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From scowling rock stars to preening pop singers, Scarlet Page has photographed them all. Over the course of a career spanning three decades, she has captured stunning portraits of household names, from Amy Winehouse and David Bowie to Oasis and The Rolling Stones.
Now, a new exhibition, titled 30, celebrates Page’s illustrious career by showcasing some of her best work, for which she dived into her vast archives to select just 30 of her most iconic and personal images, many of which have never been seen before.
From a quirky shot of US rockers Foo Fighters sitting in a hot tub to a pensive Winehouse sitting at the piano, discovering the images was like “finding treasures from a different time”, Page says.
Read our Q&A with Page below:
How did you get into photography?
When I was 18, I did an art foundation course and loved photography so much that I ended up doing a degree in it at Westminster University. I then went on to assist a handful of photographers on shoots who worked in music for various magazines and then, after about a year, I started to get the burning desire to do it on my own. I had made a few contacts whilst working under other photographers so I sent out my images to magazines and they started picking them up and publishing them.
The first shot that really made my portfolio stand out was of The Verve: as a fledgling photographer I took myself out to Lollapalooza festival in the States and shot anything I was able to get a pass for. I was introduced to the Verve who were hanging out in their tour bus, so I took a bunch of images and sent out to everyone I knew. It ended up on their artwork for A Northern Soul, which really helped open some doors for me in the early days.
What’s the story behind this exhibition?
This exhibition, in conjunction with Behind The Gallery ,is celebrating 30 years of me being a photographer, I decided to choose just 30 images from my whole career which was very hard to do! I am also only making 10 prints of each shot printed on very special and beautiful Hahnemühle Photorag ® Metallic paper so are very limited and are available to buy. Choosing the images has been a real a moment of reflection for me too and I feel so proud of my work and grateful for the memories and experiences it has given me. Also it has given me some great stories to tell!
What are the challenges of capturing a musician in a portrait session?
I feel you have to work fast, they never want to drag it out. You have to connect with them quickly, it is something I can’t really explain, capturing moments that feel like you are reaching into the real “them” and not just the superficial façade but often against the clock! I love trying to go that little bit deeper and I think you can see that in a lot of my portraits.
What are your favourite or most memorable sessions?
My favourites are sometimes quite obscure, very often not famous bands as they can evoke a feeling which is only relevant and personal to me - photography does that! Each picture has a story to tell and some are wrapped up in what happened that day. I think today I would say my favourite work would be with Stereophonics over the years. From one of their first photo sessions they ever did on the streets in their hometown of Cwamamen, to working with Kelly Jones on the Performance and Cocktails album sleeve, to a video shoot in Thailand for The Bartender and the Thief, and then through the years working on more recent album press campaigns. They are a brilliant and fun bunch to be around and we always go for a vibe that is ‘real’ and not too contrived or staged.
Who was the most fun to photograph?
I would say Justin Hawkins from The Darkness makes me laugh a lot. There was one time he was doing handstands on the edge of the Blue Mountains in Australia and although I was panicking, as I hate heights, he was laughing away without a care as to the potential danger of the situation! He has such a great sense of humour and doesn’t take himself too seriously, he will roar with laughter when he sees shots we have taken where his eyes are closed by mistake or not looking his best. Their live shows are so much fun too, if you haven’t been to one you must go one day.
What are some of the works that you're most proud of?
My Resonators project where I shots various iconic guitarists (the Slash and Jimmy Page shots from this 30 exhibition were from that session), it was a labour of love and I shot over 30 portraits of guitar legends all over the world. Also the artwork for The Verve and Stereophonics also hold a special place in my heart as does the print of Noel and Liam Gallagher stands out for me. Over the years I have grown to love it more, it somehow has become a classic over time, it’s funny how that happens. We all feel nostalgic about time that has passed when we lived simpler lives too perhaps. The pictures of Amy Winehouse and David Bowie hold a special place in people's hearts, in particular.
Do you have a favourite album cover?
My own? That would be Stereophonics’ Performance and Cocktails, otherwise I would choose U2’s War cover by Anton Corbijn, because I love his work so much and it takes me back to a time when I would spend hours looking at all the details on vinyl gatefolds!
The ‘30’ exhibition runs from 12 to 15 September at Behind The Gallery, 139 Whitfield Street, London, W1T 5EN. There will also be a Q&A with Scarlet at 12.30pm on 14 September
