Chad Smith is an American musician best known as the drummer of the rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith has played with the Chili Peppers since 1988, appearing on ten of the band's studio albums and becoming the band's longest-serving drummer in its history. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. But aside from being a world-renowned drummer, Chad Smith has also made a name for himself in the world of photography.
Before transitioning to a career in education, Chad Smith honed his skills as a commercial photographer in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. He boasts over 30 years of experience in both commercial and fine art photography. Chad is particularly recognized for his ongoing photographic exploration of the American landscape. His award-winning photographs have been showcased in solo and group exhibitions both nationally and internationally. Chad served on the University of Oklahoma's School of Art faculty for 13 years before coming to East Texas A&M. With all his experience, hard work and passion, Chad received the Honored Educator Award from the Society of Photographic Education in 2015.
Smith is also known for his charity work especially with young musicians. In April 2013, Smith was asked by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), to represent the music community by going to Washington, D.C. as a lobbyist in support of music education in US public schools.
The Allure of Photography
Smith's passion for photography is evident in his dedication to the craft. "I love photography, I always have," he shares. From the mid-1990s to the present, he has recorded thousands of images that represent an anthology of both historical and contemporary artifacts in the American Western landscape.
His documentation of the vernacular landscape of the American West began in the late twentieth century. Smith traveled weeks at a time, using large format and pinhole cameras with a Polaroid film that produced a negative without conventional darkroom chemistry and working long days and late nights in a darkroom with gelatin silver papers and photographic chemicals. The Polaroid Type 55 film used from the beginning of this project is no longer available as of the early 2000s.
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With digital photography becoming more prominent, the darkroom or wet process is now considered historical. He is frequently working to deepen his knowledge of photography by challenging himself with his research and teaching skills. Smith enjoys researching the use of new photographic tools and techniques that have been an integral part of photography from the beginning.
Part of the success of a photograph is directly connected to its processes. It has been that way from the conception of photography. Over the past 15 years, he has spent a large percentage of time learning new software, inkjet printing techniques, and experimenting with digital tools and techniques that he can bring into the classroom while maintaining the relationship to the original analog processes. Along with studying new ways to produce photographs he is also studying the visual trends in both fine art and commercial photography.
Drumming as an Art Form: Capturing Rhythm Through Photography
Smith's creativity extends beyond traditional photography into the realm of music-inspired art. Drumming, at its best, can be an art form. To be convinced, Smith reached out in 2015 to several other drummers, specifically, Black Sabbath’s Bill Ward, Journey’s Steve Smith and the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart. “Then, I met with these people from SceneFour and it seemed cool,” he continued.
The process to create these works begins when Smith drums using special pairs of illuminated sticks in a largely darkened studio. As he plays various rhythms, tempos, accents and fills, his drumming is captured with open-shutter photography. These are then printed onto canvas, acrylic or metal and then framed, but not before Smith can embellish the images in various ways, including adding dabs of paint, if he is so inclined.
“The shutter speed of the cameras lends itself to the fluidity you see in the strokes of the rhythms,” he said. “It’s a really rhythm-based medium, so I thought it was really cool to combine what I love - drumming and music - with making art on a canvas.
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Chad Smith on Creating Artwork with Rhythm (OFFICIAL)
Smith discussed his drum-fueled art work, music and more in a recent phone interview from Los Angeles. Here are excerpts from our conversation.
Anything and all things would change how it looks - matched grip, intensity or the speed; all that contributes to how it looks. Sometimes I’m just playing how I would normally play. Sometimes when I perform, there’s an element of: ‘I’m an entertainer!’ And there’s a twirl (of the sticks) or the movement of your body.
Smith also shared an anecdote about using illuminated drums in the past “I had a kit like that in 2006, where there were sensors on the drums and striking the outside the drums illuminated them. So, every time I hit bass drum or tom-tom, they would light up. That technology has been around and it’s OK when it’s dark. But, when you’re on stage and there are lots of lights, it wasn’t that efficient. I don’t know if I’d incorporate (illuminated drums) into what I’m doing with SceneFour. Because it’s not about the equipment, but the fluidity and power of the stick movement. It’s in the eye of the beholder. When you look at a (finished) piece, it’s not: ‘Oh, that’s a guy playing the drums.’ It’s about how it makes you feel.
You can use anything, whatever is your tool. Why not? No rules. Sticks are what most drummers use and what I use 90 percent of the time.
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Capturing the Energy of Concert Photography
Concert photography offers a unique set of challenges and rewards. A band consists of various individuals. It is tempting to only shoot the lead singer (the key person), but this would be just one out of the whole band. There’s also a guitarist, drummer, bass player and additional musicians that are worth taking a closer look.
The lead singer is the easiest member to photograph. They are always at the front of the stage and get the best lighting. Next I focus on the guitarist and bass player. Both of them are standing on one side of the stage, either behind the singer or on the same level. I’ve shot concerts where the bass player was standing in total darkness, so I won´t have a chance (even with a full frame sensor DSLR, f/1.4 lens, and ISO 6400) to get a decent picture.
The drummer is the “heart“ of the band and the pulse generator. A rock band without a drummer doesn’t work, but photographers tend to ignore them in their pictures. The drummer is also the one who gets you awesome action shots if you catch them in the right moment. However, these guys are almost always in the back of the stage and therefore you need a telephoto lens like the 70-200mm to capture his presence. On bigger stages (like festivals) it can happen that the drummer is so far away, that it is not always possible to reach him with your basic lens kit. Also try to get a picture of the entire band. Your best bet is the use an ultra wide-angle lens such as a 14mm lens. This will allow you to get the whole stage in one picture. In addition, you can also take pictures of the audience. Just turn around in the photo pit and you are facing the screaming fans squeezed into the first row.
In general I try to frame my pictures in a way that I don´t chop off guitar necks, bass bodies or keyboards. For a close shot of the drummer you need to crop the drum kit. Shooting famous bands like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, they always provide good lighting on stage. Try to get some details shots too. Shoes, tattoos, fancy stage outfits such as lamps, visuals or flags. Show the context in your pictures.
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