Interview with Helge Roewer
When I first met him in Vienna he was carrying several cameras in his hands and he had one or two pinned to his belt, so I thought...wow, look at him, a real sheriff of concert photography… :)
And so he has a bit of a photo pit ranger quality to him - quick, efficient and skilled at getting the right angle to give the atmosphere of the concert just right..
Fantastic at capturing light and scenic movement, quick and active in concert reporting he is one of the best concert photographers I know.
With Helge Roewer about his journey with camera
photo credit: Helge Rower
How long have you been taking pictures?
As a child I used to take small snaps e.g. on school trips with a small analogue compact camera. My brother also had a good (analogue) SLR camera. That definitely fixed me.
In 1997 I got my first analogue SLR (Canon EOS 700) and while study time (2000-2004) I bought my first digital cam (Sony F828).
What made you start in the first place?
Some friends from university who organized concerts (Dark Night Team Munich, Black Painting Crew Munich) asked me to take some pics of their concerts because I had a good camera. That was the small start of concert photography.
In 2011 I joined Facebook and the whole concert photography “business” grew up very fast. But it’s still an hobby.
What do you find the best and what the worst about being a concert photographer?
Hhm, hard to say…
It is the connection of personal musical taste with the hobby, meanwhile joining the pit with many friends. Twenty years ago, I never thought I would take a picture of the “youth idols” or even get to know them personally. Even seeing the own works in various media or products (CD, posters, etc.), it makes you a little proud and pleased.
On the other hand, the increasing "free" mentality or non-appreciation of the photographers' work (by parts of fans and bands) disturbs a little. It’s annoying that people “steal” pictures without asking for permission, linking or even making their own changes. I don't steal their music either or use it for my purposes.
Do you have a favourite artist you take shots of?
I like bands who interact with the audience and sometimes with the photographers in the pit, too. When they have good light engineers, it’s even better. ;-)
So it’s always nice to shoot And One, VNV Nation or Eisbrecher. But also smaller bands in smaller “cosy” venues can be very nice to shoot. For example the last gig of !distain in Nuremberg, when about 30 “hardcore”-fans cheered and celebrated the whole concert like about 100 people.
Are there any bands you would like to take pictures of and you haven’t yet?
A few scene icons are still on the to-do list like OMD or Hurts. But there are also some, also across our scene, because they make good shows that could be photographed well.
Do you have a picture that you’d call a perfect one? Which one is it?
Puh, hard to say. My favourite picture of the last year was from Lacrimosa, Tilo Wolff playing his guitar. Although you don’t see the face or him singing but you can feel his passion and unity with his guitar.
Any advice for the photographers that start their journey?
Begin small and get connections (venues, bands, managements, (online) magazines, photographers), the rest will come soon. And listen to good advices by experienced collegues. ;-)
