The illustrious Abbey Road Studios is to host its inaugural Music Photography Awards later this year – the first ever awards to focus on the art of music photography.
Perhaps the most famous album cover of all-time was shot in 1969 on Abbey Road (outside then EMI Studios, which later became known as Abbey Road Studios).
It’s been home to The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Oasis, Amy Winehouse, Radiohead, Adele and countless other megastars over the last 90 years. And now, Abbey Road Studios – probably the most famous recording studio in the world – has announced a new competition to celebrate the art of music photography.
The Abbey Road Studios Music Photography Awards (no points for having guessed the name) promises to ‘recognise the year’s most unforgettable, unique and unsung music moments and the varied and talented photographers who captured them’.
Both professional and emerging photographers are being invited to submit their work, for a chance to win one of the four open-entry categories: ‘Studio’, ‘Live’, ‘Championing Scenes’ and the intriguing-sounding ‘Undiscovered Photographer of the Year’. The judging panel will then go on to select one of these entries for the ‘Zeitgeist’ award.
Then there are the four invitation-only categories: ‘Icon’, ‘Portrait’, ‘Editorial’ and ‘Artist at Work’. Winners will be announced in May, in a special ceremony hosted at Abbey Road Studios.
Bowie Sax BW Full Length London 1973 © Mick Rock 2021/MIDARO. This photo was taken by Mick Rock, an iconic British photographer, who passed away last year aged 72.
Among the judging panel, and a co-founder of the awards, is Rankin – an esteemed British photographer who has himself shot some of the most illustrious stars, including David Bowie and The Rolling Stones. (See his Six of the Best with us by clicking here, to view just some of his work).
‘Throughout my career it’s always been really important for me to support emerging and undiscovered talent in photography,’ he’s said, ahead of the awards, ‘so the opportunity to partner with one of music’s biggest and most prestigious brands in Abbey Road Studios for this year’s inaugural Music Photographer Of The Year Awards, is massively exciting.
‘Music photography is an art form that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, so it’s brilliant to celebrate those working in the field with these Awards. What I’m always looking for with photography is a connection with the subject matter and music has been one of my main passions for as long as I can remember, so this is a real thrill.’
Rankin will be joined by Jill Furmanovsky, one of Britain’s finest rock photographers; Ghanian-American singer-songwriter Moses Sumney; East London’s multidisciplinary artist Shygirl; and Brookly-based photographer Dana Scruggs.
For more information, click here. And if you’d rather just dive straight in and think you have a chance of winning, click here (go on, you know you want to).
