Interview | Brid O’Donovan-Photographer |
Brid O’Donovan is a Cork based photographer who has combined her love for live gigs with her passion for photography.
So Brid, introduce us! what’s your elevator pitch?
I document the music scene in Cork city. I am mostly self taught. I use mostly prime lenses as they make me feel more invisible and less invasive.
You studied sculpture and combined media in LSAD. At what point did you become drawn to photography?
It happened quite organically. I started taking photographs at gigs with my Nikon bridge camera for no particular reason other than I enjoyed it! I kept the photos to myself for a long time. After college I moved to Cork and began to take an interest in the music scene here. I began to give my photographs to my boyfriend so that he could pair them with his reviews on his music website The Point of Everything. Shortly after we began to do this I was asked by one of the music venues to come and shoot a Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! gig for them. Another website in Cork, We Are Noise, was looking for photographs of the same gig and it all took off from there. I worked exclusively with We Are Noise for a year and in that time I shot at least three gigs a week. Being put in this position put the pressure on me to produce high quality images 100% of the time because they were going online and I’m the kind of person that never puts something “out there” that I’m not totally happy with. It was the best way for me to teach myself photography. I’ve figured out that I don’t learn that well from other people, I need to be on my own, figuring it out on my own terms. Doing this in the shadows of a venue seemed to have worked in my favour! Growing up I always took photos. I always loved photography but I never thought of it as a career option until that night of the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! gig. The idea of people wanting my photos and actually really liking them was a complete shock. It still kind of catches me out. I really have to work on that!
Who do you take inspiration from?
More than anything, people who do a lot with very little inspire me.
If you weren’t a photographer, what would you be doing?
Oh, tough question. I have a huge interest in nutrition so I think if I couldn’t do photography I’d definitely like to study that more. The link between how food impacts your physical and mental health is fascinating. I’ve been so aware of it and I like to share what I know with people that give a shit!
How do you approach a shoot?
I shoot bands a lot of the time so if I was approaching a band shoot I would start off by researching them as a band and listening to their music so that I can get a grasp of what they are about. Luckily most of the shoots I have done have been with bands I’m familiar with. I’ll still sit down and listen to them before the shoot because at that moment I am listening to them for a very different reason. I’m listening to them to find my inspiration and my interpretation of what they are about. I listen for the gaps. Sometimes I will look into what bands they are heavily influenced by and I’ll look up their band photos as a sort of visual thesaurus. I like to shoot around Cork city. So at any given moment there’s always a few spots that I’m thinking about and wondering if I can shoot there. I’ll have a list of locations and a clear idea of a few shots that I want to get but I generally like to work then and there. I like to shoot people naturally with little intervention from me. My favourite kind of photograph is one in which the subjects appear as if the photographer wasn’t even there. Creating this is so much harder than you’d imagine.
What’s the music scene in Cork like?
DIY is the first term that comes to mind when I think of the music scene in Cork. People are starting from scratch and doing it for themselves. They are creating festivals, platforms, rehearsal spaces, labels. The whole thing. It’s really exciting. Cork is also the tiniest little city and everyone knows each other. This is obviously a very good thing and a very bad thing (no bitching about other people in public!). People share their time and talent with one another. It’s hard to keep up!
What’s the best shoot you’ve done?
I think the best shoot I have done has been with Stevie G and Christiana Underwood. Stevie is the poster boy for Cork, haha. He’s an institution onto himself, you know? Stevie established his record label Soul Jamz Records in 2014 and Christiana has been working with him on a few of his tracks. Their debut was Deep Down South and I did the promo shots for that release. It worked out really well for me. Stevie was great to work with because he knew from the very beginning what he wanted from the shoot but he was totally open to my creativity which is exactly what you want from a client. I look at those images and there’s nothing I would change about them. It’s rare I feel that way because I’m a bit of a perfectionist. Stevie has been very supportive of my photography so it was great to actually work with them and support his new adventure!
How would you describe your style of photography?
I feel like I’m only still getting to grips with photography so the idea of analysing my work and identifying my style is very difficult! I feel like a documentarian more than anything else. That links back to what I was saying about striving to be invisible as a photographer and trying to capture natural moments. I just want to show the true side of people – what makes them great, what makes them unique. Great local gigs happen in Cork all the time and one of the reasons why I go to these gigs is because they need to be documented. Venues close down, bands dissolve but that doesn’t take away from what they were and it’s so important that we have a visual archive that can aptly describe the electricity of what these bands and venues did to contribute to the reputation and the personality of Cork.
What’s the most difficult part about shooting live music photography? What are some challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Red lighting! What a nightmare! Most of the time I shoot in very low light so most gigs are challenging to say the least. I enjoy that challenge though. That moment when the musician you are trying to photograph just falls into that perfect light and you are ready for it is so joyous. I try to be clever about it and shoot whatever musician has the best light at any given time. Sometimes that means waiting a couple songs and just watching, just looking with your own eyes before you hold up the camera. You have to look for the rhythms of the musicians working together and anticipate the moments that will make a stand out photograph. Sometimes it’s just about being in the right spot at the right time! Being patient and creative are musts for gig photographers!
I know you’re a bit of a tech nerd- if you could save one piece of equipment in a fire what would it be?
Oh Christ. My camera! I’m nothing without it! Usually I have my Canon 50mm f/1.4 attached so if I had to run and grab just the camera hopefully it would be attached! I am working with a Canon 5D mi at the moment, forever lusting after the mii. If anyone wants to donate one to me I’ll gladly take it off your hands.
Do you have a favourite image you’ve shot?
I think my photograph of Janelle Monae is my favourite. I was such a huge fan of hers, I just couldn’t wait for the gig. I had to put my camera away for one song just so I could dance. There was no pit so I just shot away for the whole gig. In those situations where there’s no three song limit I just click, click, click. It was in a bar in Cork that doesn’t usually host gigs and the place was packed out. Nobody knew who was coming on stage but I had heard from the website I was shooting for. I pushed my way to the front of the crowd and was behind a group of girls that were at the barrier. I tried my luck at asking them if I could pop in front of them for the first two songs and they were way more obliging than I expected. When I told them who was about to come on stage they didn’t have a clue who she was so I knew I had luck on my side and I could probably milk my vantage spot for a good few songs. When I eventually turned around to see if they wanted to move up they were gone! I rarely have that amount of luck in one night. The lights were brilliant that night and she was so charismatic it was a pleasure to photograph. Walking home that night I was on such a high. I knew I had gotten some really special photographs and I was so happy with myself. It’s nice to soak up those moments and to get caught up in the buzz of it all.
How do you get your work out there?
I’m still figuring that out! I work for a music and culture website in Belfast called The Thin Air so that helps in getting my name and my work out there. They are so supportive and so encouraging. I use my Facebook page whenever I can and a good few bands will share my images on their pages too so that helps reach more people. Word of mouth is probably the most valuable way of getting your name out there and getting work. I’ve been lucky in that way. It pays to live in a small city where everyone knows you!
What’s next for you?
Well, I feel like I’ve been a bit lazy and relaxed with the photography for the past three years. This year I want to give myself a kick up the bum and really become more productive and put myself out there a lot more. It’s easier said than done! I get myself stuck into more food photography because that’s something I really love doing. There’s a few small personal projects that have been swimming around in my head for the past few months that I need to get out and do. They are mainly based on documenting certain people and organisations in Cork. The quiet heroes of the city.
Thanks Brid! Good luck with everything, we’ll keep following you!
website: showshotshare.tumblr.com
facebook: facebook.com/
twitter: @brid_ad_lib
