An Afternoon With Zero Pilot.





Zero Pilot from left to right: Dan Brown, Rob Corcoran, Dan Haynes, Wayne Lee



So here we are...... 

                                     after a few weeks of waiting for a free slot and good weather, I finally got a couple of hours with the Zero Pilot boys to play with my camera!

Its been a while since I last photographed a band and I have to say I am a little wary of band portraiture these days, it seems like there is so much focus on image and less on content, and for me, substance counts.

I have played in bands myself and done the whole ' Band Shots' thing, everybody has an idea of what they would like and it can either be easy and everybody has a blast, or worse, arguments ensue and somebody storms off. Not these guy's, there was no theme or focus, just them and me and they were a dream to shoot.

I have followed Zero Pilot's music since pretty much the inception of the band. The only involvement I have ever had was playing their Cd's or rocking out at one of the gig's (to which I have seen many).

So how could I turn down an opportunity to shoot them?




It was the lead singer Rob Corcoran who I have known for over 10 years who made it happen, we studied together, played in bands together and he knows my photography. I, on the other hand have always been inspired by his musical and creative talent, which is brought out by playing with the rest of the band. A true front man if I have ever seen one!

If you have never heard Zero Pilot's music or seen them live, YOU NEED TO!!

 Wayne on bass at the fleece

This Bristol based four piece really know how to rock.
Its definitely in -your- face, but there is craft to the songs. With big riffs,great melodies and harmonies you cannot help but get sucked into the energy that these guy's create.
It's an energy that has seen them carve some fantastic success supporting big names like: Kerbdog, Senser, Sevendust, Winnebago Deal and Fighting With Wire.
I have always got the impression that these guys take what they do seriously and it always comes across in the music to me. They have so many great songs but two of my personal favourites are XY and Neutron Star. They differ greatly, but are a great representation of the range of song writing abilities the band can offer and still maintain "their" sound.



Big D and Rob at the fleece

I have listened to many bands music before going to see them live and a lot of the time, the music recorded in the studio is different to the live performance. With Zero Pilot the whole experience is magnified. The first time I saw them I was left with a feeling of "What the hell just hit me!", and I suppose when describing their music to people I have struggled to define it. It was not until after the shoot and talking to Rob he said it was "Heavy with heart". Thinking about it now I agree, even more so after spending time behind the camera looking at their characters.

Whether it is knowing the guys or not that made the day easy I was able to reel off hundreds of shots, too many to choose from in all honesty. These are just a handful of some of my favorites from the day and a couple of live shots.
The light on the day was great and I found myself working mainly with black and white. I felt very comfortable working with the guys and as time went on I found myself becoming more creative, myself and Rob were bouncing ideas off each other and we managed to use a small stretch of the harbour to our advantage.
Bristol Harbourside is a great location for photography. The old industrial cranes, trains, tracks and buildings have a wonderful textural quality that I really love. It is no wonder when you walk around the area there are people taking pictures!.

For me I was trying to find a rougher edge to the area, the bits that people may overlook, the worked areas. The actual harbour and water was something I was trying to avoid, plus, I didn't feel like it represented the band, their image and their music.
I have to say that it was an honor and a pleasure to shoot these guys and I would happily do it again.

I got to revel in my passion for photography for a couple of hours and hopefully made four guys happy.I will continue to follow them and spread the word about their music because I want people to hear it.

Like I said if you have not heard of Zero Pilot you can check them out here:
https://www.facebook.com/zeropilotband
https://soundcloud.com/zeropilot  

Look out for Christmas Carnage at the Louisiana onSaturday 21st December, £5 adv / £6 on the door.








Thanks again guys for a great day.....

Made It Home

Welcome to my blog!

This is the first image to be added and it is a personal favourite. Taken in Cornwall at the harbour in Newlyn, I had merely one hour of photo time before the rain came again. I don't know much about the boat in question or how long it has been there damaged but from the condition I guess it had been there a while.
Newlyn is a lovely fishing village and well worth a trip if you find yourself in Cornwall, Its just below Penzance and has a busy harbour that I managed to find on a quiet day!

More images, creations and musings to follow......