@davidbergman

It’s finally here! I’m so excited to announce my new Bon Jovi coffee table book entitled WORK. It’s the culmination of my ‘work’ on two world tours with the band and I’m very proud of it.

Pre-order order #BonJoviWORK NOW SHIPPING!

The book is HUGE – it weighs nearly five pounds and is 14.4 inches tall by 21.6 inches wide when opened up. It contains 208 pages of big images from my time with the band so far – spanning back to 2010.

There is a lot of never-before-seen material in the book including photos from inside the hospital when Jon had knee surgery in 2011. I never thought we would release those!

I also documented quiet moments with all of the band members backstage and at their homes along with energetic, powerful images on stages around the world.

Jon Bon Jovi loves photography, and I have had the honor of sharing my knowledge and experience with him. There is a very special section of the book containing private photos that Jon took himself.

You can pre-order order WORK right now at www.BonJovi.com/Work.

In addition, we have a very limited number of my 2013 VIP photo books available that you can get along with your WORK pre-order. These have never been for sale and we’re not printing any more. They will sell out fast.

Lastly, you can get a special copy of WORK that will be personally signed by Jon Bon Jovi. This special edition bundle includes the 2013 VIP book and a copy of the Bon Jovi concert DVD, Inside Out. There are only 350 signed books so you’d better order quickly.

I hope you enjoy the book and show it off on your coffee table for many years to come.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can you tell me more about the book?
Here is the full description from BonJovi.com: “WORK” is a rare, behind-the-scenes look at Bon Jovi, the top touring rock band in the world. This oversized, hardcover art book—weighing nearly five pounds—is a collection of color and black and white photographs taken by the band’s official tour photographer David Bergman during two record-breaking world tours from 2010-2013. Exclusive, intimate, and powerful images show all of the band members on stage, backstage, and inside their own homes. Never before seen photos take you inside the operating room as Jon Bon Jovi deals with the pain and successful surgery on his knee in 2011. Another section of the book features private photographs personally taken by Jon, giving fans a unique look — for the first time ever — at the rock icon’s life through his own eyes. Hardcover. 208 pages. 10.8 x 14.4 inches.

Who is featured in the book?
This is a collection of images from my time on tour with Bon Jovi from 2010-2013 and includes all band members.

Are there photos from the show(s) that I attended in the book?
WORK is a collection of my favorite images from 2010-2013 and I think Bon Jovi fans will enjoy this unique look at the band on stage and off. Many of the photos have never been shown anywhere. Individual prints from all of the Bon Jovi concerts in 2013 are still available at TourPhotographer.com.

How much is the book?
WORK is priced at $59.99. Individual 5X7 prints of my Bon Jovi images at TourPhotographer.com sell for $10 each. WORK is 208 pages of large, oversized images for the cost of six 5X7 prints. WORK is a high-quality product and I’ve worked very hard for four years to make it a reality. People who’ve seen the size of the book tell me they would pay $100 or more for it. But we wanted to make it accessible to as many people as possible.

Can I get WORK if I live outside of the United States?
Absolutely! WORK is very big and heavy and we are manufacturing custom designed shipping boxes so the book’s corners aren’t dented in transit. Shipping outside of the US is about $36 and in the US is about $8.

When will the book ship?
WORK is expected to ship in June. Be sure to pre-order yours so that you’re guaranteed to get one. If you order the package with the VIP book and/or the concert DVD, those items will ship very soon.

Can you sign my book for me?
Yes! We want you to receive the books as soon as possible, so they will ship directly to you from the warehouse in another state. However, if you see me at a fan club event or anywhere else later in the year and have your book with you, I’ll be happy to sign.

What is Bon Jovi : Because We Can (also sometimes called the 2013 VIP photo book)?
This was an extremely limited, all black and white book we made for some of the VIP ticket package buyers in the fall of 2013. Many people wanted to buy it, but it was not available for sale. There are now less than 1,000 available and the book will never be reprinted so we wanted to make it available to the fans.
Here is the full description from BonJovi.com: “Bon Jovi: Because We Can 2013” is a hardcover portfolio of exquisite black and white photographs from the award winning 2013 tour by the band’s official photographer David Bergman. The book was printed in very limited numbers and became an instant Bon Jovi collectors item immediately upon it’s release. This look inside life on the road with the world’s biggest concert tour has never been available for purchase and is finally obtainable only with your pre-order of WORK. Hardcover. 60 pages. 7.5 x 10 inches.

You can pre-order order WORK right now at www.BonJovi.com/Work.

The 12-12-12 benefit show for Hurricane Sandy was one of the coolest events I’ve ever experienced. I’ve photographed most of the bands before, but to see The Rolling Stones, The Who, Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and others all in one night was simply epic.

I even got to bring one of my famous photo students into the pit.

The day started like any other big festival show. As Bon Jovi’s tour photographer, I made sure to set up a quick group shot after sound check showing the historical concert’s logo.

(Nikon D3, 24-70mm lens, ISO 2500, 1/160, f/4)

But backstage, Jon Bon Jovi ran into his old friend Paul McCartney (JBJ calls him “Beatle Paul”). After a quick exchange, Jon gave him a smooch on the cheek.

(Nikon D3, 24-70mm lens, ISO 2500, 1/160, f/4)

On stage, Bruce Springsteen joined the band for “Who Says You Can’t Go Home.”

(Nikon D4, 70-200mm lens, ISO 5000, 1/320, f/4)

In the dressing room, New Jersey governor Chris Christie told Jon a funny story that involved some cheek pinching.

(Nikon D3, 24-70mm lens, ISO 2500, 1/160, f/4)

When the Rolling Stones took the stage, Jon wanted to see them perform. I’ve been giving him photo lessons so when we found ourselves next to the photo pit in front of the stage, I handed him my camera and said, “Want to shoot?” He immediately took me up on the offer.

(Nikon D3, 24-70mm lens, ISO 2500, 1/60, f/2.8)

While he enjoyed shooting the Stones and The Who, Jon kept putting the camera down to cheer like all the other fans.

Here are two of his images.

(Nikon D4, 70-200mm lens, ISO 5000, 1/320, f/4)

Jon gave me a message to pass along to his fans.

“Photography is like golf, or so they say. One good shot and you’re in. David Bergman taught me how to capture the shot. The rest is luck and a good subject. See you on the road.”
—Jon Bon Jovi

(Nikon D4, 70-200mm lens, ISO 5000, 1/320, f/4)

Bon Jovi is posting some of my images on their Facebook page, with more to come soon.

“You’re makin’ it sound really sexy, David.”
—NBC’s Michelle Beadle, during her interview with me at the London Olympics

“He’s a gold medal winning photographer.”
—Leo Laporte, during an interview on his national syndicated radio show, The Tech Guy

 

(If you’re reading this via email or RSS, you may not see the embedded videos above. Click here to view them on my blog.)

I used to think the secret to making a successful portrait was all about the light. But now I know that’s not entirely true.

Last night, I had the opportunity to photograph some of the celebrities backstage at NBC’s telethon, “Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together.”

I knew I wouldn’t have much time with any of the subjects, so I kept my light simple: a Dynalite 1000 w/s power pack with one big soft box at camera right and a second bare bulb behind me at camera left bouncing off of a white scrim for fill.

I shot with the Nikon D4 and 85 1.4 lens, usually around 100 ISO, 1/250 at f/16. I toned the final images with Nik Silver Efex Pro.

Of course, I have to be confident and competent with my gear, but I wasn’t doing anything special on this shoot. A successful portrait isn’t only about the light.

So what’s the secret?

Human connection.

In most cases, I literally had less than a minute to shoot and was lucky to fire off 15 frames. So I needed to connect with each person on some level.

It started as we walked down the hallway together – I introduced myself and made a joke, or whatever seemed appropriate at the time.

When they finally stood in front of my lens, my job was to make them feel comfortable and immediately pull something out of them for the camera. I often use humor, because actual laughs are always better than fake smiles. But it’s different for each person.

The best story I’ve ever heard about a photographer connecting with a subject is when Platon asked Vladimir Putin what it was like meeting Paul McCartney.

Even though my time with each subject was very short, I think there is some genuine personality in the images. And I didn’t have to setup 6 lights with colored gels to get there.

———

I live in uptown Manhattan and my apartment was not damaged by the storm. But I have many friends downtown and in New Jersey and Long Island who will be facing the long road of rebuilding their homes and home towns.

I wanted to contribute in a meaningful way, so I’m donating all of my profit from licensing and print sales of these images to the American Red Cross. The photography business has been good to me for 25 years, so it’s the best way I know to give back.

Thank you to NBC and the 10 talented artists who posed for me at 30 Rock in New York City.

** Buy prints of these images at TourPhotographer.com. For publications wishing to license the photos, contact my agent . All profit from the first month of sales will be donated to the Red Cross.**

A raucous crowd, DJ’s playing music after each point, and dancers on the sand during the breaks.

Add in some of the top female athletes in the world – wearing barely more than a bikini – and put the whole thing at Horse Guards Parade in the shadow of Big Ben.

That’s London 2012 Olympic women’s beach volleyball!

I’ve been producing super-high-resolution images at the Olympics since my opening ceremonies Gigapan, but this is one of my all-time favorites.

I created it during a match between the USA’s Jennifer Kessy and April Ross and Switzerland’s Simone Kuhn and Nadine Zumkehr.

I shot 200 frames using the 36-megapixel Nikon D800 and a 70-200mm lens zoomed to 200mm. Stitched together, the image resolution is 98,101 X 31,747.

That’s over three billion pixels, or 3.1 gigapixels.

You can zoom so far into the image that you can see what color Kessy painted her fingernails.

When I produce these, I shoot every frame manually so I can make sure to get exactly what I want in the frame. I also spend a lot of time on the computer overnight, compositing the image together and adding/removing elements as necessary.

See the full women’s Olympic beach volleyball Gigapan on the Sports Illustrated site.

Since opening ceremonies, I’ve also made Gigapans at gymnastics, swimming, and track and field. I have a few more planned, but this one is going to be tough to beat.