@davidbergman

Wednesday I finally got to work with a good friend of mine – singer/songwriter Brendan James. The guy has a voice that you’ll never forget. He needed some promo shots for his new album (out in May) and I was lucky enough to get the call.

We went around in circles trying to find a good location for the shoot and finally settled on The Slipper Room in the Lower East Side. The place is actually a really funky burlesque club! I’d love to shoot a performance there someday…

I really liked the curtains and stage, but didn’t want to be too obvious by having Brendan sitting at a piano. They had an old, beat up piano (a few of the keys didn’t work), so we just put it in the background in some of the shots.

This shoot was so much fun. We set it up so we’d have plenty of time, which was a nice change.

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On Tuesday I photographed Genghis Tron for Kerrang!

They were great to work with and even roughed it in 30 degree weather for about an hour so I could make some photos outside.

I realize that I’m becoming the “jumping band guy,” but I just can’t help myself. All those years covering sports, I just like to photograph people in the air.

I’m sure people walking by thought we looked like a bunch of idiots. I’m screaming and counting so everything is in sync. Throw the leaves on “2,” jump on “4.” It was quite a sight.

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I was back in Foxboro this weekend for the AFC Championship Game between the Chargers and the Patriots. Once again, the Pats didn’t play very well but they found a way to win.

Someone needs to tell San Diego that four field goals isn’t going to be enough to beat these guys.

The game wasn’t that great to shoot. I just didn’t feel like there were a lot of photos to be made. Some games are just filled with action and some aren’t.

I was fortunate to get the opening spread in Sports Illustrated with my photo of Teddy Bruschi celebrating after another defensive stop.

This was my last game of the season because I’ll be back in Las Vegas working with Drew Carey on Super Bowl weekend. The Patriots are favored by 12 points! I just might have to put a couple of bucks on the Giants for that one.

I was just sent the layouts of some of my recent shoots for KERRANG! and thought I’d post them here.

All Time Low: I really like this one – mostly because I really like the photo.

 

Farewell: I’m somewhat surprised they went with the Beef Burger shot, although I think it looks great and is relatively unique. It’s not the traditional “band shot,” which is what I was going for.

 

Ozzy Osbourne: Not too much variety here, but it was the typical “first three, no flash” concert rule. It was fun to shoot Ozzy, though.

  

The Mars Volta: another surprise on this one. I thought they’d go with the vertical of the two of them for sure, but I’m glad I sent the individuals as well.

I’m just beginning to learn KERRANG’s style and am glad they’re willing to take chances visually. It will push me to give them different looks.

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Yesterday I photographed The Audition on Long Island.

Since I live in Manhattan, I had no idea where we would be shooting. All I knew is that the band’s hotel was near Islip airport – about 60 miles from the city.

I really wanted to shoot the guys near the airport with a plane flying overhead, but after 2 hours driving around trying to find a location where it would work, I gave up.

Since 9/11, it’s tough to get close to the runway!

I did find a NY Department of Transportation site that had some cool visuals (including a large hanger where they keep the salt for the roads) so we did some pics there.

We also called a few pool halls and bowling alleys and finally got one to let us shoot in their place.

 

In the evening, I shot The Mars Volta again, but this time in concert at Terminal 5 in NYC. I delivered a couple of prints from our portrait shoot to the tour manager and shot the show for 10 minutes (all that was allowed!).

These guys show way more emotion in concert than they do for photo shoots.

 

TRAVEL FUN: The cab ride from my apartment to the Hertz rental car place in the morning was the most harrowing I’ve ever taken. The driver was speeding through Manhattan, dodging and weaving through traffic while trying to get through every light he could before it turned red.

When I said, “Hey man, I’m not in a hurry,” he said “Well, I am!” Huh?

The street that Hertz is on runs the opposite direction that most people expect and I gave him very specific instruction on how to get there – which he promptly ignored. When he made the wrong turn and I pointed it out, he said, “Can’t you walk from here?” Uh, yea, but aren’t I paying for a cab because of the cases of equipment I put in the trunk a few minutes ago?

Needless to say, we walked and he got a lousy tip.