Concert Photography Basics

Here are some questions someone asked me last week that I thought some of the rest of you might also be interested in:

How did you become a concert photographer?

When I started having a sparked interest in concert photography, it definitely came unexpected. I was still just a young kid (too young to really start thinking about my future) about nine or ten years ago, going to shows and street-teaming for record labels. I was living in Missouri at the time, and Neptune Crush (a local St. Louis band) and Kill Hannah were always playing shows together at this tiny little club. Neptune Crush always had some of the coolest light setups, and every time they played with KH there, they’d let them use them, as well.

I remember at one of the shows, I brought a dinky little point-and-shoot camera with me to take pictures just to have for my memories. A good chunk of them I had accidentally taken without the flash… but ended up mistakenly taken them at just the right moment to capture some pretty rad images with the perfect lighting. One shot in particular was such a beautiful image that I decided I wanted to try photography once I hit college.

So college years came around and I immediately signed up for photography classes so I could learn more about manual 35mm cameras and how to develop my own film. By that time, I had already built great relationships with these bands and record labels that I was helping promote, that they were all very supportive and willing to help me out when I wanted to take a stab at concert photography. That’s how I started getting all of my photo passes to shows, and the more I practiced in the field, the more I loved it.

What inspires you to take photographs? What are you hunting?

Other great concert photographers and their work inspire me, especially when they have these amazing action shots of musicians showing emotion as they sing or play their instrument. I think that’s what all concert photographers seek– to capture the perfect moment. It’s really easy to take a photo of a guy just standing around, playing his guitar… but it’s a bit of a challenge to grab that perfect second where he’s jumping mid-air, or even leaping from the stage into the crowd, screaming his head off. I also try to find a way to get some good shots of the drummers, if possible. They never get enough love.

What is important to know while shooting a concert?

It’s really important to know the rules of the band and show you are shooting and what venue you are at. This can vary in so many ways, but it is usually safe to assume that, with your photo pass, you are allowed to shoot the first three songs of each band from the photo pit (that space between the stage and the barricade). This is standard. A “no flash” rule also used to be standard back in the day, but I feel this has changed in the recent years as I see more and more photographers use their flashes and nobody yell at them for it (or kick them out) like security used to do in the past. (I, personally, however, still like to shoot without flash because I like the challenge of trying to capture a great image with what I am given).

Do not be surprised if the “three song rule” changes, depending on the band. Usually when bands managers change this, it is for safety precautions. For example, when I’ve shot the larger My Chemical Romance shows on the Black Parade tour with massive production and a whole lot of pyro, photographers were only allowed to shoot the first two songs before everyone was cleared from the photo pit for safety reasons.

Also keep in mind that the photo pit isn’t exactly the safest place to be, especially during shows with heavier music. Although it is the security guards’ responsibility to keep everyone safe, it is also partially your responsibility to keep yourself safe, as well. If the guards are busy making sure a crowdsurfer is let down easily instead of plummeting to the ground and possibly cracking their skull open, they can’t always look out for you (who is standing right behind them) at the same time. If they tap you, don’t think it’s them being rude… it’s just their way of telling you to quickly get out of the way because there’s an incoming body.

This also means MIND YOUR EQUIPMENT. It is YOUR responsibility to protect your baby, not the venue’s. There is a venue out here in Los Angeles that no longer allows photographers to shoot from right in front of the stage. From what I’ve heard, the reasoning was because a photographer got his camera damaged once from a rough show, and tried to sue the venue… which, sure, sucks… but at the same time, that is a risk you are supposed to know you are taking when you enter the photo pit of a rock show.

If a band lets you shoot from the sides of the stage, make sure you don’t get in the way of their tech team. Also always be aware of the rest of your surroundings. It’s not good if you’re not paying that much attention and you’re knocking over roadcases and tripping over power chords.

Do you get to choose which concerts you want to shoot?

Since I work for myself and/or the bands, for the most part, yes. Usually the only thing that stops me from shooting a show is if I don’t know any of the bands personally and try requesting a pass from their PR agent– who generally only grant passes to those working for publications.

How important it is to have a professional equipment?

I’d say it’s VERY important. I’m not going to sit here and say that it’s impossible to take a great image without some super fancy schmancy expensive branded camera, because honestly, I’ve taken some great images before with disposables and point-and-shoots that nobody has yet to recognize as such. Do I do it often? Definitely not. I’m just saying it’s possible to do, but you also have to truly know your lighting and assume it would be just as if you were shooting with your custom ISO and aperture settings. If you want to test it out for fun, I say go for it. Would I recommend relying on it? No way. You have a lot more control with professional gear.

How do you use your photographs after shooting?

I use a lot of it for my own personal portfolios. Sometimes they get used for big music magazines, and occasionally albums and press releases.

Do you consider concert photography a creative work?

Yes. You always hear people say that “anyone can stand there and click a button,” which is true. Anyone can just stand around and click a button… but not everyone can make sure they truly capture the moment, with the perfect lighting, and even with the perfect composition.

How would you describe an excellent concert photograph?

This is a tough question because that’s like asking a painter to describe an excellent painting. At the end of the day, it’s all in the eye of the beholder, right? With me, personally, an excellent photo can be a clear-as-day, super sharp image of a vocalist, screaming as tears roll down his cheeks– it’s emotional… or it can be a silhouette shot with colorful lighting in the background. Sometimes it can be a photo where something other than the head and torso are in focus.

What is your greatest achievement in photography?

Although there’s quite a few that I can think of, I think my initial work with Five Finger Death Punch takes the number one spot. A dear friend of mine was finally getting this band together and he needed band photos. He asked me to do it as a favor, and I agreed… but I never imagined it would’ve gone as far as it did. Next thing I know, those photos were EVERYWHERE. Obviously on their websites, but as well as being printed on flyers, printed on Monster Energy posters, posters in general, in their debut album, MTV, L.A. Times, Rolling Stone, you name it. Most of the time, my name was even credited on the sides on some of those publications. Even though the Rolling Stone one was TINY, my name was still in there. That’s definitely something I never even imagined would actually happen.

Name some photographers you admire. Why them?

As far as concert photographers go, one of them is a guy named Duncan Black. He used to tour with Marilyn Manson back in 2001, and I can say that watching him work partially helped spark my interest in shooting shows along with those Neptune Crush/Kill Hannah shows. I’d watch him just run around all over the place to get the shots that he wanted– this includes running ONSTAGE, too. It just looked like a great rush (and I now know that it is). Unfortunately, I don’t know what ever happened to him after that year, and lost touch with him.

Another one is a guy that I just recently became aware of because he started following me on Twitter and has quite the website/blog with his great work: Todd Owyoung. I’ve been preaching about capturing the perfect moments with the perfect lighting and the perfect composition– well he’s definitely got it.

Show me one of your best concert photographs you have taken. Why did you choose this one?

Hmmm.. I have quite a few that I favor, but I think my favorite one is still this shot of Johnny Christ of Avenged Sevenfold that I took back in 2005:

If you look close enough, you will also see guitarist Zacky Vengeance in the reflection of his bass.