Photographer Frank White's New Dio Book A Visual Feast

If you’re a hard rock or heavy metal fan, chances are you’ve seen Frank White’s photos of your favorite artists and bands. A leading, veteran music photographer, White’s work over the decades since 1982 has graced the pages of premier rock and metal magazines, from Relix, Guitar World, Circus, Creem, Hit Parader , Hard Rock, Metal Maniacs, Kerrang!, Rock Scene, Metal Edge, Word Up! and Teen Dream, to Metal Hammer, SPIN, Thrasher, Rolling Stone, Goldmine, Premier Guitar, The New Yorker, Classic Rock, PROG, MOJO and European music magazines. He even sell photos to the programs and the HBO TV shows for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies thru his photo agency Frank White Photo Agency, which he started in 1986.

Due to the amount of magazines Frank worked with over the years, some of the companies owned other magazines on wrestling, motorcycles and celebrities that he photographed for as well.

He was the house photographer for the rock club L ‘amour in Brooklyn, N.Y., from 1985-2004 ; the Iridium Jazz club in New York City from 2010-2013; and for a few years with the Mid- Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie N.Y., from 2014-2017. He was the band photographer for the New Jersey punk band The Misfits from 1995 to the early 2000s, the TV set photographer for New Jersey’s “ Uncle Floyd TV Show” in 1998, and also for the music TV station FUSE in 2006 in NYC

The Bergenfield native’s band photos have been used for promotional usage, on albums and sleeves for bands including Anthrax, Nuclear Assault, Aerosmith, Ace Frehley, Hades, Richie Scarlet, Exodus, Cro-Mags, and Murphy’ s Law, among many others. You’ve also likely to have seen his photos on television programs like VH1’s “Behind the Music”, Banger Flims “Metal Evolution” and “ Hip-Hop Evolution ,” on Netflix and Viceland

White, who photographed his first show (Led Zeppelin in 1975) at age 12, estimates he’s hit the click button a mind-boggling half-a-million times over the course of his 44-year plus career.

But one artist came to mind when he decided to do a photography book: Ronnie James Dio. His book, Ronnie James Dio: A Life In Vision 1975-2009 (Wymer Publishing in England) is available now as a 8 ½ x 12 hard cover book with 144 pages, a presentation box with sliver lettering on the box cover and 4- 8 ¼ x 12 photo prints of Ronnie from different decades suitable for framing for 59 British pounds / $75.00 thru the publisher’s website www.wymerpublishinguk.co.uk.

On the main page tap the Collector’s Items page. On that page you will see his Dio cover and order there. A soft-cover edition is due out Sept. 6 with the same amount of pages, and same size book The book will be available on the publisher’s website for 25 pounds /$32.00, on Amazon, at bookstore sworldwide and some record stores. It’s a visual feast for not only Dio fans but anyone who appreciates fantastic rock photography.

As you’ll read, the late singer was one of White’s favorite subject for many reasons. “A Life In Vision” includes live and photo sessions from every stage of Dio’s career, from Rainbow to Black Sabbath to his solo work to Heaven & Hell. Sadly, Dio died of stomach cancer in 2010 at age 67.

The compendium is a testament to White’s immense talent behind the lens. He brings Dio to life through photos that capture the man’s emotional performances in theaters, arenas and festivals. It’s a snapshot (no pun intended) of Dio’s life as an artist and engaging personality on and off-stage.

The photos are accompanied by text that puts the shots in perspective and includes background on White’s remarkable beginnings and career. It’s a more than worthy edition to any fan’s music library.

We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Frank White.

You’ve photographed hundreds of artists throughout your career. When it came time to do a book why did you decide to focus on Ronnie James Dio?

I loved his voice, that's the first thing, and the way he performed onstage. The way he would work with the bands that brings out the best in their stage performances. I had photographed him once in Rainbow and decided to keep photographing him and continued on through his career. When he joined Black Sabbath, replacing Ozzy Osbourne as the lead singer, so many fans began to embrace his singing and performances.

You write in the book, ironically, that you didn’t know who Dio was when you shot him for the first time with Rainbowin New York City in 1975.

I was going to see Ritchie Blackmore perform. I’d never heard of Ronnie James Dio up to that point. I was only 13-years-old. As I was photographing him I’m thinking, “oh man that voice.” I noticed how powerful of a voice he had and he had a really cool way about him. He fit in so well with that band. He definitely stood out for me. I always had a good time photographing him during every phase of his career. So many fans loved him and the way he was with people was always gracious. He was a genuine person.

What specifically about Dio made him a great photographic subject onstage?

His charisma, the way he embraced the audience with each song. He also performed against a lot of great backdrops and stage props. The huge lit up Rainbow over the band and castle backdrop with Rainbow, the dragons , 3 headed snakes, castle props, during his solo career and with Black Sabbath, and the gargoyles and castle props with Heaven & Hell. It made him and the band look bigger than life and just really filled up the stage.

How was he when you did promotional photos offstage?

He was very relaxed, very accommodating. He loved to converse and ask me questions and I was happy to be in his presence. I always looked forward to those sessions. With certain other bands, there were times when it’s obvious they didn’t want to be there or just woke up and rolled off the bus half-asleep. I would have to remind them who I was photographing for. That was never the case with Dio. He appreciated everything I did with him.

In the 90s when metal’s popularity was on a downturn you photographed him at much smaller venues like the Birch Hill Night Club in Old Bridge NJ. What was that like?

I thought he didn't deserve to be in this venue. He should’ve been in nothing smaller than a theater. He was just as amazing and professional but I felt bad he had to be in a club situation. One of these club shows Motorhead played with him, another favorite band of mine

You photographed Dio at his last-ever performance, Aug. 29, 2009 at the House of Blues in Atlantic City. He died less than a year later. What do you remember about that show?

He still looked great at the time. His voice was in good shape while he was doing his usual Dio poses with Heaven and Hell . The band seemed to be in good spirits that night and rockin the HOB stage. For this tour the band had digital horror visuals behind them. I thought I’d see him the following year but that never happened. The passing of Ronnie took the wind out of me when he died.

You write in the book about taking your mother’s camera without her knowing to photograph gigs in the early days. Your first outing was sneaking out to New York City at age 12 to photograph Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden. What was that like?

I would end up doing something that all kids at 12 years old would not do especially living in New Jersey and going into New York City on my own for the first time filled with all kinds of craziness in 1975. I never told anybody, not even my friends, for fear that they would tell their parents and it would get back to my mother and father. It was a bit nerve-racking getting ready to shoot concert photos with my mom’s new camera for the first time with one of the biggest bands on the planet. I calmed down and as soon as the Garden went dark, I was able to sneak up to the front of the stage in the first couple of rows before the show got underway and found an empty seat for the time being. I shot some really nice photos of the band and after a few songs getting told by an usher to get back to my seat as the person who bought that seat showed up. I ended up getting a few more photos from my own seat before the show ended. Led Zeppelin was incredible that night and I was so happy they played many of the songs I was already familiar with and to see them live for the first time.

I repeated that same stunt for a year-and-a –half before I got my own camera from my father. I continued to do it for a while until I met my new friend Carlos who was a few years older than me at my first real job at the Dunkin' Dounuts store that was up the street from my home in Bergenfield and he knew my mother. I told him how much I liked going to concerts and photographing shows and he liked going to them as well and he would start taking me in his van to shows in NYC, New Jersey, and Philadelphia now with my parent’s permission.

How has the change from film to digital photography effected your work?

Years ago, you couldn't see what you photographed until later on that day or the following day when the film was developed. So you had to know what you were doing when shooting film and that separates us from the people who learned with a cell phone or digital camera right off the bat. You didn’t have a viewer screen in the back of the camera to adjust your future images. There were no digital photo cards back then to shoot 1000’s of images over and over again on the same card or the speed you can set your camera to these day to catch the action better and the film speed you can set your camera to that gets better exposures. All the film I bought had 24 or 36 exposures. So I would buy a bunch of film rolls at a time until later on I would end up buying bricks of film and it would end up costing a lot of money including developing.

Sometimes film would tear and I would lose some of the night’s photos or once in a while the film lead came off the take up spool and I had to figure out quick how to readjust my film in my camera while the show was going on. My first digital camera was very special. I received it as a birthday gift in the early 2000s from my girlfriend Michele even though I was still in the mode of shooting film for a few more years. Now we’re married and I have been shooting just digital for 15 years now

What drew you to photography?

It was way different from playing baseball, football, hanging out with friends or collecting things. It was on a whole different level. I was in another world, especially since none of my close friends early on was into it. As I got a little older, I started to appreciate cameras more and more because I was making money from the photos I would take. When you take a photo you’re getting a unique image. No one else will ever be able to create the same image and going to concerts. I was creating my own personal photo souvenirs that would lead me to my long term profession.