On The Road With Ross Halfin (Pt. 1)

Ross Halfin, editor to Genesis books The Who Live, Maximum Who, Classic Hendrix and contributing editor to Jimmy Page by Jimmy Page, gives an exclusive look into his past month's work. Halfin's job as a music photographer includes shooting studio sessions, concerts and travelling around the world. The past 6 weeks have seen a fair share of each.

February began with a quiet photo shoot with Jeff Beck for the cover of this month's Guitar World. On his work with the elusive guitar legend, Ross says, 'Jeff has a reputation for being difficult or awkward. He isn't at all, he's actually just shy. I love shooting him. He is one of the nicest people to work with.'



Mid-February saw him trek to Los Angeles, to photograph Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell. 'We were trying to do a noir type shoot and make it look a bit European, so LA wasn't exactly the best place to do it. We wandered down Sunset Blvd and I shot him in the late afternoon sun, with the palm trees out of focus around him. Got to say, Chris Cornell is great subject matter. He looks fantastic and all women love him.'

During the Foo Fighters' latest London jaunt, the band played an intimate gig at Camden's Dingwalls. Throughout the band's exhilarating three-hour set to a crowd of 500, Halfin was snapping away from his stage-side nook. His presence was certainly noted. 'Dave Grohl played "Young Man Blues" for me. I sang him the ending from the Who, Live at Leeds, where Roger Daltrey screams, "A young man ain't got sweet fuck all." Dave finished the song after forgetting to sing it, and said into the mic, "Sorry Ross, we fucked it up." He also played some Judas Priest, then stopped and said, "We're playing some old man heavy metal music, as Ross Halfin is here."'