Neal Preston Returns to Forest Hills
Joining him was his good friend, Oscar-winner Cameron Crowe, who he met long ago at a rock concert. Crowe, who wrote the foreword for Preston's new book, interviewed him about his memories and talents.
“Flipping through the book last night was like listening to a lot of great music,” Crowe said. “In a world where all of these bands are now splintering and some people say rock is the new jazz, why is it that some of these photos have lasted longer than the actual bands?”
“There is no easy answer,” Preston responded. “If any photographer thinks that you shot a picture at 8:00 and at 8:02 you look at it and think that’s iconic, I guarantee that you’re wrong, since you need the benefit of hindsight to know that it’s iconic.”
He acknowledged the role that “timing” and “all kinds of people who let me do what I do the way I do it” play in making a photo great. The 336-page book includes personal stories and photos from concerts and behind-the-scenes.
“Shooting live music is something few photographers do really well,” Preston said. “I just discovered one day I was good at this because it felt natural to me. You can’t teach it, you can’t learn it, you just do it.
“It's one part photography, one part love of music, one part a love of theatre and theatrical lighting, one part hero worship, one part timing and 95 parts instinct,” he added.
“Flipping through the book last night was like listening to a lot of great music,” Crowe said. “In a world where all of these bands are now splintering and some people say rock is the new jazz, why is it that some of these photos have lasted longer than the actual bands?”
“There is no easy answer,” Preston responded. “If any photographer thinks that you shot a picture at 8:00 and at 8:02 you look at it and think that’s iconic, I guarantee that you’re wrong, since you need the benefit of hindsight to know that it’s iconic.”
He acknowledged the role that “timing” and “all kinds of people who let me do what I do the way I do it” play in making a photo great. The 336-page book includes personal stories and photos from concerts and behind-the-scenes.
“Shooting live music is something few photographers do really well,” Preston said. “I just discovered one day I was good at this because it felt natural to me. You can’t teach it, you can’t learn it, you just do it.
“It's one part photography, one part love of music, one part a love of theatre and theatrical lighting, one part hero worship, one part timing and 95 parts instinct,” he added.
Source: Forest Hills Times - Legendary rock photographer returns to Forest Hills