Kevin Cummins has taken some of the most iconic rock photographs of his era. Working primarily for the NME and going to over 200 gigs a year in his native Manchester, Cummins has photographed Mick Jagger, Morrissey, David Bowie and Courtney Love, but is particular known for his photographs of Joy Division. Currently exhited at Proud Gallery, Camden, he talks to IdeasMag about his career…
When did you first become aware of Joy Division?
I went to their first gig. They opened for Buzzcocks at the Electric Circus at the end of May ’77. They were Warsaw then, and they weren’t very good. I saw them again about two weeks later at Rafters, and by then they’d grown moustaches and had gaffer tape wrapped round their arms, so it wasn’t a very auspicious start for them. They didn’t have many songs and they didn’t really have a look as such, but they had lots of attitude.
At what point did you decide to become a photographer?
I was five when I was bought my first camera. I took it on holiday with a couple of rolls of film, and my dad taught me how to process and print it himself. My dad and my grandpa both had darkrooms.
Using a darkroom isn’t like looking at stuff on the computer and having that instant gratification. It’s quite a magical process to see a picture emerging from this muddy liquid. I used to spend a lot of time there. Photography is quite a solitary career path. You have to get used to spending time hidden away.
Do you think darkroom skills are still required by photographers working today?
Maybe the old methods don’t matter anymore. You don’t necessarily need to do it. Photography is more accessible than it’s ever been. Most people carry a camera with them these days, and they have the ability document every second of their lives. Back in the day, a dressing room used to be a very closed off place. These days, bands are taking pictures of each other and putting them on Facebook within two minutes of getting to the venue. It makes photography a very different tool to what it was 20 years ago.
Do you make an effort to stay abreast with the march of technology?
You’ve always got to push yourself. When digital came in, a lot of newspapers wouldn’t accept it. Now, of course, they don’t want you to submit anything in film. The technology of photography will always progress andyou’ve got to progress with it.
Which musicians do you enjoy working with?
Morrissey’s good to work with. Courtney Love is good to work with. But it varies. It depends what you’re doing the shot for; if you’re doing to editorially, you have a lot more input. If you’re doing the shot as a PR picture for them, then they might come to you with an idea that you know won’t work, and so you have to find a way to skate around it.
What’s your advice to young photographers?
Always know your subject. Especially if you’re working with what we now call celebrity – you have to be able to talk to them about something they find interesting, and that’s generally themselves. You have to engage them, and the best way of doing that is to find some common ground.
I tend to work with people repeatedly, and that makes it a lot easier because you get to know people. But never assume that the people you are working with are your best friends. You might seem them regularly over the course of 10 years and you can have a great professional relationship with them, but don’t fall into the trap of inviting yourself around for Sunday lunch. There have got to be barriers, and that’s how it works best.
Exemplar, Kevin’s images of Joy Division, is at Proud Galleries Camden until 11 December.
All images © Kevin Cummins. To see more of his photogrpahy, visit his website.