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John Kay
(born Joachim Fritz Krauledat, 12 April 1944) is a German-born Canadian rock
singer, songwriter, and guitarist known as the frontman of Steppenwolf. |
Chiripa –
Chiripada
The above
words are Mexican lingo for luck and luck out. In the early 80s I was doing my
best to stand out with my portraits as competition in Vancouver was fierce. What I had going
for me is that I worked with writer Les Wiseman who had a rock column in Vancouver Magazine called In One Ear. I have always thought that
good music critics have to be snobs. When I started with Wiseman he told me, “Alex
if you don’t like Lou Reed you will not be able to work with me. If you do not
like the heavy metal band Motorhead, forget it.”
One method I
used to compete was to use a portable studio light with a device called a
softbox. To add to this, in my photograph here of John Kay, I took with Kodak
Technical Pan Film (discontinued in 2005) which was the sharpest and finest
grain film ever made. It had sensitivity to red so it rendered skin luminous.
I shot 10
photographs. I showed the contact sheet to Vancouver Magazine art director Rick
Staehling and he picked this one.
Somehow I
believe I must have lucked out with this portrait of John Kay. It is inmediate
and in-your-face.
Este retrato es una de chiripa.