Q&A with photographer Eric Antoniou has two passions in life: music and images – Those twin loves are chronicled in his new e-book “Rock to Baroque: Four Decades of Music Photography”

“Technique is the means to an end. You have to know the technical aspects in order to create a photograph. If your technique is poor the photograph will suffer. It’s the same with other art forms. The photo has to have soul otherwise it would be an empty image.”

Eric Antoniou: Rock to Baroque

Eric Antoniou has two passions in life: music and images. Those twin loves are chronicled in his new e-book “Rock to Baroque: Four Decades of Music Photography. Eric Antoniou, says: “Raised in the remote mountainous village of Kerasia in the Lake Plastira region of central Greece, music and photography were shared passions. Our house had not only a radio but also a cassette player and turntable. Plus, my Radio Shack Flavoradio pocket transistor accompanied me wherever I went, along with my beloved Agfamatic 50-point-and-shoot camera. The walls of our house featured framed black and white photographs selected from a drawer brimming with prints. At 16, thanks to my brother, I acquired my first 35mm camera, for which I remain eternally grateful. Fast forward to UMass Boston; the contrast from my origins could hardly have been more emphatic. However, my ambition quickly came into focus, and I enrolled in the New England School of Photography, where I graduated with high honors in photojournalism. When my first published photo appeared in the Boston Globe soon after, the die was cast. Before long, I found myself front and center at arts events throughout the city.”

(Eric Antoniou together with his e-book Rock To Baroque – John Lee Hooker / Photo © by Eric Antoniou)

Rock to Baroque (2025) is a surprising 240-page tribute to legendary stay performances, that includes icons like David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, David Byrne, Johnny Cash, Leonard Bernstein, Frank Sinatra, B.B. King, Dizzy Gillespie, Bob Dylan, Donna Summer, Kurt Cobain, and lots of others. With insightful captions by acclaimed music writers Jim Sullivan, Jon Garelick, Lloyd Schwartz, and Ted Drozdowski — plus vivid first-hand accounts from the unique live shows—  this e-book brings musical historical past to life. The introduction is written by former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, setting the tone for an unforgettable journey via many years of sound and stage.

Interview by Michael Limnios / Photos © by Eric Antoniou

-How has the music and picture artwork influenced your views of the world?

Music and images take up most of my time. They are the lens that I view the world via.

-What characterize your picture capturing creative philosophy?

Basically, I attempt to make a superb {photograph}. I’ve the utmost respect of my topics whether or not they well-known or not. I by no means use a photograph if the topic doesn’t look good.

-What do you like most concerning the act of images?

Photography stops time and preserves it for ever.

-What do you assume is vital to a superb picture?

The key’s to seize one thing distinctive. To seize a particular second.  Most photographs are cliches. Lighting, composition the expression are crucial.

-Are there any particular reminiscences or highlights of your profession that you just want to inform us about?!

An early photographic reminiscence is from 1981 after a live performance in my hometown of Karditsa. In the picture it’s Vasilis Papakonstantinou, Dionisis Tsaknis and Kostas Thomaidis, I used to be 16 once I took the picture! Meeting and photographing David Bowie. Photographing the Rolling Stones from the stage and behind me there have been 60,000 followers!

“Music and images take up most of my time. They are the lens that I view the world via.“ (B.B. King & Junior Wells / Photos © by Eric Antoniou)

-What do you miss most these days from the music of the previous?

The previous by definition is gone. The musicians come and go however the music stays. You can take heed to music from the Nineteen Seventies, Sixties or from the sixteenth century.

-What’s the stability in picture artwork between method and soul?

Technique is the means to an finish. You should know the technical elements with a view to create {a photograph}. If your method is poor the {photograph} will undergo. It’s the identical with different artwork kinds. The picture has to have soul in any other case it could be an empty picture.

-What music second modified your life essentially the most?

Discovering rock music in my teen years. I lived and breathed music. It was a way of life that affected the remainder of my life.

-Which picture capturing was crucial experiences (and tough) for you? 

The first task for the Boston Globe. I used to be very younger and really nervous. I needed to take some good photographs with a view to proceed working for them. The most tough was a photograph shoot for the Boston Ballet. I needed to {photograph} your entire firm about 65 individuals. I used 10 lights to cowl all of the individuals who have been standing on the steps of the Wang Theatre in Boston.

“Photography has shaped my life. I Iearnt about politics, music, dance, theatre and life in general through photography.” (James Cotton / Photo © by Eric Antoniou)

-What is the influence of picture artwork on the socio-cultural implications?

Photography has an necessary place in society. {A photograph} is a doc. It doesn’t lie. I went to highschool for photojournalism. I labored for newspapers, magazines, books…

-How would you like your photos to have an effect on individuals? 

If I could make somebody smile, assume, evoke an emotion, I’d be completely satisfied.  Ideally, you need somebody to be moved by the photographs.

-Why do you assume that Eric Antoniou picture legacy continues to generate such a faithful following?   

I don’t have an enormous following! I’ve been creating photos for 40 years, that’s a variety of years! I’m in a superb place proper now as a result of I’ve an exhibition and a e-book!

“Rock to Baroque” Four many years of music images. It’s my life’s work.

-What are among the most necessary classes you may have realized out of your experiences within the images path’s?

Photography has formed my life. I Iearnt about politics, music, dance, theatre and life generally via images.

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(Left: Dizzy Gillespie / Photo © by Eric Antoniou – Right: Eric Antoniou)