Shaun Regan is a badass photographer based in the NJ/NY area. During the day he works at the MLB Network, where's he's won an Emmy, but on many nights and weekends, you'll catch Shaun at a local music venue capturing the action. Whether it's hardcore, metal, hip-hop, or a multitude of other musical genres, the guy's got it covered.
Welcome Shaun to the Photographer Spotlight series.
Where were you born and raised, and were your parents into the arts?
I’m 39 and I was born and raised in North Brunswick, NJ, just outside of Rutgers College. My mom raised my brother and I. She influenced my love for music. My mom was into Rod Stewart, Springsteen, Billy Joel, Dion, the Beatles. She always had music on and encouraged us to do what we liked (dreadlocks, tattoos) no matter what it was.
What was your first musical love?
At the age of 11 or 12, I bought Rollins Band’s Life Time album on cassette and from there I found out about Black Flag and punk rock. From there, I got into Bad Brains and early Beastie Boys albums. My cousin played a big part of introducing me to different kinds of bands, especially death metal and metal in high school. We saw a lot of good shows in my teenage years — Pantera, Slayer, Type O Negative, Clutch, Shelter, Helmet, the first Warped Tour, Metallica, Sick of It All, Fury of Five, Rollins Band, Life of Agony....just to name a few.
I saw some good bands in the '90s and to see them in their prime was cool. An artist that I respect that is related to music in that he did most of the Black Flag show flyers is Raymond Pettibon. He doesn’t play music, but his art reminds me of punk rock and the music I love.
What is your camera and post set up?
I shoot with a Canon body and lenses. My go-to body is the 1DX mark II. I have a 5D3 that works as my second body — it works especially well when shooting music festivals. I try and do minimal editing; I shoot in manual, so I try and get it right when I’m shooting. I’ll use Light Room to do my post production editing.
Tell me a bit about your work at the MLB Network?
I work in Television. I do tech work from setting up cameras to shooting live TV for the MLB Network. We won an Emmy a few years ago and that is something that I’m definitely proud of! We definitely work hard and producing live TV sometimes isn’t the easiest thing in the world.
Who are some of your favorite bands to shoot?
I love shooting D.C. band Priests. I have been a fan of theirs for a couple of years now and always try and shoot them when they are in the New York area. Ceremony is also one of my favorite bands to shoot. Their live shows are insane and make for great photos.
If you could go back in time, who are some bands that you would have loved to shoot?
Definitely Bad Brains in their prime. The Misfits. Bowie would have been great to shoot.
What are the toughest aspects to shooting live shows?
The constant lighting changes make it tough and I’m always adjusting my settings since I shoot in manual.
Tell me about some newer bands that we should all be on the lookout for.
- Priests
- Krimewatch
- Firewalker
- Alex Cameron
Who are some modern-day photographers that you admire?
Angela Owens.
If you had to pick one of your photos that best encapsulates why you love shooting bands/artists, which one would it by and why?
I really like how my Priests photos come out. One example is from their Brooklyn show in January 2017. Katie, the vocalist, has a great look and energy which always makes for great photos. Their live shows are always high energy and fun. I like to get really close or as close as I can to the artists and capture their emotion and the energy from the show. This shot represents my style.
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See more of Shaun's work on his website, and he's also on Instagram.
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