Brad Heaton – The Man Behind The Pictures

Hola everyone.


Welcome back to my blog. How are you doing today? I hope you all have had a great week so far. I’ve been once again jumping from one thing to another, like a ball in one of these old pinball games – from my job to the new role as editor in chief for LDN to the cat shelter I’ve started working for to the stuff I need to do at home and lastly to stuff I would like to do in my free time. I know, I already said it once, but I really enjoy it. I just feel like I would really enjoy a good holiday now. But that will come too.

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Anyways, I hope you’re all great and excited for today’s post. For all of those who’ve been following my blog the past few weeks and have had the chance to check out the design I made for my own magazine ‘Lemon’ – click here – you will probably feel like this post seems a bit familiar. Because it is. For my mag, I wrote an article on Brad Heaton, the boys’ (Twenty One Pilots, ofc) official photographer, who I absolutely adore and admire. And as I love the piece so much, I thought it would be nice to upload it separately. Unfortunately, I couldn’t reach out to Brad to ask him for an interview, so I used quotes from past interviews and his Reddit Q&A.

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I really really really hope you enjoy the piece. As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and comments down below, I’d love to hear them. And, of course, I wish you all a lovely weekend and thanks for reading. x


 

The man behind Twenty One Pilot’s stunning pictures

Interview with Brad Heaton

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To a gig, there are several parts that make or break a good concert experience and turn it into the special events we all know and love – the live music (obviously), the hyped crowd, the sometimes very pretty, sometimes a bit tacky merch and, last but certainly not least, the photographers. They are the ones running from one corner to another in the pit behind the barricade, hands stuffed with cameras the size of their own heads. And while we as the concert-goers usually overlook those busy bees, to the musicians and the industry they have always been a vital part. More often than not, the photographers and the artists build up a bond during the weeks or even months they spend on the road together. Their workflow changes and soon enough they become one. Brad Heaton and the oh so popular pop-rock duo Twenty One Pilots are the prime example for such a symbiotic relationship. Among the group’s fandom, the clique, Heaton has acclaimed a popularity status that could easily compete with Tyler’s and Josh’s, with fans greeting him at gigs all across the world and selling out thousands of his prints within minutes. For the community, there is no Twenty One Pilots without the beautiful shots by Heaton. But it wasn’t always like that.

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“When I was playing in baseball tournaments as a teen, there’d be photographers taking shots. I’d always end up watching them instead of our games. That sparked the interest,”, states the Ohio- based photographer, “A few months later, my niece received a camera for Christmas. It was so neat that I told my mother, ‘I want something better than that’. It was partly out of jealousy, but luckily enough that first camera would transition into a full-blown career.” Having grown up in a blue-collar family and as the only not interested in literally climbing trees for a living, choosing photography as his future career felt like both an insane risk and the most exciting step in Heaton’s young life. It wasn’t until the age of 16 that he finally started shooting bands and artists, mushed in a local music scene that was packed with small venues and musicians trying to become the new real big thing. So instead of paying five dollars to be able to attend those gigs, Heaton decided to simply offer the bands his skills as a photographer. And back then, in an era when the internet had just started to flourish and MySpace had become the coolest platform on earth, having a few nice pictures on your band‘s page was definitely worth more than five small dollars.

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But it wasn’t until 2012 that Heaton finally met Twenty One Pilots – the band that would later lead him to a level of popularity and fame that only some of us can call their own. After Mark Eshleman, the band’s creative director and childhood friend of frontman Tyler Joseph, had introduced them, Heaton went on to shoot more and more of their shows, until he finally became their official photographer in 2016, which he still is today. Suddenly, he had gone from being a guy with a mediocre camera shooting his favourite bands from somewhere in the back of the pit to being the exclusive music photographer of the biggest bands of our time and one of the most admired artists today. There is only one thing that hasn’t changed – he’s still shooting his favourite bands. “I’ve always lived by the motto ‘you’re a photographer, not a fan’, just so I don’t distract myself with the celebrity status. But music is a different story entirely. I’ll get lost in the environment of a concert, but still do my job. That’s why I’m there.”

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But in an industry that is nearly overflowing with talent and people trying to make it, sticking out of the crowd and making it to the top hasn’t been easy, but it seems like Heaton has achieved the one thing so many of us strive to get to – he has found his own voice in a world that is nearly deafening and has turned his photographic style into his trademark. He has made it, he has become one of the special ones. But obviously, that didn‘t come on its own.

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“I have never considered myself strictly a concert photographer. I’ve been well-rounded with photography since the day I picked up a camera. I started with darkroom and film photography, worked as a sports photographer, done studio work for some major brands, spent weeks studying light and compositions from films, created conceptual stories and narrative tales through photographs. I like to treat every single concert like it’s a sporting event. The shots of the players standing around are cool, but the photographs of the player making a diving stop at third base and tossing out the runner at first is the one that’s going to make the front page,”, explains Heaton while talking about what makes his shots so special, “I do my best to do something different at every concert. The more unique perspectives you’re able to tackle, the more your work is going to stand out.”

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And truly, as crazy as it might seem, for Heaton, the shows can turn into sporting events really quickly. “During shows I think I run around 12,000 steps according to my iPhone. Add the weight of the cameras and it‘s quite a workout.”

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The one thing that has made Heaton’s work shine like a bright star on a clear night’s sky is the closeness he has developed to the fans, and especially the clique. More often than not, the crowds and fans have turned into the photographer’s favourite objects to turn his lens to, which has sparked many different reactions and slowly turned into great story material: “If I‘m taking a photo of a fan, they see my camera, then completely freeze up and awkwardly smile. I think some of the most genuine photos are the ones where I can catch a fan completely enamoured by the show.” This is one of the reasons why his photos have become something like infamous artworks among the members of the clique and are lining the walls or radiating from thousands of phone screens of devoted Twenty One Pilots fans.

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It‘s this mix of passion for photography, love for music and a huge amount of talent that has made Brad Heaton the popular, sought-after photographer that he is now, while he still stays the grounded, open person he has always been. Together with Twenty One Pilots, he has created photos that should rather be considered pieces of art and have become prime examples of the magic music photography can entail.

My favourite photographers

Hola everyone.


And welcome back to my blog, a new Monday and a new week. I hope your weekend was good and that you’re all feeling well and happy. Can you believe February is already coming to an end? Because I can’t, at all. It’s gonna be March in just a few days, which means my birthday is already lurking around the corner. And then I’ll be 24. Oh wow. Time really flies by. And I know this sounds a bit sad or dramatic, but, I think, I’m happy about growing older, because, generally, it means growth and moving forward and that’s exactly what I want to do. To grow and to do more and to see more. Make the most of my life, basically. And to continue sharing all of that with you guys. Which I also want to do today, but, as you could see by the title of this post, we’re not going to focus on my life today, but on that of someone else. That of Louis van Baar, to be exact. Welcome to part four of the “my favourite photographers” series. Let’s go.

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Louis van Baar

Let me introduce you to Louis. If any of you are fans of Marty – Martin Garrix – and/or have ever taken a look at his Instagram, you will most definitely have seen some pictures that were taken by the wonderful Louis. You will surely have, because ever since 2014, Louis has been Marty’s official photographer and has thus spent the last five years and a bit traveling the world with him and taking pictures of him and the beauty that can be found on our amazing planet. And I’ll say it right upfront – Louis definitely is one of the best photographers I know and it happens more than just a few times that I look at one of his pictures and wonder how he managed to get such a perfect shot. In the end, he makes a living shooting EDM gigs, which are probably the most thrilling and rapid concerts ever. There are lasers and fire and the hyped-up crowd and, of course, the DJ, who’s jumping around like there’s no tomorrow. Getting a super clear, stunning shot in such circumstances sounds like the most difficult thing ever to me. But somehow Louis manages to get those perfect shots every single time and that’s only one of the reasons why I would call him a genius behind the camera.

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There is also the fact that Louis is super freaking young. I mean, just 26 years old young. That kind of young. And that’s his current age. Which means he started touring with Marty when he was just 21, which, looking at the pictures he took at that time, is mind-boggling to me. I know it might be a bit weird to base it all on age, but somehow, for me, talent definitely must be on another level when it develops that early and leads to such a career that early on.

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Obviously, him being that young, also Dutch and that talented in one, makes him the perfect photographer for Martijn. Because he isn’t just his photographer, but, more importantly, he’s also a really good friend. Actually, their story is super cute – in 2014, Martijn and his team were looking for a photographer for his summer tour and found Louis. They toured for a few weeks and it all went so smoothly, they decided to keep on working together. And now we’re in 2020 and they’re still together. How cute is that? And on top of that, a bit more than a year ago, they published a photography book, made up of Louis’ best shots and some background stories from Martijn. And yes, I have that book. Twice. It’s freaking stunning.

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When you take a look at Louis’ pictures, you can clearly tell that he has a special style. Big shots with lots of colours and a feel of dimension that makes it seem as if you’re in the picture. He quite frequently takes pictures of landscapes, architecture, and cities they visit, most of the time during helicopter flights. In short, the photos are breathtaking. In my opinion, they are so grand and aesthetically pleasing, that I could easily see them hanging in someone’s villa or be part of some special photography installation at a gallery. That also goes for all the shots he takes during Marty’s gigs, which never fail to perfectly capture the feeling of his shows. The lasers, the fire, the energy, and excitement – you can feel it all through the pictures. That’s why Louis is such a genius photographer. He doesn’t only capture the colours, the view, but also the feeling, the moment. What an artist.

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I highly recommend checking out his and Marty’s Instagrams as well as Louis’ website to take a closer look at his art. I’ve also gone and picked out a few of my favourite shots of him, which you can see down below. I hope you like them. Obviously, none of them belong to me, all the rights go to Louis. Additionally, here’s the link to their photography book, which I can also highly recommend. It’s one of those books you can have lying on your table as a piece of art or decoration. It is that pretty.  And yeah, besides that, I hope you enjoyed this post and getting to hear Louis’ story and to see his amazing pictures. As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and comments down below. And, of course, I wish you all a nice week and thanks for reading. x

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My favourite photographers

Hola everyone.


And welcome to another week. I hope, so far, your Monday has been great and that you’re all doing good. I’m currently sitting in my room at home in London, typing this, while my playlist (link here) is playing in the background. Unfortunately I’ve been ill the past few days, so this is how I’ve spent most of my time. Also a reason why I woke up today not really having a plan of what to write about. But then I remembered this one series that I started a few months ago and I immediately knew what I had to do. So, once again, the time has come to celebrate the amazingness that is photography and all the fantastic photographers behind these works of art that we, as human beings and art lovers, like to hang up in our rooms, look at and maybe even create ourselves. That’s also part of the reason why photography is such a phenomenal art form – it doesn’t exclude. There are no rules that decide what is good and what is bad. Everyone can do anything with a camera or a phone or any technical device that includes a camera. Photography is open to everyone and anyone and that’s why I love it so much.

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Obviously, as with any sector that includes humans and requires them doing something, there are a few people that are especially talented and fantastic at what they’re doing. This also goes for photography. In my past posts of this series, I’ve introduced you to the incredible Brad Heaton (click me) and the unbelievable Will Darbyshire (click me too). Both of these creative minds are artists I look up to and admire with my whole being. And today, I would like to introduce you to another uber-amazing photographer. Today, it is my honour, to introduce you to the fantastic Brittany O’Brien, who I got to know through my love for the awesome band Hippo Campus. Ever since then, I’ve been following her account on Instagram and, let me just say, when it comes to music photography, she’s definitely one of the best out there.

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Her way of catching moments and seconds through the camera lens and turning them into pieces of art is absolutely incredible. I’m especially in love with tour shots, but not from the concerts themselves but from moments besides the gigs. When they are just sitting around, maybe having dinner, lying in the grass outside. Normal stuff. I don’t know why, but they intrigue me the most. Besides that, Brit also does film photography, which I probably don’t have to explain why I’m a big, big fan of that. So, all in all, I’m so, so happy that I get to tell you about this amazing woman and her phenomenal art.

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And so, without further ado, let’s get to the most important part – the pictures. I dearly hope you enjoy them just as much as I do. All of them were taken during the last Hippo Campus tour (I got them from Brit’s official page, all credits go to her, of course). And yeah, what can I say – I just love them. Please enjoy.

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If you want to find out more about Brit or simply can’t get enough of her pics, here are the links to her website and her Instagram. And yeah, please also let me know what you thought/think about this post, so please don’t hesitate to leave your comments down below. And, as always, I wish you all a nice week and thanks for reading. x

My favourite photographers

Hola everyone.


How are you all doing today? First of all, I want to apologize for not posting anything this Monday. I won’t tell you a big, long story of why I didn’t write anything, because, in the end, it all comes down to the fact that in the past few weeks, I haven’t really been that well, emotionally. Which then caused a massive lack of motivation, inspiration and creativity. So, that’s why I didn’t post anything. I just didn’t know what to write. But I’ve been trying to get better, crawl out of the hole I’m in – or was in, hopefully – and I’m sure just writing this now will help me with that. It’s always about getting back up again, right?

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My friend always tells me that I live in extremes. When I’m happy, I’m basically the happiest person on earth. It’s like I’m wearing pink glasses. Everything feels like I’m in a dream and high up in the clouds, far away from any worries or stress. And frankly, it’s the best feeling ever. But I can fall just as steeply and massively once I get out of my clouds. Because when I’m sad, I’m really really sad. The kind of sad where I can just break out into tears at any point, whenever I feel like it. So, I’m either extremely happy or extremely sad. With me, there simply is no in-between. And right now, I’m trying my best to push myself off the ground, out of my hole of worries and angst, so I can get back up to my clouds, where I usually spent most of my life (thank god).

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So, yeah, that’s kind of the project right now. Thankfully, my family and friends have been trying their best to help me as well and I’ve been directing my attention more and more to the prospect of attending Sziget festival in less than two weeks and then getting my new tattoo. I honestly cannot wait to finally get there again. To see Ed and Marty and Ty and Josh and all of these other super amazing bands and artists. For a whole freaking week. Can you believe that? I’m really going to a festival, for a whole week. Seven days of pure excitement and fantastic music. I can’t wait.

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Okay, but now enough of that. My big life story isn’t why we are all here today. No, no. Today, we’ve come together to once again celebrate the amazingness that is photography and the awesome artists behind the lenses. Last time we had the phenomenal Brad Heaton (click me) and today will be all about the one and only Will Darbyshire. Some of you, who’ve been following my blog for a long while now, will probably recognize the name from some of my previous posts. Will has always been one of my biggest inspirations and idols when it comes to photography (I’d actually do quite lots of crazy stuff to get to his level of talent) and he just continues to blow me away with every single picture. So, here’s to Will and the heavens he creates.

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As you can probably guess, Will is a super amazing filmmaker and photographer from London. He works online predominately, posting his pictures on his website and Instagram account and making videos on YouTube, which is also how I got to know him. Basically, his videos are nothing but a short holiday trip for the mind, without you having to even leave your house, and I fell in love with him and his talent the moment I saw his channel. I think, out of all his different videos, the one about his trip to New Zealand has to be my favourite one. I could watch it over and over again and I’d still love it to pieces. And I don’t think I have to add that it always makes me want to travel to NZ as well. I mean, just look at it. How dreamy does that place look? Oh my god.

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But, obviously, Will’s talent doesn’t just show through his clips. I mean, he really is a fantastic filmmaker, but his photos. Just wow. Somehow he manages to make his pictures look both super minimalistic and chill and extremely sophisticated and luxurious. In short, he takes the pictures I want to take. I simply admire his aesthetic. But I’ll just let his photos do the talking now. Please enjoy.

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Obviously, I can just recommend all of you guys to check Will out. For the bookworms among you, he also wrote a book a few years ago, where he collected letters from people from all across the globe. You can probably guess that it’s absolutely beautiful and totally worth to check it out. So, I can really recommend that. And, as always, please let me know your thoughts and I wish you all a nice week and thanks for reading. x

My favourite photographers

Hola everyone.


And welcome to another week. I hope, so far, your Monday has been great and that you’re all doing good. I’m currently sitting on our terrace at home, typing this, while my playlist (link here) is playing in the background. I woke up today not really having a plan of what to write about, but then I got an idea – I love doing series on here and I’m also very much in love with photography, so why not combine those two things? So that’s what we’re going to start today – a new series, dedicated to sharing my favourite photographers and their fantastic works of art with you. I’m already so excited. So, let’s get right to it, shall we?

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Brad Heaton

Choosing the first photographer to talk about might seem like a difficult mission for me, if you know me, but trust me, it was the very easiest part. Because, if you’ve got a photographer like Brad Heaton out there in the world, doing his magic every single day, the decision is always easy. Most of you will know him as the official photographer of Twenty One Pilots, but I regularly refer to him as a damn genius. Because he simply is, which becomes very clear once you take a look at his pictures.

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Brad has been part of the boy’s team since about ever, I think, as he’s also from Columbus, Ohio, just like Tyler and Josh themselves, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they had already been friends way before the boys became famous. And ever since then, Brad has been touring with them and blessing the world with his breathtaking pictures. Apart from Twenty One Pilots, he’s also photographed the likes of Paramore, Fall Out Boy, Steve Aoki and Hoodie Allen, just to name a few. In short – he totally knows what he’s doing.

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But that’s not why I look up to him that much as a photographic idol. It’s more because his pictures are simply out of this world. They make me feel things, a complex mix of emotions. And whenever I look at them, I’m immediately thrown back to my own Twenty One Pilots shows and the excitement I felt while being there, in the crowd, having the best time ever. Which again turns them into utter magical pieces of art, as they make me speechless and ramble about their beauty at the same time. They have the power to create an instant connection between the person looking at the shots and the people in the pictures. It might sound weird, but he really manages to gather the whole meaning of the clique and the boys and our special connection within one picture. Especially looking at the last picture I’m going to show you, my favourite one of his, I look at it and I instantly feel like I can see myself in it. I nearly fell off the couch when I saw it for the first time. Not just because it’s just so damn good, but also because it’s not only a photograph but a representation of the clique and the boys and who we are in this world. It’s simply perfect. And that’s what makes Brad and his pictures so special – for him, the fans and the crowd are just as important as the boys on stage. Another reason why the pictures he takes of the fans holding Tyler’s hand or fully being in the moment during the shows have a special place in my heart. And besides all that, Brad’s pictures always make me wonder how he manages to take his shots, as some seem to have been taken within the midst of the crowd, and they make me want to hear all the stories behind them. And, especially important for me as a lover of that certain photographic style, his use of black and white and the way he likes to stick to less colour and let the pictures tell the stories is just so beautiful.

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Looking at all these aspects combined, I’m sure it’s no wonder why I admire Brad this much. For me, he’s one of the most talented photographers out there and an artist I aspire to be, even it’s just on a small scale. He’s a genius. And for that, I have to thank him. And also for always providing us with quality backstage content. Thanks, Brad.

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And now, without further ado, let’s get to the most important part – the pictures. I dearly hope you enjoy them just as much as I do. All of them are from their current Bandito tour, which started at the end of last year (I got them from their Facebook page, all credits go to Brad, of course). And yeah, what can I say – I just love them. Please enjoy.

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Last but not least… my favourite. No words can describe how much I love this shot.

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If you want to find out more about Brad or simply can’t get enough of his pics, here are the links to his website and his Instagram. And yeah, please let me know what you think and until then I wish you all a nice week. Oh, and just a short info that I won’t be posting anything on Friday, as I’ll be spending the day chilling outside the stadium in Klagenfurt and then admiring Ed during his show. But, I’ll of course tell you everything about it as soon as I get back next week. So, see you next week and thanks for reading. x