Rock photography can easily become same old, same old. Shots of a band playing,  or of the crowd loving it, or  of the members posing in some sort of stance that's supposed to mirror their sound have crowded the pages of Rolling Stone, Spin and countless other magazines for years. To take it past that usually requires both a love for the art and a unique perspective to bring to action that which is being displayed. Add in that a certain skill with the equipment and you have something special.

We firmly believe Ryan Russell has that something special. His photos are both candid and purposeful, often allowing a glimpse of a band you get only when granted the access usually reserved for an old friend. His live shots relay a feeling like you're at the show, and the photos he takes along the way, those of staircases and signs, of trains and escalators, bring you with him.

Click here to see his band photos, and here to see his other work. His own Web site is at ryanrussell.net. You should really check out his site. It features a ton of other photos, all of which are pretty damn good.

Holly Lang: Can you tell us a little about when you first starting taking pictures?

Ryan Russell: I guess technically my senior year of high school (1999) is when I started. I used to be into graffiti art and would go around into train yards in Birmingham and take photos of trains with graffiti on them.

Back then though I didn't own a camera, I would just get disposable ones or borrow a friend's. In 2000, I signed up for beginning photography class and bought a horrible cheap SLR from a friend for the class, so that was the first camera I ever had.

HL:  Can you tell us some about your method as a photographer.

RR: The method is really based on just whoever the band is. It's good to follow a band's aesthetic and their image in photos, but if a band like, say KISS, always have this huge larger than life photos, anybody who had photos backstage of them just hanging out in makeup drinking coffee or something would have something more rare.

HL: Your focus seems to be that of music, mostly harder bands. Does this mirror your personal taste?

RR: Well yes and no, I get people assuming I like metal and stuff like that mainly, and its really the opposite. I grew up on punk rock and indie rock; I liked a few metal bands along the way, but most of the harder stuff I just got into in recent years. If someone asked me some of my favorite bands it would be Death Cab for Cutie, Mastodon, Interpol, Red House Painters, Bloc Party, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr. and bands like that. In, 2004 three albums came out that I guess opened things up into harder music for me: Mastodon - Leviathan, Converge - You Fail Me, and These Arms Are Snakes - Oxeneers.

HL: How often do you get to shoot your heroes or people you respect?

RR: Actually, I have gotten to do shoot photos of most of them. Death Cab for Cutie is my favorite band and getting to spend two days with them in Atlanta earlier this year was amazing. There's a lot of bands that aren't "big" at all or anything that have been surprised when I tell them how much I like their band and want to drive for hours just to do some photos of them practicing or something.

HL: Do you often forge connections with those you shoot?

RR: Usually yes. A lot of the bands I shoot I get to hang out with more so than someone that's showing up for a shoot and they get it and leave and don't stay for the show. Most of the bands that have conversations with me realize that music is all I care about and we'll just sit and talk about new records and stuff like that. I rarely talk about photography anyways because it's more interesting to talk about music. There's always like my set 20 to 30 bands that if they ever come to Birmingham or Atlanta I'm always there and we always do photos.

HL: Who haven't you shot that you would love to?

RR: Um, let's see. I'm just going to name a bunch: Mock Orange, Bloc Party, Playing Enemy, the Dismemberment Plan, Rise Against, British Sea Power, Blur, Mike Kinsella from American Football/Owen, the Futureheads, Longwave, Mates of State, Oasis and then of course people like Thom Yorke, Bono, Chris Martin, etc.

HL: Is there any question I haven't asked that you would want me to?

RR: Yeah, ask me how much alcohol Ryan Russell drinks and what is the greatest restaurant in the history of the world.

HL:  How much alcohol Ryan Russell drinks and what is the greatest restaurant in the history of the world?

RR: Absolutely zero.... and the greatest restaurant in the world is El Myr in Atlanta.