The Perfect Job

One question I’m constantly asked is which job fascinated me the most. “What completely blew you away?” is asked almost as often as the fact that Christmas falls in December. Please don’t misunderstand, because I don’t actually object to the question. And yet, I always stand there, flustered, and start stammering. A hesitant “uhhh…” is usually followed by an awkward silence. During this time, my mind races, and I mentally run through my photo archive. With around 60,000 folders on the server, this naturally takes a while. To salvage the embarrassing situation, I usually say, “Oh, there are quite a few jobs,” and recklessly fire off a few examples that, in retrospect, I would only describe as “okay.” And frankly, the question “What was the worst job?” would be easier to answer. I could rattle off examples like a machine gun. Yes, the question about positive examples is justified, even if it always throws me off track.

What defines a good job? Is it the result in terms of the photos? The amount of money the photos brought in, keeping the bank account from looking too bleak? Or is it simply the satisfied client who shows eternal love and immense gratitude, even without payment? Certainly not an easy question to answer. As a photographer, you also consider economic aspects and are naturally very pleased when the cost-benefit analysis is positive. The client’s enduring gratitude can also be seen as a positive effect, even if it doesn’t pay the rent and the bread rolls have to stay at the bakery. But in all these considerations, you always come back to the point that the most fascinating jobs are ultimately those that have a lasting impact. It’s almost irrelevant when this realization comes or why one can speak of lasting effects. These can be positive or negative. Of course, there are commissions that make you nervous beforehand. However, it’s worse when you feel nervous during the work itself. Whether it’s knowing a client is breathing down your neck and you absolutely have to deliver the photos, or the moment a prominent person enters the room and you’ve suddenly forgotten all your prepared remarks, or concerts where it’s practically impossible to take a usable picture because the lighting technician forgot to turn the switches on—these are all negative aspects, to name just a few. And then everything changes: you find usable photos on your memory card at home, you’ve delivered everything on time, and you’re satisfied. These kinds of stories can also contribute to finding a job “fascinating,” “breathtaking,” or simply “awesome.” So there are many reasons, and we haven’t even mentioned the positive ones yet!

But I’m often asked which jobs I find fascinating. Over the years, I’ve had several that still excite me today and that I remember very well. Take Nirvana, for example, whom I photographed on March 1, 1994. Of course, in retrospect, this job only became a truly amazing experience, even though it was connected to Cobain’s death. Who can say they were at the band’s very last concert? It certainly wasn’t foreseeable on the night of the concert, even though Cobain had done everything imaginable in the weeks and months leading up to it to make people worry. And yet, it was a fantastic concert and a fabulous evening. Equally memorable was my first meeting with Dave Grohl and his then-new band. Experiencing the Foo Fighters and their first album live, and meeting Grohl again offstage, were truly incredible experiences. Everything was small, almost underground, and yet you knew that there was a guy sitting there who would probably never have to work a day in his life. Perhaps the fact that no one could have foreseen how big this band would become also plays a role here. The Foo Fighters are now, and I was there practically from the beginning. Halle Berry was a great job. Not because I was completely smitten with her looks and stood there sobbing in front of her, but rather because she was incredibly nice and highly professional. And simply smart! George Clooney was stunning, although the encounter was so brief that you could almost call it a meeting. Chester Bennington still resonates with me today, even if his band never musically captivated me in the same way as most people out there.

But there are also those moments when you’re assigned a job where you’re more of a fanboy. For me, this was the case with Nine Inch Nails and Trent Reznor. I couldn’t say more than “Hi” because I was busy trying to capture the brief moment I had. And the nervousness of potentially ruining the moment with a forgotten memory card or a camera set up incorrectly didn’t exactly help the endeavor. I had a similar experience with the Deftones when I first had the opportunity to work with them. A band I’ve loved since their first album, and who earned a place of honor in my heart with “White Pony.” My nervousness was at its peak then—but it still turned out well! Ironically, my first encounter with Chester Bennington was during the “White Pony” tour, where Linkin Park were the support act.

Working with Jared Leto and his band Thirty Seconds to Mars was truly a lot of fun. True to form, Leto arrived late for the shoot and then completely derailed the schedule – just as a Hollywood star would. The woman from the label was incredibly tense, fluctuating between pure anger, rage, and tears, as her work was being sabotaged. There we were, standing in a factory hall, waiting to set up, when Leto came out of an interview and joined the rest of the band. His mood was terrible because the previous interviewee, despite clear instructions not to, had brought up his private life and alleged sexual escapades. The resulting situation for me was one of losing. And then, we managed to get all the shots in the bag within 15 minutes, which sent Leto into a state of euphoria. He had gained time, was allowed to keep checking the camera’s display during the shoot, and could thus get a sense of what the medium-format images would look like. As a critical and undoubtedly vain person, he had no reason to complain. A win-win situation for both sides, and a heartfelt thank you was conveyed to me by his management a few weeks later.

But to cut a long story short: photo shoots and portrait sessions are definitely the best when it comes to captivating moments and jobs. This is simply because you have a personal encounter, something no one can ever take away from you. You meet someone, “get to know them,” and interact with them! This can often bring many advantages, but there are also moments when you just want to disappear into thin air because the other person is driving you absolutely crazy.

With concerts, the question of what makes them so fascinating becomes a bit more complicated. Over the years, you’ve attended so many concerts that you can’t remember them all. Sure, you don’t forget Nirvana, but you’ve seen a band like Metallica or AC/DC many times and already expect such an act to deliver a solid show. Anything else would be disappointing, especially considering the price of tickets for such shows. I’ve photographed Thrice, Amenra, The Ocean, Hot Water Music, and even Nine Inch Nails—whom I absolutely adore—multiple times. They were always solid shows, but rarely ones I’d include in my memoirs. Of course, there are exceptions, but you have to think about it more. The list of good shows is practically endless; choosing the five best shows ever would surely take days.

Are they more the concerts where you had no expectations and were pleasantly surprised? That’s a good approach to consider! Naturally, you research the artist beforehand and even listen to some of their songs. After all, you don’t want to photograph an artist unprepared, especially since the light show is often dictated by the music, and you can therefore already guess what to expect! But if the concert turns out differently than anticipated, that can sometimes be a good thing. Frank Turner would certainly be an example of this for me. The guy does practically everything right with his albums, but before my first concert, I wasn’t convinced by his recordings. After that concert, everything changed. He certainly won’t be joining my personal hall of fame, but I now see his music in a different light and have respect for him and his music. Festivals are often a fascinating job. Yes, the strain is enormous, and you feel like you’re on your feet for 20 hours a day. However, you constantly discover bands and artists here that you didn’t know before or didn’t want to know. Some concerts have fascinated and convinced me so much that I subsequently bought their entire discography on vinyl.