Recently a photographer, Mike Guest, took some great pictures of Straight No Chaser at The Hassocks. He had some very nice things to say about us, so I thought I would give them a shout out!
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Primarily I am a professional photographer although in recent years I
have come to embrace graphic design and website construction to help
pay the bills. I love photography and, more importantly, have been a
‘Jazzer’ since my teens back in the late fifties.
Although bought up on Bebop and Hardbop I have tried to follow the
precarious progress of my ‘favourite’ music over the years, it has always been fun although sometimes a bit scary, vis-à-vis ‘Avant-garde’ and Free Jazz, both of which have left me with more questions than answers. Overall, I suppose, I gravitate back towards the music of my formative years and this naturally includes a hefty dose of material from the Big Band/Swing era, what a fantastic and seminal period that was.
SNC is ticking all the boxes for me, you have a fine group of
dedicated and enthusiastic musicians as evidenced by the sense of joy
and fun that exudes when you play. Youreally have got it right and I
wish you a long and successful career in the years ahead. From now on
I shall be keeping a close eye on your movements so I can get my fix
as often as possible!!
In return for using my photos it would be nice to get a photo credit
somewhere, however if this doesn’t fit in with your ethos then I fully
understand. And finally I would like to lay a proposition before you,
namely to give me access to the band – perhaps at rehearsals from time
to time- so I could attempt some more expressive and creative images?
It would be useful for me and beneficial to you I imagine?
Lurking around with my camera at the back of a jam packed auditorium
doesn’t make for the most rewarding of locations and as you can see,
the majority of wide shots have a sea of heads in front of them!
Actually it turned out not too bad in some respects as it shows the
layout and intimacy of this particular venue but it would be good to
provide SNC with some more regular options and angles providing a
better library of shots for your website and Press Pack etc.
If I tell you that coming to see you on Sunday was the number one choice by my wife (to celebrate her birthday and our wedding anniversary), I think you will get some idea of the impression you have made at this end!
Kind regards
Mike
You can see all the photos Mike took at the gig on his Flickr site.
We look forward to doing a photo session with Mike at a rehearsal soon.
Alex
Straight No Chaser Main Website
