There’s a certain unwritten rule in music photography that it’s best avoiding your heroes and idols – at least from a working perspective. Chances are they’ll be everything you want them to be, but that one time they’re not could sour a following that’s lasted a lifetime. So I had a certain amount of trepidation when I knew we’d be shooting Jimmy Eat World backstage at Download Festival. Clarity is still one of my favourite albums EVER. With a huge amount of relief the guys from JEW were cool, friendly and funny. Their halos are still intact.
Lighting is a mixed bag. There’s a Canon 580EX fired from behind and a Yongnuo YN-560ii in an umbrella softbox high up on the right (held by Rob, the features editor). This is all balanced with the available light – the green ‘backdrop’ is a portacabin outside their dressing room.
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