Carrie On Regardless

From experimentations on an old Pentax SLR in her school’s darkroom, to snapper of choice for most of the Northern music scene – Carrie Davenport is living proof of the distances that can be travelled by a person with a capacity for hard work, a decent contacts book and a brilliant visual imagination.

While hardly a veteran, Carrie has built up an impressive body of work. And during this year’s Music Week in Belfast, she will be exhibiting a selection at the Ulster Hall.
It’s quite an achievement – but then, this is someone who spends her time transforming the most miserable looking indie scruffs into objects of adoration, she clearly has a gift for the unexpected.
“Yeah, they can be a bit guilty of shoegazing,” she laughs, “but it’s a case of making the shoot as much fun as possible. If people are relaxed, you get a much better photo out of them. So many bands have shots of them standing against a brick wall, looking a bit fed up – why would you want to have something the same as everyone else? I give bands a lot of direction on shoots – everyone gets nervous when they’re not used to being in front of the camera, but if you make it enjoyable, then it goes well.”
While Carrie’s work pinballs through a variety of styles, a common aesthetic fingerprint can be identified running through her work: the result of a happily fluid view of the snapper/subject dynamic.
“I like to try and get bands and musicians involved in the ideas process,” she reveals. “At the start I’ll ask if they have any thoughts on what they want or don’t want, and then go from there. Some bands will have a very clear idea of what they want and others won’t have a clue. I like to try and come up with different ideas and locations for every shoot, so I’m never repeating myself, which is hard but it makes it more fun. Usually I’ll pitch a few ideas, ask what they like best then go from there. But no matter how much you plan, sometimes things happen by fluke and that’s great too.”
Technology means (almost) anyone can have a go at being a photographer these days: a liberating state of affairs, on the whole, but one that also make it dauntingly difficult to stand out from the crowd.
“I was lucky enough to start out in film and slide, then move to digital,” she says, “but most people nowadays have a digital camera. On one hand it’s great, as it does make it accessible, which is something I really like about photography. However, that said, it does mean everyone and their granny thinks they’re a photographer nowadays. I love to see new faces in the photo pit at gigs, but you have to be there for the right reasons – not just to see free gigs and meet bands. A lot of professionals like myself will have found that new starters, keen to get a foot in the door and willing to work for free, can take work away from you every so often. Some companies are guilty of taking advantage of people’s passion. As someone making a living out of it, and spending thousands every year on new camera gear, working for free just isn’t feasible and totally undermines the point of becoming a professional photographer. Don’t get me wrong, at the start, everyone does freebies to build up their portfolio, that’s the only way to do it. Good equipment is important, but you can’t just buy a camera and claim to be a photographer – it takes hard work, a good eye and a real passion to actually make a career out of it.”
Which makes it sound like a rough gig?
“It can be,” she says. “But at the end of the day it’s all worth it when you get a shot you’re really pleased with. I make a living doing something I love, and even if I wasn’t doing it for work I’d still be out taking pictures, so I feel very lucky that I’ve made a career out of it.”

Take A Picture. It’ll Last Longer: An Exhibition of Music Photography by Carrie Davenport runs from October 27 – November 25 at the Ulster Hall, Belfast. The exhibition is sponsored by Belfast City Council.