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Archive Apr 26, 2016
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Music photographer Koury Angelo knows how to capture that moment at shows that gets you there in the first place. The connection from fan to artist in a small setting or massive venue seems to permeate the experience of performance that keeps tickets selling and people standing. We asked Angelo to curate some of his favorite moments from the festival track of the last year. Try not to buy weekend passes after this.
He conducts photographic wizardry at NYC fashion week that give Angelenos a serious case of FOMO IRL, captures legendary performances at the world’s biggest music festivals and shows, and shoots portraits of notable talent, especially in music, for the big guys like Rolling Stone and Billboard.
It’s this new breed of photographer we’re focusing on; A busy and successful career combined with his rhythmical personal values that composite his single picture as a high note to lean toward.
LA CANVAS: Thanks for making the time to meet after the NYFW madness. What is your relationship with fashion week, and fashion in general?
Koury Angelo: After I received my postgraduate degree at Speos Photography Institute in Paris, I moved to NYC and landed my first job in the photo industry at Milk Studios. I remember seeing all of my favorite photographers shooting at the studio and working with the best creatives in the fashion industry. It was inspiring to be around that, and it really helped me as a young photographer. Fashion is a huge part of the photography world in NYC and I lived and worked in the industry there from 2005 to 2007.
LAC: How did you start shooting with Milk Studios’ MADE Fashion Week?
KA: I’ve been shooting for Milk for a long time. It’s been amazing being part of that family for over ten years now. Once they launched MADE Fashion Week, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. MADE brought me on to cover the events in September of 2014. It was such an incredible experience—like coming full circle—from working at Milk as a Studio Manager, to now being the photographer shooting.
LAC: Your take of the runway shows, after parties, after-after parties and portraits of notable humans (that recent Erykah Badu shot though!) during NYFW gives us serious East Coast envy. Give us a beat by beat play on how one day unravels for you.
KA: Covering NYFW is like eye candy for me as a photographer, and having a backstage all-access pass is the equivalent of having the keys to the city. Everywhere you turn there are celebrities, designers, models, musicians, runway shows and after parties. The list goes on.
For me, it’s also a lot of work, and turning photos around within an hour or two of each show is crucial for an online publication and social media. My day starts about three hours from my first fashion show assignment. Each day I shoot anywhere between two to four shows, and sometimes a late night after party or music event.
LAC: How-and equally importantly, when-did you shape this niche of portraiture for yourself?
KA: I started taking my camera everywhere with me in college. A lot of my friends in Austin were musicians, so I would go and shoot their shows, the backstage and then the after parties. So, in hindsight, it seems natural for me to still be doing this—only now on a bigger and more public-facing scale.
LAC: As we gear up for festival season, specifically the infamous Coachella, where can we find you (aside from trolling and re-posting from your @kouryangelo handle)?
KA: SXSW is first for me. I get to go to my hometown and visit Austin for a week of music. Then Coachella, where I’ll be deep in the trenches: in the photo pits, on stage, backstage and in the crowd.
LAC: Are there any artists or events you’ve captured where you have to pinch yourself?
KA: I got to photograph Motörhead at Coachella in 2014. Normally, when covering a music festival I only stay for the first three songs, but it was such an epic performance that I stayed for the whole set. Lemmy Kilmister was already such a huge rock legend, so when he brought out Slash from Guns N’ Roses onstage to close the set with “Ace of Spades” I was definitely pinching myself, because it just doesn’t get much bigger than that! Later, after the festival, I sent his PR team a few photos that were published in Rolling Stone. They sent me a handwritten thank you and a Motörhead t-shirt, bag and coffee mug. I still use them all. So honored I got to photograph Lemmy before he passed away late last year.
LAC: Speaking of epic music, what’s on your current playlist, and is it weird when it’s the artists you’ve photographed for hours on location? Does that happen?
KA: While I love rock ‘n’ roll, I’ve always been a big electronic and hip-hop fan. Nicole Moudaber is one of my favorite house DJs and I just photographed her Awakenings performance in NYC on Valentine’s Night. I shoot for A-Trak and I listen to his Day Off Radio to find new music. I just discovered Jackie Hill Perry. She has an amazing and powerful new voice in hip-hop.
LAC: Does the digital contraption trend effect your work? What do you make of iPhoneography, photo apps, and mobile editing?
KA: It was hard for me in the beginning since I learned on film, and happily spent the majority of my time in college in the darkroom, but I now embrace digital. I love the convenience of having apps on my iPhone—it helps to do my online posts and tweak images if I don’t have my computer with me.
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