THRIVE ON LIVE: Margate photographer Alanna Georgette
Margate photographer Alanna Georgette on finding calm among the chaos of live music
Alanna Georgette never had any plans to pick up a camera. But when it’s in your blood, it’s hard to deviate.
She has made the capture of live music, alongside those often fleeting, chaotic moments of crowd and artist interaction central to her skillset. Last year alone Alanna shot both intimate backstage moments as well as full-gig havoc with the likes of Nieve Ella, Of Mice & Men, Jamie Webster, Dasha, Idles and Ashley Monroe.
Growing up in Margate, with a father who was also a photographer, it was the introduction to the work of British fashion’s Tim Walker that proved to be all the inspiration that was needed to pick up a lens.
“I just fell in love with his work,” she says. “That was the point for me - it sort of opened up this whole realm.”
Finishing a degree in fine art in Canterbury, Alanna moved back to her beloved Kent coastline, pursuing a career in photography, and particularly music photography, as a freelancer - something that became even more rare across the past few years.
“You can’t really think about anything else, and you just almost go into autopilot”
“I have nearly given up a couple times,” she says. “In 2021 it just all came crashing down. I don't think I had any work, [during covid] it was so bad. And then it slowly started to pick up. But I still notice now, gigs getting canceled at the last minute, or there being no budget for a photographer, or they’re using someone who's doing it for free, and it can be really frustrating.”
But with Margate quickly becoming a hub for top level music once again, opportunities have arisen. Alanna’s ability to brave the stage and catch the magic moments, balanced with the adeptness to blend in during the more personal times have seen the photographer asked back to document artists on multiple occasions.
“My favourite so far was with Nieve Ella,” she says. “I shot two festivals with her last summer. Both were absolute whirlwinds. The first was in the Netherlands, at Pinkpop and then the second one, she was supporting Kings of Leon in Hyde Park. I actually had a ticket to go to the gig, and in the end, got hired to shoot it. It was just the most dreamiest day with such nice weather. The gig went so well and then, like, just hanging out with the band, shooting was so cool.”
Being in the moment is Alanna’s element, with nerves melting away as all focus goes into catching the fast-moving action.
“I'm a very anxious person and generally quite like things to be ordered and to know what I'm doing. But when it comes to live music, every single thing is taken out of my control,” she says. “I have no idea what the light's going to be like, how chaotic the scene is going to be, and that is genuinely when I have absolutely zero anxiety and feel like I thrive.
“A few weeks back I was on stage at The O2 with Ashley Monroe in front of so many people, but I just felt so calm and at peace and like I knew what I was doing. You can't really think about anything else, and you just almost go into autopilot.”
Being introduced to the work of revered American photographer Ryan McGinley while at uni, Alanna took inspiration from his use of light and ability to find beauty in the every day. This also led to a foray into travel photography as well as switching between digital and analogue cameras.
“I sort of became slightly obsessed with his work, and just tried to get my hands on everything that he'd done and studied it - the cameras he used, everything. It was about film photography, and it was capturing the moment and the light and the colors- it was just everything that I wanted to be as a photographer.
“It was the turning point of finding my film style and the fascination with romanticizing the mundane, all the beauty in life and the rawness of people.”
For film shooting, Alanna uses a Mamiya, 645, medium format.
“I adore it. But that's a bit that's quite chunky. It's like the big square one you have to sort of carry around. And it's a bit of a faff. And then my 35 mil one, I have a Yashica T5 - that's, like, a little point and shoot. But my favorite camera is a SLR film, Canon 5d mark 3.”
Now under management, Alanna has begun to hone her style on analogue through a number of themed projects - shooting over an extended period of time. Her latest project is one that particularly resonates with her.
"I’m starting a new project which is something I hold very close to my heart,” she says. “I have been on my own journey over the past three years, healing from some really heavy, and hard things that unfortunately a lot of us women go through. For me, my own experience was from sexual assault, narcissistic and psychological abuse.
“These journeys have been the most isolating and lonely experiences of my life. There were so many times when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore. I now feel strong enough to want to put my passion and creativity towards giving us a voice, when it was once taken away from us.” Alanna has put a call out across social media for women who have experienced similar to share their stories.
“I want to photograph these incredible women, spend time with them, learn about their experience and the healing journey they're now on and document this. Where they are now, how they're feeling, not only to shine a light on how barbaric it is at the ‘normalcy’, but also as a beacon of light to the young girls & women who are unfortunately at the start of their journey & feel as if there is no way through.
“We are such strong, brave, resilient beings & we deserve to have our voices heard.”
For anyone looking to get in touch with Alanna, you will find her work @_alannageorgette
INFO: alannageorgette.com
