"I was always a music fan."
Michael Weintrob is a photographer with a passion for music.
"And by being a music fan and wanting to be involved with music, that’s what brought me to photography,” he said.
Without ever taking a formal photography class, Weintrob got a job as the house photographer for Red Rocks in 2000.
“I remember walking up the hill from backstage, there is a giant hill to get into the back of the venue, with all my camera gear," he said. "I just remember being out of breath.”
Despite the trek, Weintrob has fond memories of the amphitheater.
“This is one of the greatest amphitheaters in the country, maybe even the world.”
After three seasons at Red Rocks, Weintrob moved on to New York and on to a successful photography career which took him all over the world.
Recently, Weintrob self-published his own photography book called, “Instrument Head,” featuring over 366 musicians.
“Paul Simon is not in the book," he said. "Billy Joel is not in the book. But people from their bands are in the book. So a lot of this book is comprised of some of the greatest sidemen that I have come into contact with.”
In “Instrument Head,” Weintrob covers the faces of his subjects in creative ways. “You can’t see anybody’s eyes, but I believe that you can still feel the person.”
Weintrob is living a dream which was once a crazy idea.
“When I was in Colorado State University, my professor, Donna Rouner, who ran the Journalism Department actually had an assignment for us to come up with a mock business and create a brochure and the name of my company was called, “Grovetography” and that was about a business for photographing musicians," he said. "Now 20 years later, that idea that I came up with in her class actually stuck.”
Weintrob said he never imagined he would be back at Red Rocks in this capacity.
“So if you stick with something long enough and you believe in it and your intentions are well, I think it works out for you in the end,” he said.
The photography exhibit will be on display at the Red Rocks Visitors Center through August 5.
