Love Of Rock and Romance

For 18 years the corporate world held Larry Perez captive—stifling the artistic creativity that bubbled inside him. In 2004, he quit a job that guaranteed him a six-figure retirement income and two years later began to shoot weddings and rock stars out of small studio in Topeka, KS. Since then, he has never looked back. It was a journey that few would have had the guts to make, and Perez, now 42, is happy to share his experiences to encourage others to do the same.

Arthur Bleich: Have you always been impulsive?
Larry Perez: Yes. I knew from my first day in high school, I wasn’t going to be there long; I had my mind zeroed in on music and art. I quit after three weeks. Eventually, when I was 20, I started in the car business as a lot boy, and by 32 was the youngest general manager in one of the largest car dealership groups in the country.

AB: Why did you quit?
LP: I went through a divorce and was eventually granted sole custody of my three children, and in 2004 I just walked away. The money and politics that came along with the corporate world was no longer a part of my idea of ultimate freedom.

AB: How did you replace that income?
LP: I had a series of jobs during the next few years, but I began to realize that owning a business had better be a part of my drive toward freedom.

AB: How did that evolve?
LP: My mom passed away in 2005. Before she died she had often reminded me to follow my art, to go and reinvent myself and to continue to be a father to my children. She left us the family home, which was paid for. Immediately, all of the pressures were gone. My sister, who is a portrait photographer, encouraged me to buy a Nikon D70 camera—which I did—and I started training myself to use it.

AB: Can you remember your first professional job?
LP: I had posted some pictures to share with friends online and a lady who saw them asked me if I did family pictures. I smiled and said: “Yes, of course I do.” I did not have a price list, so I called my sister and she sent me her package pricing. I put my name on it, gave it to the lady and ended up closing a $1000 package and I was in business.

AB: So you first specialized in family portraits?
LP: No. One day while shooting a mother and her three children in a park, one of the kids threw a wood chip in my direction and it hit me square in the forehead. The decision never to shoot another family was made on the spot.

AB: The work you finally settled on is rock star photography and weddings?
LP: Each one provides me with a different feeling. When shooting rock stars I have total freedom at the show and I am not restrained. When I shoot weddings it appeals to more of the structured, organized (don’t laugh), hopeless romantic side of me.

AB: How did your rock star photography come about?
LP: Initially, Jason Domingues, a photographer (now a friend), got me hooked and shared with me simple methods of connecting with management companies for work. Then, Lenny McCoy with 98.9, “The Rock” radio station got me in front of Rockfest—50,000 people at a one-day festival. After that, it was on!

AB: You play the guitar and consider yourself a musician. Does that background give your images an edge over other photographers who are not musically inclined when you shoot a concert?
LP: Without question! Performers will make certain moves in sync with their music. If you understand how the music is structured you can anticipate when these moves are going to be made. As a musician, I intuitively feel it all unfolding along with them and that results in capturing strong emotion and movement.

AB: Can lighting at these events also give you some clues?
LP: The lighting at a show normally moves with the timing of the music. So I pay close attention to the lights—where they are moving and how they fall on the subject that I am targeting at that very second. Lighting changes so quickly that being aware of the lighting patterns ahead of time provides me with the clues as to what I can expect from the final shot before I even photograph it.

AB: It appears there’s more to rock star photography than meets the eye—and ear. Am I right?
LP: Shooting music related things comes easy to me. I enjoy myself while I’m in that environment and feel right at home. I don’t view it as a job. For instance, at a show I can easily place myself in the shoes of anyone there. Whether it’s the fans or the artists I’m photographing, being able to relate and connect with them adds a different feel to my images—plain and simple.

AB: What about your wedding photography?
LP: The weddings are more simplistic, they are planned, and they are seemingly perfect, even when things go a little crazy. I believe in true connection between the two people getting married. The clients must have that connection or I will not shoot their wedding. I feel when I shoot a wedding it should be a “perfect day,” not only for the bride and groom, but for me also.

AB: And how do you determine that?
LP: I interview them as much as they interview me, and I am very, very particular. Often I will push couples pretty hard when I do their engagement pictures, and if they are truly connected, they will let it shine through. If they can’t have fun with me, then I keep the date open for a client who can.

AB: How many weddings a year do you do?
LP: My first year I did approximately 30 weddings, the next year, 25. And I have been increasing my prices to attract the type of clientele that will not only pay for the type of images I provide, but allow me the creative freedom I need to capture the moments. I’m also beginning to attract more destination wedding opportunities.

AB: I guess by now you’ve graduated from the Nikon D70?
LP: Yes, I use the Nikon D3, a D700 and a D300; along with various Nikon and Sigma lenses; and a Nikon SB-800 and SB-900 flashes.

AB: What about post?
LP: I use a MacPro desktop computer and a 17-inch MacBook Pro laptop, and we recently acquired some iPads for the team so that we can to display work to potential clients. For wedding postproduction I use Lightroom, and I also use Photoshop for composites. On the wedding side, I keep away from crazy edits but on the rock star side I go for crisp, clean images with an edgy twist of overtones. For composites, adjustment layers are my friends—sometimes I can end up with a 1-2GB file and as many as 100 to 200 layers.

AB: What would you like to pass on to aspiring photographers?
LP: Never stop educating yourself—this from a guy who hated school. When you stop learning, you stop growing. Find out right now what drives your shooting passion. Let everyone know what you do. Lastly, build relationships with other photographers and exchange ideas—it will not only help you grow your business, but will help them also.

AB: Your story is a very inspirational one; you’ve overcome great odds to achieve an exciting and fulfilling career…
LP: For the very first time in my life I don’t feel like a thing is missing. I am totally complete and very happy. I’m connected with my family and life is awesome. I am at a point where it is time to share my experiences with people in the hopes they will draw some inspiration from it in their quest for happiness.
Larry Perez’s Web site is at www.larryperez.com or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/rockstarphotog. He can be emailed at: [email protected].

Arthur H. Bleich ([email protected]) is a photographer, writer, and educator who lives in Miami. He does assignments for major publications both in the U.S. and abroad and conducts digital photography workshop cruises. Visit his Digital PhotoCorner at www.dpcorner.com and also www.dpcorner.com/cruise for information about an April 2011 workshop cruise from Tahiti to the Islands of the South Pacific.