Why concert photography?
In addition to loving photography and art, I also love music. I grew up playing trumpet in band,
singing in the school choir, and teaching myself guitar. I was also a cheerleader and a dancer
growing up, so I have always been around music. In high school, I would get on Tumblr and see
these amazing photos of bands that I loved and just be so moved. I would see these photos and
think wow, how cool. But I always assumed you needed to be this famous person who traveled
with the bands to get these photos, so I never even bothered pursuing it. It didn't even seem like it
was something that would be attainable.
I would also see these iconic black and white images of Led Zeppelin and The Beatles and just be
so stunned, like wow someone took these photos back in the day and now they are so important.
Someone documented history and now I am looking at their work. I never dreamed that I could
be doing the same thing. Until one day, a few months after I graduated college, I started seeing
photos online in these Facebook groups for photographers I was a part of. I specifically saw a
photo of this band PVRIS that I am obsessed with, and commented on the photo asking the
photographer how she could possibly even have access to shoot them that close.
People started talking in the comments about how I needed a publication to shoot on behalf of,
which would in turn make me "press" and give me the opportunity to get press passes and shoot
from the photo pit. I reached out to a few online publications and now I shoot for all kinds of
different publications.
Concert photography is something that genuinely challenges and excites me each time. I love the
fact that as an artist I can make art of musicians, who I also look up to as artists. It's all kind of
surreal. I also enjoy the small community there is of concert photographers. When you graduate
in photography, everyone expects you to shoot their wedding. I tried my hand at that, and after
about a year of begrudgingly accepting wedding inquiries I decided that I wasn't going to be that
person who majored in what they love to end up hating what they do. I hated shooting weddings.
It's so much pressure and it's such a competitive market.
Music photography is also a competitive market and there's immense pressure due to the
unpredictable nature of what can happen, but I feel like it's an industry that I'm much more
passionate about being a part of. It requires a completely different skill set and I don't think it's
something every photographer can tackle, even if they are good at other types of photography. I
feel like it sets me apart with my work, and also I feel that I have an advantage since I have a
background in music as well.