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  • Arts & Music

AMM conversation with Scott Weiner

by Khahan Tran
PHILADELPHIA, PA – NOVEMBER 27, Elton John performing his world tour at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA on November 27, 2013. CREDIT: Scott Weiner / Retna Ltd

Scott’s Weiner’s photography has been published in Newsweek, People, Rolling Stone, Creem, Entertainment Weekly, Time, and a host of international publications. Weiner was Newsweek magazine’s photographer for Live Aid and was the staff photographer for the Live 8 concert. In addition, his photographs have been published in countless books, newspapers, and websites, used on TV shows, and have been used for albums by Paul Simon among others.

Springsteen performs free show for Obama in Philadelphia
Bruce Springsteen performing a free show for Obama on the Parkway in Philadelphia, PA on October 4, 2008. CREDIT: Scott Weiner / Retna Ltd

Khahan Tran: Although your work has developed over the years branching into various sectors, you are most renowned for your iconic photographs within the music industry. Tell us about your relationship with music, is there a personal story there?

Scott Weiner: There’s a couple of things that I have not mentioned to anyone.  While I was in college at Temple University, I formed a rock band.  We called ourselves Marilyn, a good 25 years before Marilyn Manson by the way.  I felt I was the only serious member, so we disbanded after our very first live performance at U of P.

Now, much more importantly, my career began serendipitously. During my last semester at Temple University, in 1976, I took a photograph of Leon and Mary Russell at Philadelphia’s legendary Spectrum concert venue. That photograph was published in the Philadelphia Inquirer the day after I graduated and I was off running—and rocking.

Leon Russell was on A & M Records and the label asked if I had additional images of the musician that they could purchase and use. That led to me becoming the local photographer for not only A & M, but also every other label as well.

Bowie, David
David Bowie performing on The Idiot World with Iggy Pop at the Tower Theatre. Philadelphia, PA. March 19th, 1977. CREDIT: Scott Weiner / Retna Ltd
Queen & Mercury, Freddie
Freddie Mercury of Queen performing at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, PA. July 24, 1982. CREDIT: Scott Weiner / Retna Ltd
Prince
Prince performing on the second leg of his Controversy Tour at the Tower Theatre in Philadelphia, PA on March 2, 1982. CREDIT: Scott Weiner / Retna Ltd

KT: Tell us about some of your best moments of photographing the icons spanning several generations?

SW: Well, we can start with the time I was having lunch at the Four Seasons with Columbia Records top executives and the heads of Philly’s radio stations and George Michael.  We were doing a promo tour with George who was showing off his first solo album. I sat next to George and on the other side of me was my boss for the day.  He told me only to take photos of George and the radio people.  Me, being me at that early stage of my career turned to George and asked if he cared if we did a couple of solo photos.  He said yes; I took three black and white photos.  His solo record was a huge hit and those three images turned into a dozen different magazine covers.  You see, at that point I was repped by a photo agency and life was great.

I have also done a few photo sessions in my house.  I remember Debbie Harry being there for a session and me taking the blue satin sheet off my bed and using it as a seamless backdrop.  I really have photographed either posed for portraits or in performance almost everyone.

I do regret turning down a photo credential for Elvis Presley.  Again, it was early on in my career and the tour had the nerve to tell me in order to be given a pass, I had to pay for a ticket to his show.  No way I was going to pay to play as they say.  He died and that is a big regret of mine.

On the bright side, I have photographed Live Aid and was the promoter’s photographer for Live 8.  I photographed many MTV Awards and Grammy’s. Worked for a lot of BET events in DC and LA.  Photographed many Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions.

Did a photo session with Ringo in his NYC hotel room. Thanks to Mick Jagger’s personal aid, I photographed the first and second dates of many Stones tours. Was AC/DC’s photographer during music videos.

I remember the time I was on this thing about getting bands to jump in the air as our last image of the session.  I asked Jamie Foxx to jump and he did!

I was interviewed on a local TV talk show and the other guest was pretty much the first Paparazzi, Ron Galella.  I had some fun with Ron, pulling out a camera from under my chair and giving him a taste of his own medicine. I could go on forever as there are so, so many others.

George Michael - Portraits
George Michael of Wham October 1987. CREDIT: Scott Weiner / Retna Ltd
The Rolling Stones & Jagger, Mick
Portrait of Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones photographed in August 1981. CREDIT: Scott Weiner / Retna UK
Blondie & Harry, Debbie
Debbie Harry of Blondie photographed in Philadelphia while on a press tour to promote the album Parallel Lines, 1978. CREDIT: Scott Weiner / Retna Ltd

KT: Tell us about Paul McCartney’s photograph, what was your experience like in that moment? There must be a fanatical story behind each photograph of influential figures.

SW: Well, I will talk about a different time with McCartney.  It was 1976 and he was touring with Wings.  You know, Band On The Run and such. He was the last concert I ever paid for because after that, I was paid to be photographing all the bands.  Back to Elvis Presley, that’s why there was no way I was paying for his ticket, on principle.  Let me tie in John Lennon here.  Three years before I turned pro I got a hot tip that Lennon was up at channel 6 doing the weather of all things.  I ran up there and got a few posed images with my first pro camera.  Actually, it was my first roll of film in that camera.  If you look close enough, you can see me taking his photo reflected in his glasses.  Just another sign of things to come.

Paul McCartney performs at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia 8-15-2010
Paul McCartney performing live at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. on August 15, 2010. CREDIT: Sam Wix / Retna Ltd
Lennon, John
John Lennon photographed in the mid 1970’s. CREDIT: Scott Weiner / Retna UK

KT: What are your favorite cameras or equipment to photograph such energetic images?

SW: I have and always will use Canon equipment.  I use a Canon flash defused by a myriad of tools. I do a lot of my posed images on the fly with my flash off camera. I call what I do, “painting with light”.  Of course I also use a studio set up as well when time allows.

Andy Warhol photographed in 1984.
Andy Warhol photographed in 1984. CREDIT: Scott Weiner / Retna Ltd
Princess Grace
Princess Grace at ” A Tribute To Grace Kelly” – a ceremony in her honor staged at the Annenberg Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Kelly, the daughter of a Philadelphia family, was killed 5 months later when she drover her car off a mountain road. April 1, 1982. CREDIT: Scott Weiner / Retna Ltd

KT: How did you transition from being primarily a music photographer, into a public relations photographer? Did your personal inspiration perhaps progressed into other fields?

SW: I started my career working for every record label.  But, like most things, the music business crashed and burned because it was hemorrhaging money.  Every night I was working for a different label’s party.  Every day I would travel around with a different label’s artist.  First thing that was done was the labels cut out limos for the artists.  Second thing was cutting me out as the local photographer for those labels.  My way around that was, I became the limo, taking the artists around in my own car.  Oh, the things the artists left in my car!  Even that after a while was costing the labels too much.  That’s when I branched out.  I started working for a client that represented all the film companies.  So to this day, I still have that client.  The last person I worked with was Sylvester Stallone.  Nice guy.  His brother and I used to be best friends back in the day.  And yes, I still do some public relations but not that much.  Let’s remember, I am still a press photographer.  I just set up a weekend in April with a Comic Con traveling show just this morning.

Sylvester Stallone & Talia Shire Rocky II
Photograph of Sylvester Stallone and Talia Shire on the set of Rocky II in Philadelphia, PA in 1978. Photograph of the Premiere of Rocky II at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, PA in 1979. CREDIT: Scott Weiner / Retna Ltd
Pope Francis visits Philadelphia Pa
PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 27 : Pope Francis departs from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in a Fiat, heading to Center City Philadelphia for Mass on the Parkway, concluding his Philadelphia visit on September 27, 2015. CREDIT: Scott Weiner / Retna Ltd
Charlize Theron recieves Woman Of The Year Hasty Pudding award from Harvard University
Charlize Theron pictured at the 2008 Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year Award parade at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA on February 7, 2008. CREDIT: Scott Weiner / Retna Ltd

KT: Your work has come to cover various fields, but in a way they all intersect through the aspect of documenting significant moments, would you agree on this?

SW: Sure.  I’ll give you that one.

Virgin Festival
The Police performing at Virgin Festival in Baltimore, Maryland on August 4, 2007. CREDIT: Scott Weiner / Retna Ltd
Patti Smith
Patti Smith in the press room at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction ceremony held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City on March 12, 2007. CREDIT: Scott Weiner / Retna Ltd

KT: You have an entire section on Israel on your website, despite having worked on numerous other trips, is your work on Israel particularly significant to you?

SW: In a word, yes.  My ex wife’s dad was a concentration camp survivor.  One of my major clients was a non–profit Jewish organization here in Philly.  I still have a whole Lubavitch group as a client that has blossomed from one address when I took them on as a client to four different locations today.  Me being Jewish meant so much to me going to Israel for 10 days.  All I can tell you is the experience changed me, for the better.  We Jews have a saying, “next year in Jerusalem”.  I was able to say “I am in Jerusalem”  I swam in the Dead Sea.  I was at the Wailing Wall.  I was in an underground secret ammunition factory from World War II and so much more.

Israel 2012
Israel 2012. CREDIT: Scott Weiner / Retna Ltd
Israel 2012
Israel 2012. CREDIT: Scott Weiner / Retna Ltd

KT: You have been in the industry for decades, and must have seen almost everything the industry has to offer. What would you tell an up and coming photographer, in this digital age?

SW: You will have it easier than I did but you will also have it harder. When I started, the music business was booming.  Now, consider yourself lucky if you get to do some photos for free.  On the bright side, you are all digital now.  No more film costs, including development of film and printing of photos.  Not even anymore discs to make, now you just send a link. Last thing I would say that has not changed, is you must be a go getter.  Those jobs are not looking for you, you have to go after them.

BB King 2-13-2010
BB King performing at Caesars Casino in Atlantic City 0n February 13, 2010. CREDIT: Scott Weiner / Retna Ltd

Khahan Tran

Interview conducted by Khahan Tran.

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