Looking at his new site, linked above, his talent shows itself in the simple yet striking full screen images of big name artists, shown on a simple website set solely on highlighting the images. Impressive is not the word. Then I came across Kendall's news tab and realised that I have seen his work on so many occasions without even knowing who he was. I attend Download Festival annually and from this news feed have seen that Kendall is a big part of the photography team at this festival, I have seen his photos on numerous occasions and am really glad to now put a face to a very professional and well known name!
The link from the previous posts article led me here, although this may possibly be an old site of Kendalls. Perusing through his gallery of work on this site only, you can see his dedication and talent through the vast amount of gig's and concerts he's photographed. Kendall is great at capturing the atmosphere is the gig he is shooting, changing his compositions to reflect the mood of the show/artists. The quality of each image is impressive as well at the various types of gigs considering the terrible lighting conditions I am sure he is faced with at each one.
I particularly his images from Gallows, 27/12/06. As with Adam, I really can feel like I am at this gig. The band themselves appear to be on a small stage so I'm assuming this is a somewhat small venue which is great for this kind of photography. The atmosphere of the gig is contained within such a small space and the band get to physically interact with the crowd which Kendall had captured here really well. I think these images connect well with the music itself.
Punk music is loud, fast and edgey and Gallows are a very distinctive band. Kendall, as well as Adam, reflect this musical genre very clearly through the images they shoot at these types of gigs.I also really like the inclusion of the crowds in these scenarios as it enhances the madness of the atmosphere created at the gig. You can read off the band and crowds faces the type of music that is being played without hearing it for yourself.
Last year I briefly undertook an internship with an alternative music website and covered an american hardcore band for them called The Chariot. The performance was unlike anything I have ever experienced before but their fans, obviously, were purely dedicated to them. The venue was small with a small stage area, however as with the bands covered by photographers such as Kendall, Adam and Freidman, the atmosphere was electric and wild, with the artists interacting with the crowd as much as possible throughout the set.
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| My own image of The Chariot - Cardiff 2011 |
Back to Kendall, and in comparison to the madness of the Gallows gig, I like the shots Kendall took of Panic! at the disco 22/04/06. This band are a lot more mellow, more of a pop rock genre, and you can immediately see the difference in the performance 'vibe'. Kendall focusses on clear shots of the band themselves and keeping the collection black and white, which I always find makes the images a lot more relaxed. He also includes as the last photo, more than likely in sequence of the show, a wide angle shot from the back of the crowd, creating more of a silhouette image with the lighting and the smoke. A very effective technique that I am determined to attempt one day.
I am really happy that I stumbled across Andrew Kendall's work. Like I said, I have seen his images on so many occasions and so I am grateful to be able to appreciate his work ad talent now,knowing exactly who he is.
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