You’re a what?? A Club~grapher ?!?

When I first started photography in clubs it was mainly as there was a need to produce decent images of clublife for entertainment, promotion and publications, this was before the time of anyone being able to do it (although some may say that was what I did!)

This was pre digital in the days of film; it really was when photography relied on the mechanics, as you needed a certain spec of equipment to produce valid shots for that use. I loved my Canon Eos1n and that beautiful EZ540 flash (with a DogBoy sticker from the Face on top of it..)

My preferred medium was slide film (Fuji worked the best no mater what anyone says) which gave a vibrant tone to the lights, skin and backgrounds, coincidentally this is why I don’t have so many images from that time too !! As what went through the camera was the final original piece. There’s also images shot on black and white stock, but I mean who shoots b&w in a club hey? Then there was a whole load shot on cheaper film, as the need to cut costs was always the apparent driving force….

I think I’d like to call this being a clubgrapher!!!

Cool huh?

No that’s a joke btw…don’t start…oh it’s stuck…

Anyway that time was a bit of a strange one really, this slightly gawky, naïve kid with glasses and long hair flailing round these cool clubs (and not so cool) all over the shop with this almost magnetic device that would attract almost anyone to it…

Think that was the reason for my popularity, I mean I didn’t get by on my looks…no that wasn’t until I turned 30…

Clubgraphy is a strange premise, you’d ask to take someone picture or if they were in the moment you’d capture it and then come back and ask ‘em if it was alright, then remember if they said yes or no, then someone would come up to you and say how could you use that picture, then a long convoluted conversation about where, what, how and when. Which could get a bit heated depending on their state, my state, the time or the place. It wasn’t always my fault, there was no editorial control, you couldn’t show then the image, deadline, money etc the list goes on, it’s always seen as a glorious time though !

It was a premise that lived for many years although I see now that there’s a backlash against phone cameras wonder if they’ll still have photographers in to document proceedings tho?

Anyway to the image, here’s one from sometime and somewhere, not sure of it’s provenance so lets just enjoy it for what it is, a moment in clubland in the last century..

Ta for reading