INTERVIEW: ANDRES AMAYA: ONE OF US
I had the chance to interview one photographer before; shoutout Alice Hirsch you're awesome! I knew this chat was going to be beautifully different from all of the ones I have had since starting this amazing journey. Enjoy this exchange about concert photography, (emo) music, life, and surreal opportunities. To quote Andres himself: "This didn't feel like an interview." From the look on his face and the vibe felt throughout our nearly hour-long conversation, I just knew he meant it in the most positive way. Thank you, Andres!
Can you think of a specific moment that made you realize you wanted to get into photography more specifically concert photography?
Andres: Yes! There was a very specific moment. I have been doing photography for 8 years or so. I had a lot of creative blocks. I didn't know what to shoot anymore. Street photography got old very quickly. I have always wanted to try concert photography. One day, I went to see Story of the Year with my wife. "I'm going to take my camera with my small lens, shoot from the balcony, and see what happens. My wife was like: "Why don't you go to the pit and ask them if you can shoot." The security let me shoot from the side. I shot that show, went home, and edited the pictures. I told myself: "Oh' I love this! I want to do this so much more." That was January of last year. From there, I was I like: "How do I do this? How do I get photo passes? How can I shoot bigger bands?" I started digging into that. Of course, you have to build your portfolio. I started reaching out to local bands. "Hey, you want free photos? I see you are playing this bar." I started going to shows at venues like l'Escogriffe. I started sending publications my photos. I started shooting with Sors-tu? I moved to Montreal Rocks with Steve Gerrard. He's a legend. He's the nicest person I have ever met. When you see the bands he has shot and the work he has done, it's crazy to see he's just this chill guy.
Do you have a background in photography?
Not necessarily, I have a background in VFX. My actual job is visual effects. I worked in arts and movies for a while now. That's why I came to Montreal. I am originally from Mexico. I came here with my wife in 2016 to work on VFX. That has been my gig. I studied animation and digital arts in college. Photography started as a hobby. It's still a hobby. I would love to do it full time. It's really hard to say no to a 9-to-5 that pays well that's in the creative arts. Photography is way more creative. I can let go creatively and forget that I'm working for somebody.
Are all of your photography skills self-taught?
Honestly, my wife was doing concert photography when we met. "Iso? Aperture? What the hell is that? I don't understand." For the longest time, it was that. Sometime after we moved, this city was so different to me, I really wanted to capture seasons changing, the cafes. Back home, it's summer. 40 degrees all year. It's hot all of the time. I started shooting on my phone as one does. At some point, I started using my wife's old camera from when we were in college and that's when I started understanding how it works. I upgraded to a new camera; the one I have right now. With Google and YouTube, you can learn everything.
Is there a specific photo or series of photos you are particularly proud of?
That picture of Tyler from Twenty One Pilots is probably my favourite picture I have ever taken. The Oasis ones also. I shot everything from the crowd. We had so many back up plans for that one. Two days before the Oasis show, we went to see My Chemical Romance. I was told that I couldn't go inside with my camera. MCR and Oasis are probably my two favourite bands. Twenty One Pilots are in my top 5. We had so many back up plans. "Okay, we are taking the car. We need to park nearby." There was no parking. No lockers. It was a whole thing. In the end, we were able to get in. I was obsessed with Oasis from 18 to my early 20s. Just to have those pictures for myself was really special. That Tyler one was so technically tricky. It was the trickiest pic I have ever shot. You are shooting there, there is light on the other side of the drum kit, the piano is pitch black. It was one second when he jumped in, lights went on. I just had to trust that my exposure was going to be fine. The raw file of that photo was super bright. It was so difficult. All of the photographers were like: "It's okay if we don't get the shot." I remember when I started editing, I didn't know if I was going to be able to fix it. I told my wife: "I think I did it." I kind of choked up. She saw it and started tearing up. "Holy shit, that's incredible!" Seeing that photo edited for the first time was so rewarding. "This is why I do this." Their fandom is incredible and supportive. Everyone is liking, commenting, and sharing the picture everywhere while crediting me. They go out of their way to credit who took the pictures. There is a guy who has a huge Pinterest board of Twenty One Pilots and asked permission to put up my photo. Not all of the fandoms are like that. The Billie Eilish fandom was also really good. They never know how important it is and the doors they can open for photographers.
How does it make you feel when people use your pictures and don't credit you? How do you deal with that?
It's very frustrating. At my age, I think I reached a point where I just let it slide. There is nothing you can do about it. It sucks but I don't want to get into a whole fight online. You are never going to win. You'll get frustrated with yourself. I don't think it benefits anybody. You know I always scold them out but it does not go beyond that. "Hey, that's my picture, please credit me." It is extremely frustrating. I'm 35. There are a lot of people shooting who are 21-22. At that age, your emotional maturity isn't the same. I remember when I was 22, those kinds of things were so hard to let go of.
Funny enough, one of the photographers whom I talk to a lot and exchange ideas with @ash.ontour is the number one Twenty One Pilots fan. The first time we interacted was when she caught people sharing my Billie Eilish photo on Twitter without crediting me. She was defending me. We didn't even know each other. Photographers, we always have each other backs.
I'm glad you are at a point where you can let go. I think it comes with age.
You learn some things that seem like a huge deal but then, forget about them in two days. I have learned fighting doesn't take you anywhere. Just take the high road, it's always going to be better for you. I always try to think: "Okay, if I go and fight this, what's the best case scenario that will come out of it?" I'm probably just going to get more and more frustrated with the situation. At the end of the day, I'm just going to be angrier. It is hard to get to that mindset.
What does a typical day for you look like? You manage to put out your pictures on Instagram really fast. Do you go to bed super late?
I learned to be a little bit better with it but when I first started shooting at big venues such as MTelus, Centre Bell, I was going to bed at 2am so I could have the photos the next morning. Funny enough, there is this photographer @mariegoestoshows, she was sort of my mentor when I started last year. She was the person to whom I would be like: "This happened, what do I do?" We would shoot a show together and by 10-10:30 pm she had already her set. It's not like she uploads basic photos. Her photos are amazing. I consider myself to be a bit slower. Some people take 3-4 days. I always try to upload my photos the day of. Now, I really try to pick 10 photos to upload. I'll grab those, edit them, and call it a night. Otherwise, I will be there for 10 hours. The amount of stupid little things you start medalling with....nobody is going to notice. I got work at 9, might have another show to shoot. I'm being careful not to burn the candle out.
Your days must be long when you shoot a show.
Honestly, shooting is great because it takes my mind off of everything. It's great therapy for me. It's mostly the exhaustion of sleeping late. You book shows months in advance. Some weeks are very intense. I shot Halestorm on Friday. The next day, we went to Twenty One Pilots. I slept at 4 am editing those pictures; they had to be perfect. We came back on Sunday. The next day, I shot Wolf Alice. After not sleeping, I shot and edited that show. Tomorrow, I have another show.
And you are here tonight talking to me!
September has been crazy. Back in March, it was so slow.
Do you have any kind of ritual or anything you like to do before shooting a show?
Not really, I usually go home, walk my dogs, clear my head. The first time I saw Oasis when they were back, I kept looking up to ground myself. "I can't believe I'm here. This is crazy." At my age, it's really hard to get excited about a concert in that way. When you're in your early 20s, you go see your favourite band, "This is everything." You think about it days, weeks, months before it happens. When I saw Oasis for the first time, I was 18. I had a countdown 8 months earlier. Same with MCR on their "Black Parade" tour. It started, I lost my shit. I had chills. When I saw they were playing Wembley this year, that happened to me for the first time in such a long time. I was freaking out. I kept looking at the sky to remember I was here, locking in. I remember vividly stopping myself, looking up, grounding myself. At Twenty One Pilots, I sort of did the same. It was the first time I was nervous in a pit (that I can remember). I was really like: "Holy shit, don't fuck it up." This is my favourite band that I have ever shot in the pit" All of the photographers there were huge fans which is super rare. One of the guys was super nervous. "Dude, you're fine. Just look up, Ground yourself." We all looked up. The venue looked so huge. "This isn't helping at all. It's making it worse." "I'm sorry but you will remember this." As I have gotten older, I have gotten used to taking those mental snapshots of important moments. My dad passed away a couple years ago. I wasn't there. He was in Mexico. I lived through the photos I had of him. After that, it became so important to me to take photos of everything. I bought the camera I have always wanted for our trip in London. I have family photos on my walls.
What has been the most challenging concert you have had to shoot so far and why?
Last year, I shot at a festival where the logistics were terrible. We were supposed to get credited as media. We got there, got in line. Here is your media pass for the weekend. You have no pit. I had to shoot the whole festival from the crowd with a 140 which is not that much. For reference, a lot of people take a 250. I had to stand in line for 2 hours (or more) to get a decent spot. I did that for 3 full days. When you do that the whole day, then go home and edit everything for the night! It was very intense. For a certain artist, I was there 3 hours ahead and was squeezed in, couldn’t move. I got cool photos but I absolutely wouldn’t do this again.
I was going to ask; are you still happy with the results?
Yes, when I was there at the time, I was excited. Looking back, those are not my favourite photos at all.
I saw you did some portrait photography with some bands. Would you do more of that in the future?
Yeah, I love it! If you know anybody who needs it... I love coming up with concepts for the shoots. The results are very lovely. It's a little bit more taxing. I did a shoot for Black Magic. From there, we've been good friends. It didn't feel much like working with clients. "I'm just one of you guys and I happen to have a camera."
Have you thought of concepts for bands you would like to shoot someday?
For bands and other concepts. I have been wanting to do a Halloween shoot for the longest time. It's a lot to plan. What I want to do is smoke bombs, a clown. I have to plan it. I kind of have the person who is going to be the model. I need a makeup artist. I need a location that is cool with me throwing smoke bombs. I need to get away from the city.
We have been talking about My Chemical Romance, Twenty One Pilots, Oasis. If you could pick one band to shoot and the place (city, country, venue), who would you shoot and where?
Definitely Oasis at Wembley with full access! There is something about them. They're the opposite of MCR and TOP. MCR and TOP have concepts behind everything. There is a reason why they do everything they do. MCR had a whole concept for "The Black Parade". Oasis is just there playing their instruments and blowing people's minds by doing nothing. It's a very strange phenomenon. It alters your brain chemistry. In Toronto, we went with one of our friends, she was like: "Oh, I want to see Oasis. It will be fun!" She had high expectations. To this day, she messages me every day: "It's been a month, I cannot stop thinking about it. This concert really fucked me up." I think it's their collective hysteria. It feels very 90s. There isn't a sea of phones. It feels like you're with friends the whole time. Similar to Twenty One Pilots, that's how the clique feels too. Liam and Noel just stand there and people go insane. I would love to have all access to MCR and TOP as well.
*Please note at that specific moment, we were just talking how amazing of a live act Twenty One Pilots are. Like he said, "this didn't feel like an interview."
We have been talking about smaller shows, bigger shows. I know you shot Billie Eilish at Centre Vidéotron as well The Linda Lindas at Fairmount. Do you prefer shooting smaller venues or bigger venues?
I would say bigger venues just because the production and the lighting are so much better. Everything is way easier so you have way more creative control. Sometimes you go shoot at a small venue and the lighting is terrible. "This is all I can do." When you shoot a big venue, you have the freedom to do the normal photos but also play around. There is much flexibility when the lighting is good. For example, funny enough, Twenty One Pilots was very rough in terms of lighting. So much red. I kind of knew that going into it. I wasn't expecting anything different. There are some small venues that really surprised me with their setup. I shot The Snatchers at L'Hémisphère Gauche. The combination of the smoke machine that they had and the lighting make for one my favourite photos I have ever shot. I was very close to not going. "I have never been to that venue. It's far. It's going to be kind of garbage." It is from 11 pm to midnight. It was awesome. Petit Campus also has really good lighting. I shot Ask Ophelia there and it was awesome. At this point, I do pick and choose. When a band reaches out for a free shoot, I tell them to wait for when they play at a venue with good lighting so they have great photos. There is something rewarding about shooting a local band and they see the photos and go: "Holy shit, this is incredible. You're making me feel like a rockstar". That's hard to beat. I love being able to give them photos they're going to be very proud of.
Are there any other local bands you would like to work with?
SuckerPunch! (a band I also interviewed) I love them! They're making music for my emo self! They're working with this great photographer @mihaontour.
If you could do any other creative endeavor than photography, what would you choose?
I would say music. I would love to be good at music. That's one of the things I regret not grinding into when I was younger. When I was in high school, I used to be in a band and we would cover songs from Green Day, MCR, Oasis, and Taking Back Sunday. That was really fun but it didn't go beyond that. I was the singer and I would play guitar sometimes. I think writing music is one of the coolest things you can do. I am still in awe of anyone who is able to write good music. "I can't believe you did this." Music is one if not the most powerful art form. For photography or painting, you do need the spark but if you train, you will get better at it. I do think you can train when it comes to songwriting but there is something that separates good songs from great songs.
What songs would you say are great?
"Don't Look Back in Anger" by Oasis is probably one of my favourite songs of all time. "Welcome to The Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance. How did one guy write this? Not a specific song but I do feel similar about Billie Eilish and Finneas. Everytime, I listen to one of their albums, I'm like: "How?" They are so consistently good. Some artists I feel like it takes a couple of listens. Breach (album by Twenty One Pilots) clicked instantly. I love all of the songs on that album.
Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to get into concert photography or photography in general?
Just go out and shoot everything. Take a camera and shoot everything. I have young people messaging me about how to do things. "How do I get credit for Twenty One Pilots?" How did you shoot those Billie Eilish photos?" Everyone starts from the bottom. You just need to grind. "You are so talented. You were born to do this." Technically speaking, if you know photography, you're good. Reach out to local bands. We are lucky here in Montreal. There are a million bands playing. Offer them free photos. Build your portfolio. Once you have a good portfolio, you can start reaching to publications. A lot of them are happy to have new people. There are a lot of young photographers doing crazy styles. There is this Montreal photographer @sarah._.evangelista who has her own very dreamy style. She mixes media. To go back to advice, you are going to shoot a lot of things for free. Making money with concert photography is really hard. You can always do other things and keep it as a hobby. If you have a dream, just keep grinding. We never know.
See? Just like the title suggests, Andres is in fact one of us, a passionate music fan. He just happens to be incredibly hardworking and talented at capturing meaningful moments on camera. He has taken breathtaking photos of some of the most famous artists and bands that have ever existed, yet he remains a kind and down-to-earth person. Please go support his work in any way you can. And remember, no one should be too cool for anyone. We're all in this together. Be there one for one another. Keep working your ass off. Be kind. Be patient. To anyone reading this, thank you for being here.
Your favourite interviewer and somewhat photographer (I studied photography and graphic design in college),
Ariane
LINKS TO FURTHER DISCOVER AND SUPPORT ANDRES
Comments
Post a Comment