Festival held at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery in May 2014. It turned out that this was a life-changing event. "Some people I met became friends for life," he recalled. The band became a customer.
Wharton later toured with the local pop band Trillions and Sleepwalkers when they toured with the national band Lumineers. Even for experienced professionals, identifying key musicians under tricky lighting is a technical challenge. Of the 500 photos taken that day, he estimated that 15 of them might be available. But those works that worked reflect his talent for composition and became the starting point for the journey that continues today.
The Wharton School of Business intersects with the American Aquarium in Raleigh during a performance at the Ashland Theater in 2019.
"I believe the promoter hired him to film the show," the band leader BJ Barham recalled. "I fell in love with his work immediately. His colors and tones are unmistakable, and he is a very infectious and interesting person. We took him out on our next tour, and he has been with us ever since. Together." Click to zoom in on the action footage of Joey Wharton American Aquarium Band BJ Barham.
Their current trip began a week at the Texas studio Sonic Ranch, where the band recorded the upcoming album "Chicamacomico" with Bon Iver producer Brad Cook.
Wharton said: "It's so cool to be with the whole band for the first time when a fly is on the wall watching a song written by a man with a guitar."
The dark desert sky was shining with stars, giving him the opportunity to try astrophotography. Then the band went on the road, crossing the south from Texas, and then up the coast.
"To be honest, I like buses. That's the feeling of being shaken to sleep. It's very good. The lounge is at the front and you have a mobile green room. If you want to be alone, you can be on the back of the bed," Wharton The business school explained. "It's much better than sleeping in a hotel room for three hours and then sleeping in a crowded van for eight hours. When you wake up, you park outside the venue and you can go out and hang out and explore a new city."
Even if the location is constantly changing, there is a rhythm every day. "I try to arrange a reasonable bedtime, get up before 8 am and organize the photos taken the night before-reduce 1,000 photos to 100, and then review the show. I strive to make each day unique and always carry my camera with me. In order to capture some unexpected moments with one of the bands."
For Wharton, this is all part of the story, which ultimately leads to "epic rock performances and another opportunity to capture this energy. Then hang out on the bus for a while, sleep, and wake up in a new city Come. "
An important part of the process is to determine the scope of the site.
"Like you are taking any type of photo," Wharton said, "For portraits or weddings, you need a scout position. I know I can stand here or there and imagine how I will get what I need until the beginning of the show. . Then I woke up the next morning and saw an amazing set of images."
His kit consists of a high-speed, fixed-focus lens, and he particularly likes to use a wide-angle lens for close-up shots.
"I almost always put a 20mm lens on my camera and only remove it when I want a picture of a solo performer."
The purpose is to provide a unique perspective.
"You can sit in the audience and watch it, which is cool. But the photo I turned over, taken within a foot of the camera, really allows you to see their faces. That lens adds a lot of depth."
As an up-and-coming designer in Photoshop, the Wharton School of Business uses almost unlimited digital editing controls to achieve a unique and recognizable set of color palettes.
"For me, it is always more earth tones," he said. "Ninety-nine percent of the time, this is not the color of the lights in the room. They are usually blue and purple. I like warm colors and I have been trying to find a way to achieve this."
Knowing the setting list or structure is always an advantage.
"I know there will be a decisive moment, when the bassist is about to make this specific action, or when the BJ walks towards someone, they will start playing together."
Every night is unique, but many songs remain the same. The same basic camera goals are the same every night: the heroic moment of the band leader, the individual shots of each player, one person on the entire stage, and the signature of the Wharton School, the end of the performance shot (see below) the band and the audience at the front desk When I was most excited, a group of waving arms and happy faces. Click to enlarge Joey Wharton Barham looking at the crowd in Broadbury.
"In a world where digital media is constantly being swallowed up, it's great to have Joey by your side," Barham said. "He perfectly captured the joy and intensity of our live performance and has become an important part of how our fan base views the band."
The challenge lies in trying to capture the intimacy at the heart of rock music. This is not just documentation, but collaboration.
"It is very important that the band accepted me more than just a photographer: he is Joey," Wharton said. "We know him, we know what he needs, and we will give it to him...then hang out on the bus, sleep, and wake up in a new city."
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