Danny Clinch

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A lot of your work is centered on this “outtake moment.”

I just feel like they’re the real moments. I’d rather take the photograph when someone’s not paying attention, ’cause they’re in their natural posture, their shoulders are relaxed, and their expression, and to me it becomes more of a real photograph.

Is this something you started out doing?

I was always a fan of the document, like photojournalism, which is just really trying to capture people the way they are in a real situation. When I started to get jobs shooting musicians, I tried to wait for that off moment when they weren’t really paying attention. I always found that the photographs I loved were the ones that were least directed. Even in a portrait situation, when it’s a very direct photograph where you want the person looking into the camera, I’m just trying to get the moment that feels the most real and relaxed.

How do you make those shots happen?

I always have my camera around my neck. Provided it’s not a woman who hasn’t put on her makeup or something, I’ll shoot a couple shots right away to let them know: I am here to shoot pictures. I’ma set the tone there, but if you’re not cool with it, let me know. If they said to me, “Wait a while, I’m not ready yet,” I would honor that.

How does that work with hip-hop?

It comes down to the individual. Some people really understand that idea of shooting loose and capturing the document. There are certainly some rock acts that you point a camera at and they’re gonna strike their pose that they’re comfortable in, that they’ve seen a bunch of times, like, I know I look good doing this pose. I think that holds true for any genre of music. But I’m always trying to go a little bit beyond that. Not to say I won’t take that photograph and it won’t be chosen for the project, but in the end, I’m always trying to get past that for myself, personally.

Danny Clinch