Why I think the ‘first three, no flash’ rule when photographing gigs needs updating

Would Pennie Smith have managed to capture the iconic shot of Paul Simonon smashing his bass guitar, that later became The Clash’s album cover for London Calling, had she been escorted out of the pit after the third song?

Our perception of iconic musical legends is determined in part by how they were captured during that time period, and it’s rare to find such a raw image resembling this energy in today’s press, with musicians arguably behaving better on stage and the “first three, no flash” policy adding restrictions to what can be captured.

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/features/why-i-think-the-first-three-no-flash-rule-when-photographing-gigs-needs-updating

Steve Liem

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