{"id":1259,"date":"2017-10-31T13:27:26","date_gmt":"2017-10-31T13:27:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/perfectmusictoday.com\/?p=1259"},"modified":"2017-10-31T13:37:50","modified_gmt":"2017-10-31T13:37:50","slug":"jimmy-steinfeldt-interviews-photographer-gene-kirkland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/perfectmusictoday.com\/index.php\/2017\/10\/31\/jimmy-steinfeldt-interviews-photographer-gene-kirkland\/","title":{"rendered":"Jimmy Steinfeldt interviews photographer Gene Kirkland"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"tn-10\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Michael Hepworth<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Gene Kirkland photographer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jimmy Steinfeldt: How often do you clean your lens?<\/p>\n

HOLLYWOOD (Perfect Music Today) 10\/31\/17\/–Gene Kirkland: I never even thought about that. Probably when somebody has bumped into me or spilled something on it. If I\u2019m about to do a shoot and I haven\u2019t done one for a while I\u2019ll clean the lens and the filter. You\u2019ve got to have a filter. A $25 filter has saved a $2000 lens many times. The lens is the most important of all the camera gear.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

JS: What photographers influenced you?<\/p>\n

GK: As a kid I liked nature photography. Everybody likes Ansel Adams and I liked him but I liked him more after I heard the stories. He was a raging, drinking guy with a flask in his back pocket. Lugging all the gear by himself up mountains and cliffs. So whether you like the photos or not, how he got them is a journey. The photographer I really liked and looked up to and got me to decide to do this was Fin Costello. I\u2019ve never met him but I\u2019ve met Neil Preston, and Neil Zlozower who\u2019s a good friend. Some other photographers I should mention are Ross Halfin, Mick Rock, Bob Gruen, and Henry Diltz. Henry taught me the art of gum chewing. It\u2019s just a little something I can do to take the edge off, remove the nervousness that can come with setting up and doing a shoot. I also learned from Henry that working with natural light is the best. Henry is a good cat. Most photographers have their style. People ask me what\u2019s my style and I say I don\u2019t have one. I go with whatever the mood is. Any planned photo shoot is bound to go wrong. So you improvise.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fin Costello was a major influence for me to look at the credits. I love looking at the credits whether it\u2019s an album or tour book or movie. I used to always buy the tour book. If I had extra money I\u2019d buy a t-shirt or a poster except they\u2019d get split on or wrecked but I\u2019d always buy a tour book. I was looking at an old Queen tour book from A Night at the Opera.<\/em> I figured out what bands used to do. They would put photos in the tour book from the previous tour. One of my favorite memories of Queen was the tour in 1977 or 1978. They played at the L.A. Forum and it was around Christmas. So they had a huge Santa Claus come out on stage during the show. He was carrying a gigantic red sack. He grabbed presents from the sack and threw them to the audience. After he did this for a while and it appeared the sack was empty Freddie Mercury popped out of the bottom of the sack. I loved Queen and I always wanted to associate my name with big bands. I never got to photograph Queen but I got to photograph Brian May including on his tour. Some of my photos ended up on a Brian May compilation that is called Queen. So I have ended up on a Queen record.<\/p>\n

JS: Who influenced you besides photographers?<\/p>\n

GK: Bands! I loved music and tried to play guitar but I couldn\u2019t do it. I thought when I was young it would be fun to be out front. I decided I wanted to be behind the scenes. I remember opening up Circus magazine and there was a photo contest and the winning photo was of Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush. It was taken in such a way that you got to see the audience all around the band. That photo influenced me and I have taken hundreds of photos like that because I like to see the crowd too. Besides photography, music is everything to me. I especially like live albums. I\u2019d get a live album and my ritual was to put it on the turntable relax on my bed or couch and start reading the credits and looking at the photos as the album began to play.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

JS: If you were alone on an island what albums would you want to have with you?<\/p>\n

GK: Ronnie James Dio fronted Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and his own band. He gave me my start in this business. He was and is in my mind still one of the greatest singers, performers, front men I\u2019ve ever got to see. Aerosmith, especially their early albums. Queen, Led Zeppelin, UFO, Rush, I could just go on and on. Just music you can drive down the highway with and just get lost. That\u2019s the hard-rock side but I also like the more melodic too. Like Elton John\u2019s Madman Across the Water <\/em>or Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. <\/em>I miss record stores. Record stores were my home. Licorice Pizza, Peaches, also the little stores like Middle Earth records in Downey, CA.<\/p>\n

JS: What was your first camera?<\/p>\n

GK: Nikomat, I still have it. My parents got it for me when they found out that I needed a camera for the camera class in school. The school had cameras but not enough for you to have your own. I was lousy, lousy, lousy at photography until I took one photo that got published in the newspaper in Downey. Then things started to happen. Much like a band that hadn\u2019t yet found their audience or sound. That photo I took was of a wonderful man who is still a good friend to this day. He was my photography teacher. Michael Coppenger we all called him Mr. C. Our photography class went on a field trip to Catalina. The idea was to just roam around. The school supplied the film and we developed the film ourselves. I wasn\u2019t getting anything good but as we were leaving the island I saw my photography teacher asleep on a bench. He was probably exhausted from looking after the whole class on this long weekend trip. I worked for Mr. C. as his lab assistant later on when he moved on to a college. I also saved up money as some of my photos got published and I got a Nikon FN, an all manual camera.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

JS: What camera are you shooting with now?<\/p>\n

GK: Whenever I can get away with it I use my Mamiya RZ67 and shoot black and white film. It\u2019s the perfect camera. I\u2019ve blown up photos and they look great. I use a Canon 7D most of the time. With a 24-70mm lens, which covers just about anything I need to shoot. There are newer cameras but cameras today are so expensive. I used to be able to buy two camera bodies and several lenses for the cost of just one camera body today. The only reason I went to digital cameras is because years ago my camera bag was stolen with everything in it. Two or three bodies, seven lenses all prime lenses. I didn\u2019t really believe in zoom lenses. I set my camera bag down for a minute, went over to someone to say hello and it was gone. Also I never buy used cameras. Two things you should never buy used: condoms and cameras!<\/p>\n

JS: Is there a camera you always wanted but never got?<\/p>\n

GK: A small, compact, medium format camera that looked like a35mm called the Makina67.<\/p>\n

JS: Have you done movie stills?<\/p>\n

GK: No. But I\u2019ve done stills on about 200 video shoots. That worked out fine because the music playback on a video shoot is loud and you don\u2019t have to worry about your camera making a noise. I thought about doing film stills but I already had things going good in music photography. I have done a few shoots for TV like for Dick Clark Productions, and also Lucha Underground wrestling for The El Rey Network .<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

JS: Is there anyone you\u2019d like to photograph that you haven\u2019t photographed?<\/p>\n

GK: Without sounding morbid, the Artists that I would have loved to have photographed well, they\u2019ve all passed away. Among the living I\u2019d like to say maybe Jimmy Page or Robert Plant but it would be great if I could go back to the era 1976. It would all depend on the circumstances, if I could have it my way, I don\u2019t like rules, like only shooting 3 songs or you only have like 10 minutes to shoot. I hate being told how to do my craft and do it fast and without restrictions Actually as I think about it I\u2019d like to photograph someone like George Clooney. I think he\u2019s got a personality that\u2019s funny, animated, and fun or maybe someone like Jennifer Aniston, those just come to my mind at the moment.<\/p>\n

JS: What advice would you give a young person who wants to be a photographer?<\/p>\n

GK: Don\u2019t do it! I don\u2019t mean that completely. Have a backup plan. Have a job. If you give your work for free one time and cut them off that\u2019s one thing but if you give your work for free always that\u2019s a problem. I support anyone who want\u2019s to give the arts a try. If you think you would like to try something do it.<\/p>\n

A few years ago I found myself in a panic. I needed to go to work and I couldn\u2019t find my car keys. I was already thinking I might need to call my friend and borrow his car. I sat on my couch and looked out the open door to the screen and my keys were in the door lock. As late as I was for getting to work I just stayed there laughing my ass off. I undid my camera bag and took a photo of the keys in the door. It must have been a reminder to myself that the last thing I need to do was lock up. I just had to take a picture of it. So if you see something that catches your eye even if it\u2019s just for you, go for it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There is no music business anymore. Everyone is out for themselves. In the early days Neil Zlozower told me to go to Isgo Lepejian to have my film processed and printed. I lived far away but I\u2019d drive to Hollywood to have Isgo Lepadian do my film because I knew he was the best. His son is my friend Baret Lepejian had made a comment to me a few years ago. \u201cWe live in a world where everybody wants something that\u2019s just good enough.\u201d That\u2019s sad. It doesn\u2019t have to be great or good, just good enough. I\u2019ve noticed through the years, people will sometimes say \u201cWe\u2019ll fix it.\u201d Some people still put in a lot of work to make things right. If you go to your dentist do you tell him you\u2019ve only got fifteen minutes so just fix it, make it just good enough? I\u2019m glad I didn\u2019t hear that when I was starting out. That\u2019s the world we live in now. Oh and btw, if I seem to bounce around and I\u2019m all over the place with your questions and as I\u2019ve said to you before I tend to have a clash of OCD\/ADHD and tend to answer a question before it\u2019s even asked.<\/p>\n

JS: How do you get your photos published these days?<\/p>\n

GK: I do it myself. People tend to know what I have and contact me if they want to use my photos. I have an agent for some foreign territories but I have had some bad experiences with agents through the years. There is a giant black-hole out there where photographers send their images and many are never returned. Those original photos are lost forever like in the last scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

JS: What\u2019s next for Gene Kirkland?<\/p>\n

GK: Gonna get my oil changed today! That\u2019s my sense of humor but I am doing that after our interview. You know what, I don\u2019t really plan anything out. The one amazing thing about what I do, I never know when the phone will ring or an email will come through. \u201cAre you available on this date to shoot this?\u201d It could be anything. You never know what kind of job is going to come up. As for right now my wife recently prompted me to more fully catalog my images and get them more sorted out. Also my dear friend has Black Lightning Gallery and he sells my images as fine art prints. I had a showing last year of my Guns N\u2019 Roses photos and it was fun because it included many photos I hadn\u2019t seen in years. I couldn\u2019t even remember being at some of the places where I had shot them. Some of the proceeds from the photos I sell I like to donate to charities including The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund, and when I can\u2019t give any proceeds I like to give my time. I\u2019ll always be a part of The SUAS charity. I believe in giving back to the people who helped you get your start. They gave you their time so it\u2019s always good to give something back.<\/p>\n

JS: Where should I point readers who want to learn more about you?<\/p>\n

GK: I don\u2019t have a website but one of these days I\u2019m gong to do it. I do have a web page. Maybe over Christmas I\u2019ll design a proper website. People can reach me best on Facebook. I always answer their questions. https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

JS: Anything you wish to add about your career?<\/p>\n

GK: I just wish I had done certain things differently. Like shooting more black and white. There is something magical about black and white. Like demanding an hour to do a shoot when I was told I only get fifteen minutes. Things like that. However, you use the hand you are dealt with. One of my favorite quick photo shoots almost didn\u2019t happen. It wasn\u2019t even a photo shoot it was just a moment where I saw Ozzy Osbourne in the hallway when he was doing his video. I was doing photos for the video and the video included doves. The doves were leaving and I thought this was the best time for Ozzy to make peace with the dove and not bite its head off and not hurt it. Artists tend to do whatever you want them to do. So with two rolls of black and white film in five minutes I made one of my favorite pictures. Ozzy with the dove holding it nicely.<\/p>\n

Yes, anything can happen. I went from sketching little doodles of band logos in school, to reading music magazines and seeing the photos, to shooting music photos seen around the world.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/jimmysteinfeldt.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\"tn-10\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Michael Hepworth<\/p>\n

287 S.Robertson Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211<\/p>\n

\"search\"<\/a><\/p>\n

www.perfectmealtoday.com<\/a><\/p>\n

perfectmealtoday@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/twitter.com\/MrSpiritsman<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Follow<\/a><\/p>\n

www.spiritsman.com<\/a><\/p>\n

mrspiritsman@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n

www.perfectskintoday.com<\/a><\/p>\n

perfectskintoday@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n

www.perfecttraveltoday.com<\/a><\/p>\n

perfecttraveltoday@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n

www.perfectmealtoday.com<\/a><\/p>\n

perfectmealtoday@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n

www.perfectgolftoday.com<\/a><\/p>\n

perfectgolftoday@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n

www.perfectmusictoday.com<\/a><\/p>\n

perfectmusictoday@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n

www.champagnewinemaison.com<\/a><\/p>\n

champagnewinemaison@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/alquimie.com.au\/publicatio<\/a><\/p>\n

spiritsman.blogspot.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Michael Hepworth   Jimmy Steinfeldt: How often do you clean your lens? HOLLYWOOD (Perfect Music Today) 10\/31\/17\/–Gene Kirkland: I never even thought about that. Probably when somebody has bumped into me or spilled something on… <\/p>\n

Continue Reading Jimmy Steinfeldt interviews photographer Gene Kirkland<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[609],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/perfectmusictoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1259"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/perfectmusictoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/perfectmusictoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/perfectmusictoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/perfectmusictoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1259"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/perfectmusictoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1270,"href":"https:\/\/perfectmusictoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1259\/revisions\/1270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/perfectmusictoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/perfectmusictoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/perfectmusictoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}