Event: Kevin Cummins @ Creative Networks.
It was no surprise to find this month's Creative Networks event packed out with budding creative-types eager to see guest speaker and world famous photographer Kevin Cummins. I have to admit that despite being very familiar with Cummins photography I had no idea what he looked like himself and I'm going to assume most people were in the same boat given the tangible buzz you could feel at the moment when everyone realised that the guy at the front was actually him.
Something about Cummins was immediately captivating. A humble and totally regular looking bloke looking up at us while at the same time admitting he'd written his talk on the train to Leeds.
Either way it felt like there was no facade and that everything down to his just-in-time approach was all part of the insight into this remarkable man's life.
He began by showing a short documentary about his career, spanning 35 years, with particular insight into his relationship with Joy Division, naming Ian Curtis as the most intimidating person he has photographed performing because of the way he seemed 'out of control.'
As photos of the band in Manchester came up on the screen I could feel my stomach wretch as I looked at the city I grew up in and felt all those nostalgic emotions that make me so grateful to have experienced life growing up in Manchester. So powerful are those raw and beautiful images of the band that it sends a tingle down my spine just to think of them now.
It was apparent that Cummins isn't a guy who blows his own trumpet as vox-pops with people like Paul Morley, Jonny Marr and Peter Hook revealed. In the video someone also points out how integral Cummins work is to the music industry saying, 'The photos make the musicians as much as the music itself does.'
This really struck a note with me and I felt like I knew exactly what he meant.
Nearing the end of the video there was a clip of Kevin taking a photograph of Bernard Sumner and the audience got to witness this moment where Cummins stared at his subject with almost freakish intensity before looking down the lens to shoot. I sat there thinking 'That was it. That was the moment that make's his photos stand head-and-shoulders above anybody else's.'
After the video he talked very openly about the struggles of being a photographer, the importance of integrity and the why you should keep hold of your own copyright. You had to be there to appreciate everything he shared but it was really interesting.
Cummins talked through a selection of his photographs and told us how he likes to spend time with people before photographing them.
His aim: 'To get them to fall in love with you'.
He ended his talk by showing a recent photo he took of Javier Bardem in the hallway of some posh hotel in London. Given only four minutes to get his shot Cummins managed to capture an image so brilliant that it caused Bardem's people to call off the planned studio shoot later that week and use just that one image.
You could almost hear the smile on everyones face in the audience as a moment of silence passed before an applause broke out.
Afterwards I bumbled around for a little while wanting to ask for a photo with him to put on my blog. When I finally plucked up the courage to ask him (I honestly stood there weighing it up... something like... 'I'm just a pesky young designer asking the same boring questions as everyone else' and at the same time thinking 'but he's just stood there and this will never happen again.') He gladly obliged and whipped me and my lifelong-best-buddy into the corridor in search of better light.
'Turn the flash off' he advised my friend as I stood there thinking, 'Shit, we're actually getting a lesson in Art Direction by THE Kevin Cummins'.
'Stand here like this' he said grabbing my arm. I've got to be honest I felt like I was going to have a panic attack I was so excited.
Just before my friend took the photo the best way I could think of to let Kevin know that I'd learnt a lot from his talk was to quickly turn around and tell him:
'I know you are going to pull a serious face so I am going to do the same.'
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