Music is, by its nature, emotive, lush—visceral. It would seem that capturing it would be as simple as being at the right place at the right time. But indeed, it takes so much more. It requires a love for the subject and a passion for the craft. It has to be as innate as rhythm or melody is to the musician.
While trends in his field can lean towards over-produced and under-valued, Danny’s work is about the purity of the music and those who create it. Moments of passion stripped down to the basics like a cappella.
To look at the photographs in Danny’s repertoire, it looks less like a portfolio of press shots and more like an enormous family photo album. That is, if your family includes Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Cash. These images are more than just photographs. They are conversations. To look at his photos is to converse with Danny. He repeatedly proves the old myth right-you can capture souls with a camera. His subjects do so willingly and without reservation. Simply look at the body of work of Danny Clinch and you’ll realize that only a few do it right. Just a few. Just right.
His work has appeared in publications such as Vanity Fair, Spin, Rolling Stone, GQ, Esquire, The New Yorker, and The New York Times Magazine, and his photographs have appeared on hundreds of album covers. Danny has also teamed up w/John Varvatos on his menswear clothing ad campaign, that revolves around musicians such as Iggy Pop, Chris Cornell, Velvet Revolver, and many others.
Danny began photographing musicians in the subway and on the street as soon as he arrived in NYC around 1987. It was a natural progression considering his love of music and photojournalism. Since he never goes anywhere without his camera, the series continues to this day.
Danny also has a passion for filmmaking as well. His directorial portfolio includes music videos for the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews, and Pearl Jam. The Dual Disc program from Springsteen’s Devils and Dust cd earned him a Grammy nomination. Danny recently completed feature length concert films for Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, and John Mayer, which he directed and produced through his Three on the Tree Productions, and his foray into advertising has included spots with Tom Petty for the NBA and Eric Clapton for Sansa Rhapsody.
