British celebrity photographer Steve Read has a long list of stars he has worked with throughout his illustrious career. Hell Angel riders, boxing world champions, movie stars, and music artists – the way he saw them through his lens has since become recognisable and iconic.
Room Where It Happened
You might not remember Steve’s name, but you would instantly recognise some of his shots from Em’s early years in the industry.
Steve has this way of opening up a personality in the humbler settings, muting the noise and the pretence of the celebrity status of his models.
Obviously, apart from the selected few shots that find their way to the glossy magazine pages, there are outtakes, random shots from the set, snaps of reality that encapsulate the spirit of the moment, last in time. And now Steve Read generously shares it with his followers.
Slice of Time
Steve posted some rare shots from his session with Eminem in a recording studio. Em was working on “Stan”, the song that would become an integral part of our cultural code. It was revolutionary, but it didn’t seem that way. Just normal time in the studio, intense work focus, time for laughs, and a meal shared with pals. Steve introduced the set with a caption:
EMINEM ‘STAN’ Recordings outtakes, take a swipe through my exclusive shots… Em at the desk playing around with Dido’s ‘Thank You’, The 45 King’s drum loop notes, plus munching on some popcorn with @rosenberg and no prizes for guessing who was recording in the next door studio?! From the day I photographed Em working on his masterpiece at Record Plant Studios, Sept 22, 1999.
History for Sale
However, these are not just images on the internet. Steve sells prints. He has the ‘STAN RECORDINGS’ set of Special Edition 8×10” prints for sale, and he can add outtakes to it as well. And these are not file-to-printer posters, but proper wet prints from the original negatives, still carrying the touch of magic of analogue photography. A rare opportunity for an Eminem fan to own a piece of hip hop history.
