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6 June 2020
Saturday matinees long ago let us escape from the ordinary world to the island of the Swiss Family Robinson or the mutinous decks of the Bounty. Why not, we thought, escape the usual fare here with Saturday matinees of our favorite photography films?
So we're pleased to present the 347th in our series of Saturday matinees today: The Royal Albert Hall Interviews Christie Goodwin.
This 11:39 interview with photographer Christie Goodwin was conducted by the Royal Albert Hall's Matt Griffin for the launch this year of the Christie Goodwin Collection in Hall's shop.
The Collection's Web page introduces Goodwin and describes her connection to the Hall:
Christie Goodwin is one of the leading names in live music photography. We are honored to have had her work at well over 200 shows at the Royal Albert Hall, at which she has captured unforgettable moments at performances from some of the biggest names in entertainment. For the first time, a selection of these pictures are available to take home.
The Royal Albert Hall was opened by Queen Victoria in 1871 and has become the venue for some of the most notable events in British culture, like the Proms concerts held every summer since 1941. Each year, it hosts over 390 shows in the main auditorium, spanning the gamut of classical, rock and pop concerts, ballet, opera, film screenings with live orchestral accompaniment, sports, awards ceremonies, school and community events, and charity performances and banquets.
Christie has now photographed over 250 events at the Hall, capturing pop stars, rock legends, crooners, dancers, full orchestras, comedians and anything else crossing the Hall's stage. It is, she says, her favorite venue.
She talks with Griffin about her career as a photographer (she regrets not being able to shoot Tina Turner in performance), the challenges of doing her job (she loves her straight lines and the round Hall makes it tricky to find them) and what she's learned working with some of the biggest names in music (how hard they work).
As she answers Griffin's questions in her characteristically humble and straight-forward manner, we're treated to a display of some of her work at the Hall.
Near the end of their chat, Griffin asks about the camera on the table. It's a Canon 4D Mark IV. She's been shooting Canon for 35 years and carries two bodies, one with 24-70mm zoom and the other with a long zoom.
It was a delight to listen to this charming woman talk about the challenges of shooting live music in a large event hall over the years. So, as they says in show business, without further ado ...