Patrick Harbron
Blondie – Debby Harry #1 El Mocambo 1978
18×27
Exhibition Fiber Paper – ‘F’ Gloss – 325g/m
$ 2,500
3 of 25
Most photographers would rather face the impossible task of scraping fixer dust from darkroom sinks than write an artist’s statement. I will say I have been lucky enough to create pictures that people want to see and words they choose to read. In the 1970s I became a photographer by good fortune, perseverance and a small loan from CIBC after being turned down by the Bank of Nova Scotia.
Creativity for me meant all things music. I strived to be a musician before I wisely chose another path, a parallel one. I became a rock and roll writer and ultimately a photographer pursuing the same subject. From behind the camera, I began to learn a visual language, one that wasn’t limited to a single subject. Being a photographer gave me the ability to ‘see’ instead of just ‘looking.’ My new understanding of the medium allowed me to open doors and document a world beyond rock and roll.
As a photographer catching the essence of Bruce Springsteen or revealing the tranquility of Jimmy Carter gave me the same deep satisfaction. I was less excited about dragging 11 cases of photo gear through endless airports in Africa, Europe, The Americas and Asia, but it was worth the effort. I created a diverse collection of portraits for dozens of album covers, ads for Apple, Home Box Office, Disney, and magazines such as Esquire, Life, and Rolling Stone. International gallery exhibits, enable my rock and roll photography to find new audiences every day.
Countless assignments around the world from concert stages, corporate board rooms, movie studios and nature’s wide-open spaces have infected me with a curiosity that will never go away until I photograph everything.
Wish me luck.