When talk switches to music photographers, not too many people think of Aaron Michael Pepelis. What most of us don't realize though is that we are so many times enjoying his work. His pictures are everywhere. This is the case with a lot of the hard work we enjoy by selfless photographers that work their ass off and ask little or nothing in return. Their work and time is too often taken for granted. Some people "use" their work and some bands, magazines and labels print their pictures without crediting them or even saying a simple thank you. I've always had that in the back of my mind and tried to be mindful of thanking people for shooting my band, but you can never say it too often 'cause a lot of the d.i.y. photographers out there - breaking their back but most importantly loving what they do and are always eager to share and sometimes go out of their way to do so and in the process documenting moments in time for a lot of different people.
One of the photographers out there that embodies this attitude is Aaron Michael, known by many in internet land as Revaaron and viewed by most via the long-running Return to the Pit website. He has a tireless work ethic and gets his pictures out faster than most, thus silencing the ungrateful whining of many spoiled bands and show-goers out there that love nothing more than to see their own faces on the world wide web.
So in order to give credits to all the hard working, share-happy photographers out there, I thought it was time to give one of your own a chance to express himself with words and put the camera back in the bag for a little while.
Please tell us your real name. Is Revaaron your "artist" name when it comes to your online presence and work online?
It's short hand for Rev. Aaron Michael Pepelis since I'm an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church. Around 96-97, they're were a bunch of Loud Rock directors that did it at www.ulc.org. At my radio station, people started using it as my on-air name and it stuck. rev, the rev, rev aaron, etc...
What is the Universal Life Church and what does it offer that is different from our conventional ideas about churches?
Check out www.ulc.org. they're are Jewish and atheist ministers. I for one don't believe in God. It's basically about taking the power of God away from those state powers granted on people because of the US religion, Christianity.
You are the first young minister I've met in my life. Furthermore, you are the only minister I've met in hardcore and probably the last, for obvious reasons (hardcore and punk having rather strong athiest/agnostic and even anti-religious sentiments and attitudes). Could you describe what the minister part of your life entails and how you go about in that role?
I do a few weddings and get asked about the reverend-hood. As for the "god" aspect of hardcore, look no further than Boston's own ICC venue. One of my favorite places to go.
You seem to be shooting photos all the fucking time. So I'm prematurely tempted to ask you what your life consists of when not working on photography.
I'm a software engineering writing automation at a network company. In my real life, if I have to do something more than once, I write software to do it for me. On Monday nights, I do a long standing radio show at a college station (91.3fm WUNH) and also do the contract engineering job they're so I repair the CD players, MD players, and keep it all working.
During the day on the weekends, I run after my 2 dogs with my camera and force them to pose for me.
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Next logical question would be, why and when did you get into photography and how has your career been until now.
I loved shooting film when I was little, but all I would do is take 100's of blurry shots of chicken's.
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My dad told me I was wasting film so I didn't really shoot anything but a couple rolls of film until digital came out.
In 2000, the Music Syndicate asked me if I wanted a photo passto one of the metal fests at the Palladium. I went, took terrible pictures and then said "I can get better". Fast forward nine years and I've gotten a little bit better, I hope. Nine years ago they're weren't as many cameras around at concerts. I've had things in Rolling Stone, Spin, Decibel, Metal Maniacs, The Boston Phoenix, High-times, and many, many other places. For a lot of local people, I'm pretty much their myspace photographer. I feel like a soccer mom.
Would you consider yourself a hobby photographer or an aspiring professional?
I think that I straddle both worlds. For the most part, I just go to shows that I like, seeing bands who's music I enjoy seeing. Any money that I make is off magazines, labels, etc... coming to me and asking for things. Very rarely will I choose a show for a band that I don't care for (but would get paid) over a show where I love the bands that are playing. When it all comes down to it, I love music and I love photography, though I would always love to make more money doing what I like. I like the freedom that I have with my current standing.
Lets get even nerdier. What kinda camera are you using right now? What is your set-up?
I love my Nikon D3 right now. Amazing ISO range. I've been shooting with it for over a year and am still as happy (if not happier) with it than the day I bought it. Usually, I'm unhappy with cameras after a year and get a new one. But this is literally the best digital camera out they're. I just wish I had the right lens for it. I'm using a 17-55dx (cropped sensor lens) and it's a full frame camera so I have to look out for vignetting from 17mm to 24mm. Vignetting around 22mm can add some dramatic edges to b/w, but looks terrible in color. I also use a SB-900 flash, but I'm less happy with the SB-900 on the D3 then I was with the SB-800 on the D2x.
So typically: Nikon D3 + 17-55mm f/2.8 + SB-900
and then I bring a back up which is usually either my D2X or D1X with a 10.5mm or 12-24mm sigma or 15-30mm sigma.
This weekend, I'm getting a used 17-35mm f/2.8 Nikkor which will probably be my main lens from now on.
I also bring a 70-200VR f/2.8 to bigger shows and always carry the 50mm f/1.4
What kinda lenses do you use and how do you decide which ones to use for different settings, projects and subjects?
The 17-55 f/2.8 works for 95% of everything I do. It's a compromise between quality and usability/versatility. I tend to shoot 75% of my stuff from 20-35mm F/4 which the 17-55 almost covers since it's a cropped sensor lens. That lens is my first on, primary lens for flash work. If I show up to a venue and they say "no flash" and the lighting is terrible, the 50mm f/1.4 goes on right way or at least in my pocket and then for a big venue 70-200VR for a small venue 17-55mm.
If quarters are tight, the 10.5mm fish eye goes in my pocket.
Seeing as you are often times really close to the action, has any of your equipment been damaged?
I ware out things more than anything. I try to be aware of everything around me so nothing happens and I've been EXTREMELY lucky. I'm tall so at the first sign of danger, I put the camera over my head at arms length or I wrap the camera into my neck. Besides that the only thing that I've had damaged at a show was 11/15/2003 when I was at new jersey metal and hardcore festival with my camera on my lap (d100+17-35mm sigma). I stood up and dropped the camera on the lens and cracked/messed up the lens. I still used it for another 4-5 months, but it wasn't ever quite right.
Name three favorite bands to shoot and tell us why you prefer them.
I love bands that jump, don't overly use red/orange lights, have dramatic colors (dark tattoos with white skin, blond and black died hair, etc), and where the crowd gets involved like a surging wave lapping the shore of a lake. So they're are plenty of bands like that, but when I'm singing along while shooting is always the best. Those moments were all those things come together gives me good bumps and I call the "heart" factor. Converge for one. they have all of these things and I've loved them for a long time. Next, would be Colin of Arabia. Amazing love show if you don't know them, check them out asap. Immortal would be the last of the 3. So good.
Runners up: Rosetta, Trap Them, Brutal Truth, Defeater, At the Gates, Disfear, Saint Jude, the Hope Conspiracy, Today is the Day, Pig Destroyer, Have Heart, Band of Horses, and Belle and Sebastian.
You named some glossy magazines you shoot for. Do they pay you enough to put food on the table? If not, theoretically speaking, how many magazines would you have to shoot for in a month in order to pay the bills if you were gonna work 100% as a photographer?
My problem is that I'm a software engineer. My fingers drip code. At work I can walk into a room without know what people are doing, look at there code for a second and change a bunch of things saying "I don't know what you are doing, but that should work". So my job is challenging but "easy". Mags that pay, I shoot for Decibel, AP, Metal Maniacs (rip) regularly. If I were there only photographer, I could get by.. but that is unrealistic. I would have to do promos and exclusive story photos. With that is all depends. Some times 2 in a month would be enough to keep you fat for a month. Other times, 6 of them and you would squeak by. Basically, my advice for anyone getting into "concert photography" as there career, I tell them to start shooting weddings cause that is the only way to really make money. unfortunately, I hate weddings. Making money off concert photography is a small market, the world can really only support a few photographers. The people that are "made" and in that upper echelon get flown in from California or England to shoot random shows.
Tell us about 3 non-music subjects you like to shoot, and why.
My dogs/cats (that's obvious) cause they are awesome. My cat Mia is the first thing I take a picture of with any new gear I get.
Trees by water. They are all so different, beautiful and it's hard to take a terrible picture of a tree. It's also extremely difficult to take an amazing picture of a tree.
Cityscapes that look run down. I love talking pictures of old parts of towns/cities and then up'ing the contrast so they look run down. Makes for some great prints and they're are so many places that people don't notice when there faces are stuffed into there cellphone texting (guilty)
Bands always get asked about some interesting, wild, dramatic or funny show or tour stories. Now's your time to step up and give us a photographer story like that.
They're have been tons of things like getting wrapped up in fights/riots (which I don't take pictures of cause I don't want police using my pictures to send my friends to jail), naked guys in the pits (re-two dead sluts one good fuck), people jumping off balconies (skinless at the palladium), etc... I must say one of the most surreal things ever was an insane clown posse show. Those people are crazy and it's like a small city of face-painted buzzards move into a venue and why a guy will walk around with his dame as she flashes the crowd to get free tickets, I will never understand.
Oh also, 12/6/2002 having people ripping down the ceiling while bury your dead played (joe's last show with them I think) and then 5/6/2005 being at a club in main called "the station" for shadows fall as people ripped down the ceiling.
What are Rev's hobbies aside from photography? What is the Rev doing after he comes home from work, after he's shot all these bands and after he has uploaded said shots?
I play with my dogs, cats, turtle, and girlfriend. I play my PS3 whenever I can. I love randomly walking around at night or during the day, but I always have a camera with me. I also code a lot on my free time, writing automated processes to free up my free time. Oh, and I go to the gym for 2-3hrs 2-3 times a week.
(Band pictures of Regurgitate, Converge and Underoath)
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