East Hampton Rocks

“

Rob is a better photographer than drummer. I met him several years ago, and as luck would have it, if I ever need a picture taken, he’s the man I call. He has the knack of being present but not obtrusive—capturing the moment without interrupting the proceedings. He’s easy to be around and puts everyone at their ease—it’s a pleasure working with him. I want to thank him for all the good shots he’s taken of me over the years—not only good but usable. This book will show you—he has done the same for many others. I hear he does weddings??? Peace & Love, Ringo.”—Forward to “Volume 1: Through the Lens of Music Photographer Rob Shanahan.”

From behind his camera, music photographer Rob Shanahan has seen it all. On the stage of a stadium packed with 50,000 screaming fans. A stolen moment sitting on a rooftop or sifting through a dark basement. A rehearsal. A recording session. An intimate photo shoot in the studio, outdoors or even underwater.

His dozens of archived hard drives are filled with thousands upon thousands of photos capturing moments with rock icons and pop stars alike, including Ringo Starr (Mr. Shanahan is his personal photographer), Paul McCartney, Charlie Watts, Christina Aguilera, Keith Richards, Barry Manilow, Tommy Lee, Elton John, Eddie Van Halen, Dave Matthews and Sting, to name just a few among the hundreds.

Only a fraction of the photographer’s collection has ever been available to the masses, whether published as glossy magazine advertisements or album covers. And while that is still the case, Mr. Shanahan’s first book, “Volume 1: Through the Lens of Music Photographer Rob Shanahan,” gives those who are not rock legends a behind-the-scenes look at some of the biggest names in the music industry, with 224 full-page images—90 percent of them never before seen—of some rock’s and pop’s most iconic performers.

Mr. Shanahan—who is also a drummer and has access to so many musical legends—acknowledges that he’s leading an, at times, surreal life.

“As a musician and being a really big fan of music my whole life, and getting to work with these great cats who I’ve been listening to and admiring forever,” Mr. Shanahan laughed during a telephone interview last week from his home in Venice, California, and breathed out, “It’s just a big thrill.”

Many of the photographs in the book are personal favorites of Mr. Shanahan, unguarded moments that tease at the personalities bubbling beneath the musicians’ public personas.

One such time was with East End part-timer Billy Squier, who is best known for his string of rock hits in the 1980s, including “The Stroke,” and will be performing on Saturday, May 26, at the John Varvatos store in East Hampton during Mr. Shanahan’s book signing. The friends were in the basement of Mr. Squier’s Manhattan apartment, which had a “cool, industrial, backstage kind of vibe,” Mr. Shanahan said. He snapped a shot as Mr. Squier gave his electric guitar a strum, tilting his head back with his eyes closed as a carefree smile stretched across his face.

The feeling of friendship and respect is mutual, Mr. Squier said.

“Rob’s someone I like whether he’s behind the lens or out front,” Mr. Squier wrote in an email last week. “John [Varvatos] and I have been looking for a little something to do for a while, so this book signing’s a good fit.”

The idea for a book signing/concert struck the two men on a whim this past February after, one morning, grabbing a cup of coffee in East Hampton Village and then walking over to John Varvatos on Newtown Lane. Mr. Shanahan was in town for a photo shoot with jazz trumpeter Randy Brecker—one half of the Brecker Brothers.

Inside the store, Mr. Squier picked up an acoustic guitar and played a chord. The photographer took one look at him and said, “Wow, Billy, we should do an event here,” he recalled.

Mr. Varvatos, also a friend, said that he is happy to host the talented twosome.

“We are very excited to have two amazing talents in our East Hampton store this weekend,” he wrote in an email last week. “Rob Shanahan is an iconic music photographer ... Billy Squier needs no introduction. He has written some of the best rock anthems, ever, and continues to show us why he was one of the biggest artists of the ’80s. Very exciting stuff!”

For 46-year-old Mr. Shanahan, teaming up with Mr. Squier is—in a way—coming full circle, he said.

“I remember being in my bedroom, playing Billy’s songs over and over on my drum kit and stereo,” he said, noting that he started on drums at just 10 and got his first camera at age 12. “I was playing Zeppelin, Stones, Beatles, anything. I always admired Billy’s music. He’s a really great songwriter and great guitar player. I’m now happy to say he’s a great friend.”

The pair first met in 2006, courtesy of drummer Sheila E., who is best known for her work with Prince and Mr. Starr.

“I had a picture of Sheila E. in my college dorm room,” Mr. Shanahan laughed. “She asked me to come take pictures of her while she was on tour with the All Starr band. I was excited because I knew Ringo was backstage somewhere.”

At the time, the band consisted of Mr. Squier, John Waite and Richard Marx. They were popping in and out of the dressing room, introducing themselves and saying hello.

“Finally, Ringo walked into her dressing room and said,” he slipped into a British accent, “‘Oh, so you’re Sheila’s photographer’ and walked out. That was it.”

Later in the day, Mr. Starr’s publicist asked the photographer if he was interested in going on the road with the former Beatles drummer. After years of playing the “name game” in the industry, it was that moment Mr. Shanahan said he knew he’d hit it big.

“The next day, I was in San Diego and did my first shoot with Ringo,” he said. “We immediately started talking about drums and photography. I asked him about certain drum fills and why they sounded the way they did because I was curious. And he said it’s because he’s left-handed and playing a right-handed drum kit.

“I realized we had that in common,” the left-handed drummer continued. “That was really the start of our relationship, and it kept going from there.”

Most recently, at 9:57 a.m. Eastern Standard time in New York last Tuesday (or 12:57 p.m. in California), Mr. Shanahan’s telephone rang. Anticipating his Southampton Press interview, the photographer picked up and answered, “You’re three minutes early!”

The voice on the other end didn’t belong to a journalist. It was a rock star.

“Ringo was calling from England and didn’t know what I was talking about,” Mr. Shanahan chuckled. “It’s funny. It’s very fresh in my mind because I just got off the phone with him. He’s not afraid to tell me what he doesn’t like, that’s for sure. It’s easier for him to tell me what he doesn’t like than what he likes. If he doesn’t tell me anything, I know he’s liking what I’m doing, and everything’s fine.”

Almost three years ago, Mr. Shanahan received a call from “The Beatles: Rock Band” promotional tour. They needed a photo of Mr. Starr and Mr. McCartney to run on the cover of USA Today, and he was the man for the job.

In the studio, the photographer set up a white backdrop and put down a mark where the bandmates would stand.

“Of course, they walked onto set in front of the mark I had for them, and instead of moving them back, I turned the lights down a bit so they wouldn’t be overexposed,” Mr. Shanahan explained.

Mr. McCartney said, “Rob’s not ready,” and leaned into Mr. Starr, his lips puckered and ready to plant a kiss on the drummer’s cheek, the photographer recalled.

“But I instinctively fired my camera, aimed and shot so fast that sure enough, I got it,” Mr. Shanahan said. “Ringo responded, ‘Told you Rob was fast.’ They laughed, and that’s the reaction shot. Those are my two favorite shots from the whole shoot. It was a magic moment. There’s a lesson to be learned there. You always have to be prepared. You never know when those magical moments are coming.”

Rob Shanahan will sign his book, “Volume 1: Through the Lens of Music Photographer Rob Shanahan” on Saturday, May 26, from 3 to 5 p.m. at John Varvatos in East Hampton. Billy Squier will perform at 5 p.m. For more information, call 324-4440.