Photographer: Ivy Lovell

We asked Ivy Lovell some questions. She was kind enough to answer them…

I go to a considerable amount of shows (last years count was 120), and I take many photos while at these shows. It took years of being awkward and nervous and taking absolutely abysmal pictures for me to work out a style that I was happy with.I didn’t go to to school for photography, but I started assisting a fashion photographer right out of high school. I travel across North America whenever I can, in the pursuit of documenting good bands. My friend T.J who’s visiting from Detroit right now had this to say about me, which kind of perfectly captures ‘me’: “ You hate being thrifty”. I’d rather go on a road trip than pay off my credit card, which has me involved in some minor unpleasantness with Visa currently.

I’m happiest when I’m surrounded by like minded earthlings that don’t mind me taking pictures of them in a loud musical setting. I am forever in pursuit of understanding the quantum world, and I try my hardest to be as sane possible.

Influences

I wish I had something really insightful to point towards, but honestly what influences or inspires me the most is the subjects all around me. Be it a band or the crowd, or a set model in front of the camera. I feed off the energy in a room, which definitely helps produce some great images… but it does have it’s downside. I can’t force myself to do something my brain isn’t 100% into, which sometimes results in me not taking a single shot of a band.

As far as other photographers go, it all comes back to when I first started coming to Toronto shows as a young Niagara Fallsian, and I saw David Waldman (Kid With Camera) all over the place. He had a major influence on my work initially, in that I didn’t want to step on his toes at all so my style was derived from doing the opposite of what he was doing. He had these external flashes set up around the band to create lighting and so I totally avoided the use of flash at all for a long time. I hold a great respect for him, and Autumn De Wilde.

Process

In the case of shooting a band, if somehow I am not already aware of them, I try to listen to as much of their music as I possibly can. Videos are a mighty big help, but I try to stay away from other photographers photos (initially) so I can go into the show without having a little voice in the back of my head comparing my work with theirs.

I’m really just trying to convey how much fun a show was, how everyone in the venue can collectively come together and just dig it. It’s the memory that counts. I force myself to take only the bare minimum of photos needed to get what I’m looking for. Digital photography can breed laziness (IE take 100,000 pictures to get that ONE you want), and that isn’t what it’s supposed to be, not for me at least. I like putting limits on myself because it forces me to live up to my own standards.

Highlights

Definitely when friends ask to use my photos in album artwork, or to use specific shots for promo purposes, those are always my favorite projects. I’d do anything for a friend, and I totally support them in the only way I’m really talented. Like the new Holy Cobra’s LP out on Telephone Explosion, they used a pretty rad shot of mine for the insert.

But yeah, also, I was asked to contribute some photos to a documentary that Vice did last year, and that was totally exciting for me. The producer emailed a list of something like 30 bands and asked me to cross off as many as possible.The only band I didn’t have shots of were the Compulsive Gamblers, unfortunatly.

Shooting the Black Keys/ The Greenhornes in Chicago in January and then a couple weeks later Wanda Jackson/Jack White in NYC was an absolutely incredible start to this year, too.

Future

At the beginning of the year I started the Ivy’s League Photo Book project. It’s basically a bi-monthly (started off as monthly) highlight of all the shows I’ve shot, plus whatever little weirdness I decide to throw in. They’re self published books released in a limited run (usually less than 50), that I give out at one show per release, drop off at my favorite record stores, and send out across the planet. My ultimate goal is to finish the year up with it and then try to get funding to continue with it. I’ve also got another book in the making, but that’s a bit far off at this point.. .it’s going to be a collection of every band I’ve shot. I might try to pull some crazy shit off with it, if it works out. I’m keeping that under wraps for now though.

Soundtrack

Well right at this current second, I’m listening to a bunch of records I picked up as a belated birthday gift to myself from Sonic Boom yesterday. Got me the new Oh Sees record ‘Castlemania’, ‘U.S Ez” by Sic Alps, and among others, this totally incredible psych comp of 60′s Turkish bands (highlights include Edip Akbayram’s song ‘Yakar Inceden Inceden’ and Alpay’s song ‘Kirpiklerin Ok Ok Eyle’). Ty Segall’s new record, Goodbye Bread has been in heavy rotation over here too. And METZ’s new demo “Wet Blanket” has me rocking out alone in my apartment. Like a nerd.

www.ivylovell.com
www.ivyleah.blogspot.com

Photographs by Ivy Lovell

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