Unbeknownst to many, famous rock artist and singer-songwriter Bryan Adams doubles as both a musician and successfully published photographer. Adams began his photographic journey in the early Sixties and Seventies, and has since had his work exhibited across the globe and partnered with numerous editorial brands.
The next steps for the rock star-come-photographer may be in the practice of filmmaking, proposing that his skills developed through photography over the last few decades would be easily transferrable.
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Speaking in an interview with Ramp Style magazine (Via MusicNews), Adams suggests that, “I would indeed be interested [in making a film]. I can easily see myself as a cinematographer, maybe even a director… With smartphone cameras that can capture every moment, everyone can be a photographer".
Adams kickstarted his career in the industry initially working as a fashion photographer. "Prior to that, my photo work had been entirely self-portraits for album covers and head shots for friends". In the Nineties he was encouraged by fashion photographer Herb Ritts to pursue his ambitions in photography and began shooting one of his first books.
The musician's work has been exhibited at museums and galleries across the globe, including the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Haus der kunst in Munich and at Fotografiska in Stockholm, whilst held by both corporate and private collectors.
Using a Polaroid SX70 for quite some time, Adams upgraded to a Rolleiflex in 1980, as stated in a biography by The Photo Gallery. He supposedly fell in love with that camera and many of the photos published in his book Exposed were shot using it. He is also known to have previously used a Leica M6, a Mamiya RZ, and even purchased a big wooden Deardorff 10x8 to experiment with large format film.
For his work in fashion photography, Adams was a recipient of two Lead Awards in Germany, first in 2006 and later in 2012. His editorial work has featured in Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, GQ and i-D. Advertising campaigns shot by Adams involved collaborations with popular brands like Hugo Boss, Guess, Converse, Fred Perry, Jaguar and Opel cars to name just a few.
“One of the most profoundly important things is people using their cameras to document atrocities," he added. "Everyone is a photojournalist. From eco-terrorism to George Floyd, photos and videos have completely changed our world overnight”.
Adams has built a portfolio and reputation by capturing intimate images of famous friends and colleagues in the music, entertainment, fashion and art industries. Having shot Mick Jagger, The Who, Amy Winehouse, Lindsay Lohan, Lenny Kravitz, Lana Del Rey, Morrissey, Annie Lennox and plenty more.
In the summer of '69 2021 Bryan Adams shot the 48th Pirelli Calendar with a theme of "on the road", with images of artists like Cher and Grimes on tour.
Despite his readiness to transition to filmmaking, though, Adams hasn’t left the music scene just yet, and is set to release his 15th studio album So Happy It Hurts on 11 March.
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