FREE DESIGN, ALL THE TIME
DARKLIGHT DESIGN is proudly forging a quiet revolution in the way that bands can get valuable promotional photographs, t-shirt designs, logos and general graphic design.
James Burke (that's me) has been a keen photographer for over 20 years. Since moving from England to New Zealand in 2005, I've regained my love of live music (attending gigs practically every week) and I've been taking photos at many of those shows. New Zealand acts that have already had their live performances captured on camera by me are (in alphabetical order) :-
Artisan Guns, Bear Cat, Cobra Khan, Deja Voodoo, Disasteradio, Elemeno P, Falter, Flow, Fuser, Jordan Luck, Moonlight Drive, Revolver, Ian Simpson, Sonic Altar, Teacups, The Electric Confectionaires, The Have, The Sneaks, White Birds & Lemons.
I was the official photographer for the "RIPPED Rock & Indie Party" at Britomart Square, a major event of the Auckland Festival 2007. In addition, I am now providing regular photographic services for the Indie Club nights being held at the Kings Arms and PR Bar in central Auckland.
Photos over the years have appeared on various websites and MySpace pages, and have been used for promotional purposes.
In addition to photography, I've also undertaken many graphic design projects including album covers/inserts, posters, logos and t-shirts. Indeed, my custom Deja Voodoo t-shirts have become something of a trademark item!
So what's so revolutionary about the service I provide? Well, simply the fact that it's FREE! Yeah, that's right - FREE! No catches, no fine print, no contractual minefields. I turn up at the gig, I take a load of photographs and I send a copy of the final images to the band(s), free of licensing restrictions or royalty payments.
Bargain !!!
And how does it work? Very simply! If the work is unsolicited (I'm at a gig with my camera) then I will make contact via MySpace or other means. If the band want a copy of the photos then a CD is posted off to them. There's no licensing agreement and no payment. Should the band put me on future guest lists, or bung a CD my way, then I won't say no!!! Payment in kind is not expected though - this is something I do for the fun of it, nothing more - and offers of cash payment will be firmly refused. I'm NOT doing this for money, but simply for the love of live music and venting my creative spleen!
Solicited work is treated in much the same way, except there may be some agreement reached regarding expenses or payment in kind. More often than not though, it'll just be free entry to the gig for me plus one. The same deal will apply with the CD of photos though - free and unrestricted use.
Having said that, if this takes off in a serious way then I may have to reconsider.....!!!
UPDATE : Due to the objections of a single act, it looks as though I will be forced to adhere to a more formalised service. As a result, there may be a need for me to introduce a standard release form, to be signed by bands or their representative. I understand this is a ridiculous procedure for what is a free service, but as I said, the actions of one act have forced this upon me. A sample release form will appear soon for preview and comment.
