Photos by: Russell Bates
Edited by: Roberta De Monte roberta.demonte@positive-magazine.com
Each of us has capabilities that can lead him along a well-defined and planned path, but, in most cases, the discovery of a talent takes place in a completely random way, almost by accident. This is one of those cases. Russell Bates, a photographer and drummer at the same time, approached photography “because I wanted a job which sounded cool when girls asked what I did”.
However, his talent as a photographer emerged immediately. Russell realized that it could become a full-time job and then was hired by a press agency. Soon afterwards, however, he realized that spending his days outside a court waiting to chase criminals was not for him.
Fortunately, around that time, Russell also started playing drums in a band, the Crookes. From that moment on, photography turned into a tool to narrate the life of the band, the tours, festivals, travels, constantly changing environments and subjects, whose pictures could be continuously taken.
In the last few years, photographing the band, following its successes and concerts, has been a full-time job for Russell, allowing him to improve his skills as a photographer. You can follow Russell’s work on his website, russellbates.co.uk, and on thecrookes.co.uk.
