Interviews

Jim Louvau interview Rockstars photographer

SUNRAY MAGAZINE has the pleasure to interview to the incredible “Rockstar`s” photographer Jim Louvau.

Hi Jim thankyou so much for this interview

SUNRAY: Tell us when started your passion for photography?
Jim: Growing up as an only child rock n’ roll really became my first friend and from that point on I was hooked. My love for music eventually led to my interest in photography. A trip to the grocery store with my mother meant I could read rock magazines like Circus, Hit Parader, and Metal Edge while she shopped. I was enamoured with the images of my favorite bands and the magazines made for a more interesting trip to the store. As I got a little older and started attending concerts I’d stand in line all day to be as close to the stage as possible and after hours of waiting I started noticing photographers were always shuffling in right before the shows would start. Not only did they not have to stand in line, get a free ticket, and have the best seat in the house for 3 songs, they also got to capture the energy of what was going on, that was way cooler than standing in line to buy the same t-shirt everyone else had after the concert.

SUNRAY: In what areas of photography do you work?
Jim: Well I’m definitely known as a music photographer which is still my favorite area to work in but I also love shooting models, fashion, and sports. My attention span is quite short and bouncing around to different subjects helps keep things exciting for me.

SUNRAY: What are your influences?
Jim: As a photographer I’m not someone who has a favorite artist or has been influenced by other people’s work enough to identify any specific person. I’m more influenced by the artist or subject I’m working with at the time.

SUNRAY: How did your style evolve since you started with photography?
Jim: In the beginning I was just a concert photographer and that was exciting enough for quite a while but after some time had passed I realized that what I really wanted to do was capture portraits and work with artists one on one. That felt more personal, unique, and special to me and instead of being in a photo pit with a handful of other photographers trying to capture the same moment I had the freedom to be creative with my subjects. I was fortunate enough to have my first portrait to be my friend Chester Bennington who was in one of the biggest bands in the world and that really helped launch my career and opened doors for me.

SUNRAY: What equipment do you currently use?
Jim: I’m a Canon guy by default and they’ve been a huge supporter of my work. I’m currently shooting with a Canon R5, and use their 16-35, 24-70, and 70-200 lenses. Almost all of my editing is done in Adobe Lightroom.

SUNRAY: What means the photography to you?
Jim: It’s about freezing a moment in time that will never exist again, it’s the only way I’ve learned to cheat time. My camera has taken me to places I’d never have gotten to otherwise and it might be the single most important tool I’ll ever use.

SUNRAY: We know you have been good friends with the marvellous singer “Chester Bennington” from Linkin Park, could you talk us about your friendship with him?
Jim: Chester and I met in 2000 when we played a show together in Phoenix, Arizona where we are both from. Linkin Park hadn’t released Hybrid Theory yet and we were just a couple dudes in bands at that point. He watched my band’s set that night and really liked what we were doing, I honestly only caught a very short part of their set that night but we kept running into each other at shows that year and we just became friends. I was able to capture him in numerous projects over the years, on and off the stage, and he’s a huge part of where I am today as an artist. After he passed away I wanted to honor him and share work we created together so I put together a photography exhibit that showcased some of what we did over the years. The exhibit may travel to other places at some point when it’s safe to do so.

SUNRAY: You have been taken photos to incredible Music Stars especially of Rock&Roll Linkin Park, The Cure, Chris Cornell, Iggy Pop, The Rolling Stone, Kiss, Elton John, 30 seconds to Mars, Foo Fighters, ACDC, Slash, Depeche Mode, The Killers just to mention a few. How it is working with them?
Jim: I never really consider it to be “working with someone” when it’s concert stuff since you’re really just trying to capture what’s in front of you and in that setting you really have no control over the lightning and production. With that said, some of the bands that you listed are some of my all-time favorites so at times it feels incredible to have gotten to a point where I’ve been able to capture legendary artists.

SUNRAY: You are not only a great photographer but also a musician, could you please tell us more about this
Jim: Being a musician myself is my secret weapon so to speak, I understand other artists in a way others don’t because of it and that really makes people feel more comfortable knowing that you have common ground. I’ve very quietly been writing and recording with my band There is no Us during the pandemic and new music and announcements will surface sooner than later.
SUNRAY: Tell us where we can find you
Jim: Website: www.louvau.com
IG: @jimlouvau
Twitter: @LouvauPhoto
FB: facebook.com/louvauphotography

Interview by Maria Fernanda Capici
Editor in Chief SUNRAY MAGAZINE