If you don’t know who Steve Gullick is, let me help you. First of all he’s a better mate than photographer, which is saying something when you google his name and check out some of the moments he has captured. Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Beck, Bjork, Neil Young, Depeche Mode, Mark Lanegan, Pearl Jam, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Richard Hawley, The Progidy, Spiritualized, The White Stripes,…the list is almost endless….oh… and his landscapes are pretty sweet too, whether shot using 5×4 film or on his phone, the results are always pretty ace.
Too be honest Steve has been a bit of an inspiration for 6AM. I know he’s got nothing to do with cycling ( although he does own a push bike ) but it’s more the “do it yourself” attitude that he has. To do things that have integrity and worth. Just check out his book Nirvana Diary or any of the his band Tenebrous Liar’s five albums, the artworks are things of beauty.
After a few days of trying to come up with some slightly interesting questions to ask Steve I decided that getting my buddy Lee, who’s a photographer and big fan of his work to do it, might be a bit easier. So here’s a mix of mine and her questions. Thanks Steve !
If you could use one camera and film, what would that combo be and why ?
Leica R6 / Summilux 50mm F1.4 and Tri X. Size / reliability / quality / familiarity.
Favourite photographer ?
Sir Don McCullin
Is there any one pic you’ve taken that you are most proud of ?
Hmmm – interesting question – there’s a few – but I’ll go for Jason Spaceman on Mt Etna
Who bought you your first camera and what was it ?
Mum and Dad. Practica MTL3
Do you have a well organised archive and if so, do you organise by genre, date or alphabetically and sometimes do you re-organise it just for a laugh. Or is your storage a shambles… ?
Negatives by date, prints alphabetically…there’s a lot of it so chaos isn’t really an option. My records are organised alphabetically – I’m open to suggestions for a better way. Genre isn’t an option as that’s too subjective.
Have you ever had a cock up with the film or camera on a job or have you ever lost your work ?
All the equipment was stolen from the back of the van during a Tesco’s sandwich stop once – That was a drag.
Do you keep your pinhole cameras or make a record of them ?
Only used them twice – The first time was during a Headswim session… we loaded drink cans with 5×4 film & binned the cameras after use. The second time was with a purchased camera on a Richard Hawley session. I gave that camera to Richard.
How did you get started and which band was your first job ?
I photographed all the gigs I could sneak a camera into and started shooting sessions for fanzines in the 1980’s – I did a lot of stuff with The Levellers early on which indirectly lead to me working for Sounds ( a weekly music paper ).
Do you struggle to shoot a band or artist if you don’t like there music ?
Not anymore – If creative people are choosing you to take their photograph, that’s a great honour.
Do you have a secret pseudonym to shoot naff stuff ?
I may have done – I have definitely used Sven Gillette and Hank Schnappmann for comedic value.
Josh T Pearson pic by Steve Gullick
And last but not least, what’s your favourite live album ?
Live Killers by Queen, Summer in the Southeast by Bonnie Prince Billy, Live and Dangerous by Thin Lizzy.
Many thanks Steve
Check out his website here http://portfolio.gullickphoto.com/albums/iz0Hrc/portfolio-57
His phone book is available here http://gullickphoto.com/phonebook.html
His band Tenebrous Liar here http://www.tenebrousliar.com/
Questions by Lee Milne and 6AM
www.6amcycling.co.uk 