For acclaimed photographer Christy McNamara, the concept of capturing images has been a lifelong obsession.
“I was a teenager in secondary school when I first began to really thinking about photography as something I could do,” he explained.
“But well before that, I was looking at images and was intrigued. I wanted to know how it was all done,” he added with a laugh.
But it was during his later school years that McNamara first became aware of the power of photography.
“Images that were taken during the Vietnam War really captured my attention, things like the famous image of the terrified child on the dirt road in My Lai,” he said.
On March 31, The Morrison Hotel Gallery will host the opening of an exhibition of McNamara’s photographs, “From Traditional to U2.” An accomplished musician on the accordion and concertina, he will also perform a short set.
Ireland-based McNamara has photographed thousands of subjects over the past two decades, and is known for his images of traditional Irish musicians, as well as artists such as The Pogues. Recently he was invited to photograph the making of a major new documentary on country music’s Carter family.
However, his best-known work has been with rock band U2. Since meeting with the group’s album designer, Steve Averill, a little over a year and a half ago, he has been called upon to shoot dozens of shows, including their recent Vertigo tour.
“It’s been a remarkable assignment,” he recalled. “It’s far more rock ‘n’ roll than the typical, traditional, folk-oriented performer I might regularly work with, but they’re open, accessible and unpretentious.”
For this exhibit, McNamara will include images from the full span of his career. He looks for a specific theme in photos chosen for display.
“Obviously, I wanted images that tied in with the music orientation,” he said. “And I don’t like posed shots. I’m more interested in how people project themselves naturally. So the unifying item here is that something is revealed in the subject, whether it’s the reaction of the listener at a concert or the musician on the stage.”
While McNamara appreciates modern digital photography, it’s not for him. Using a 40-year-old Rolleiflex camera, he eschews bulky attachments in order to be able to move with speed, an important factor when dealing with concerts.
“I try to capture a mood and often have to work quickly. I don’t even use a flash,” he said. “I was already doing this before digital came along, and I don’t see the need to change. I’m strictly old-school. This is a craft, it’s high art. I even make my own silver gelatin prints.”
In addition to his current projects behind the camera lens, McNamara has recently released his first album, “The House I Was Reared In,” which features fiddle virtuoso Martin Hayes and guitarist Dennis Cahill. He considers it a perk of his job to have the occasional opportunity to jam with one of his subjects.
“I would never bring something like that up myself,” he stated. “But as you might imagine with musicians, when there are instruments around, someone is bound to ask if you play.”
Having mixed his love of music with photography, McNamara sees the irony of now touring with his pictures and then performing his songs to help promote his images.
“It puts the shoe on the other foot,” he said with a laugh. “I’m lucky to be adept enough to have two fine arts which I can bring together like this.”
Morrison Hotel Gallery, 1230 Prospect St., will host a reception for McNamara on Saturday, March 31, from 6 to 9 p.m. For information, (858) 551-0835.