Biography
Born in 1962, Richard Bellia has photographed the world of music since 1980. He only works with silver-based photography. The majority of his photos are black and white. In addition to the practical reasons, Bellia has worked in black and white for newspapers for a long time, the photographer relates this choice to a quest for perfection. "I turned to photography at the age of 18. There was a camera lying around at a friend’s party, I took it, I took photo after photo and when my friends saw the result, they all said, ‘Your photos are really great!" I told myself that was what I should do." In October 1980, during a Cure concert, Richard Bellia decided to become a rock photographer. He introduced himself as a professional and got on well with them. He followed them on tour in Eastern Europe and continued to photograph them for 27 years. In 1987, when Richard Bellia settled in London he started to work for Melody Maker. This new contribution sparked off interest from the French press and the photographer became a regular correspondent specialising in the British scene. "Photography is both a passionate and professional discipline. It is a means of earning money and getting closer to music. Being in the front row, blending your creativity with that of the person that you admire…"
He advises aspiring photographers to have above all a detailed technical knowledge of their camera. According to him, with that you can enjoy greater freedom and go faster. "It is false to believe that multiplying the number of photos gives a greater chance of having one which stands out. It is better to capture the attention of the people. I take ten seconds to adjust the light. After, I talk about music, off promotion, in a special relationship, on a human level. And that is where the natural comes out…At least I hope so."
"Everything that I have done has always been linked to music: photographing artists; talking about it on the radio; translating press conferences; organising bus journeys to see concerts…" Richard Bellia has exhibited in France, the United States, England and all over Europe.
COUNTRY : France
THEMES :
Music
COLLECTIONS :
Contemporary