Atlantic Ave Magazine May 2022

FRONT ROW
Interviewed and written by Emily Peters
photos by Larry Marano and Tom Craig
focus
Larry Marano
Larry Marano wants to portray you in the best light and get on your
good side... however he isn’t vying for friendship. As a celebrity
photographer for over forty years, he has captured some of the
world’s most famous faces and become an expert at doing so.
The right photo can make time travel seemingly possible,
transporting the viewer to anywhere in the world at any
given moment. Immortalizing a split second properly can
conjure the power to inspire and change the course of someone’s
life who hasn’t even been born yet. Larry Marano wasn’t thinking
about any of this when he began photographing his favorite bands
in Queens, New York over four decades ago.
“When I was a kid I went to see Kiss at the Garden in ‘77. My love of
rock music was one thing, but seeing these guys perform - they were
the ultimate rockstars. I didn’t shoot that particular show, but after
that night all I could think about was that I had to capture this world
on film. Before photography became my occupation, I would sneak a
camera into concerts by tucking the equipment into the large inner
pockets of my jean jacket. When Van Halen tickets went on sale, my
friends and I would be there waiting the day before. We’d get good
seats and just shoot the entire performance, because back then a lot
of the shows didn’t have any problems with you doing that. I would
have the negatives developed and keep the photos just for myself... it
wasn’t until ‘85 when I got into the magazines. One night at the Hard
Rock Cafe in New York City, I ran into the guys from Queensrÿche, and
showed them pictures I took from a previous gig of theirs at L’Amour
East. It just so happened the photo editor from Hit Parader was there,
and they in turn presented the photos to her. She said to give her a
call and that was the start of transforming from a fan to professional.”
In fact, it was a photo from one of these shows in 1982 depicting
Eddie Van Halen playing his famed “Frankenstein” guitar, that
became the center of a legal case as The Metropolitan Museum of
Art in New York (The Met) used Marano’s image without consent or
credit. This image was displayed by the museum for the 2019 exhibition,
“Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock and Roll.” Marano sued for
copyright infringement, but was ruled against when a U.S. District
Judge decided that because the museum enjoyed the photograph for
educational purposes, it did not violate copyright law.
“The problem with this outcome is that it doesn’t only affect me,
but all photographers from here on out. It shows that a nonprofit organization
can take your image, whatever it may be... they can use it
and not have to pay royalties or credit you. Something like this sets
a scary precedent for any artist in general. That specific picture has
ended up on t-shirts, posters, etc... and I can’t do anything about it.”
50 | may 2022 | www.AtlanticAveMagazine.com
Over the years, the advent of technology has taken the guessing
game out of the equation, enabling individuals the capacity to check
their photos as soon as the shutter clicks. Photo editing programs have
also allowed for the altering of an image in every way imaginable.
“I think it’s less difficult these days with photoshop, unlike when
shooting film... you have to pretty much be on your exposure. I do like
the ease of it now, but there is something about having tangible rolls
of film and anticipating getting the pictures back. My photos are still
for the most part, what comes out of the camera. I do very minimal,
if any at all tweaking of what I shoot. Back when I first started, I used
a lot of black and white film because I couldn’t afford color... it was
actually a plus in a way because the black and white has a mystique
that’s beyond question. When I captured Guns N’ Roses in 1988 at
The Limelight, that medium added a certain vintage look that can’t
be recreated.”
Most nights these days you can find Larry in the enviable standing
room only area between the first row and stage, often denoted by a
barricade between the cameraman and concert-goer.
“Presently you must have a media pass to shoot, and 90 percent
of the time you only get the first three songs. I understand wanting
to control your image and dutifully respect the performer’s con-
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