One of the most exciting things to photograph is a live concert. Rock concerts in particular have an air of electricity about them that you can feel. When you are hired to photograph one you automatically feel like you are a part of that excitement.
Live music photography (also known as concert photography) is one of the most exciting and gratifying genres of photography. Granted, it’s not for everyone and it requires a lot of work in not-so-ideal conditions. However, if you're up for a challenge, you could find it rewarding and capture some rather unique and interesting shots. But behind every shot from the pit, there are some basic standards and sometimes unwritten codes of conduct that every photographer should adhere to.
As a 20-year old concert photographer, one of the questions that I get the most is: “How did you manage to land a touring job so quickly and at a young age?” Here are a few tips that I used when navigating my way into the concert photography industry.
I recently shot a series of double exposure photos of the band I Don’t Know How But They Found Me at The Knitting Factory, and they've received a great response. So, I thought it would be worth explaining how I took them!
This guide is intended for concert photography beginners. If you have a DSLR camera and are interested in how to control your camera settings to take great photos at concerts, this guide is for you. If you're an experienced photographer who just hasn't shot shows before, there may be some helpful info in here along with plenty of stuff you know already.
There are a lot more music photographers than there are music photography jobs — that’s just how it is in this corner of the industry. It's a port of entry for many hobbyist photographers, and the result is saturation of the market. A lot of budding photographers are willing to work for free, making the gigs that are out there even tougher to get.
I was a month and a half into the photography program at the Art Institute of Colorado in Denver when I decided to skip school for a day for a concert. I had a ticket to see Mumford & Sons playing in Laramie, Wyoming, before they hit Red Rocks in Colorado.
At the time, I was already contemplating dropping out of school, due to feeling that I would never be good enough to make it in the photography world, and would just be wasting time and money.
Choosing the right camera settings for concert photography can be a daunting task, even for experienced music photographers. Here’s a breakdown of every major camera setting that I recommend for shooting live music.
Have you ever heard of the "4 Seconds" myth in concert photography? Well, probably not, because I made this phenomenon up as a play on words with the 4 Leaf Clover "Myth." The 4 Seconds Myth talks about the fact that there’s a maximum period of time at just a few concerts when you can in fact shoot at crisp, noiseless ISO 100.
A new camera app for iOS is looking to minimize distractions for concertgoers across the globe. It’s called Kimd and its unique set of features ensure that when you or others are snapping up that perfect Instagram moment, you won’t be taking away the quality of the concert for others.
It's become a pattern with musicians lately. In an attempt to force people to actually experience the concert they're attending, many musicians are banning photography at their shows outright. In the past, we shared messages put up by the bands She & Him, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Savages, all of whom are kindly asking concert goers to put away their darn cell phones.
This article is a little guide on how I have had luck shooting photos at concerts. This is by no means the only way to do it, nor can I say that it will be the best way to do it for everyone. All I can say is that I recommend bringing a 35mm camera into some concerts. It really is a fun way to document your night!
Like most photographers, I’ve never reviewed a piece of gear before. Also like most photographers, I tend to voraciously read reviews each time I consider upgrading. Many of these reviews parse through micro-level analysis of pixel detail, noise levels, and test charts but to me fail to answer the simple question: “will this help me get the shot?”
Ah, the world of photography – where the line between candid images and artfully contrived scenes grows increasingly hazy. It’s as if the debate about staged photos and their place in photography competitions never quite loses its luster. But wait, we’ve got another gem to share: the revelation of a prize-winning staged photograph in yet another photography competition.
A concert-goer had their smartphone camera broken by a laser beam that fired directly into the lens.
There’s a reason why my iPhone is often the only camera I’ll carry with me. Its imaging quality allows me to take good photos without having to carry any additional gear.
Baseball season is back, and while Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson no longer takes the mound, he remains in the spotlight. However, instead of being lauded for his dominant strikeouts, Johnson is now captivating crowds with his photography.
The annual World Press Photo Contest has announced the regional winners of its 2023 competition.
Photographer David Bergman has been a concert tour photographer for more than 30 years and shares his tips for making continually unique and engaging photos through a multi-city stadium concert tour.
Film photography. It’s coming back, and more and more photographers are dusting off their old film cameras or going out on a search to purchase one. Many people don’t see the appeal and feel quite comfortable with their phone camera. But for others, it’s becoming the only way they create images.
The smartphone is the most common camera anyone holds across the world, yet it’s also the most unwieldy in one hand. That’s where the Fjorden Grip steps in.
Live music and the resumption of public schools have become a flashpoint (1, 2) in the battle about masks and vaccines in the public sector. My son is homeschooled so I cannot speak to that, but I can speak about live music.
Motorsports photography isn't a space traditionally associated with or particularly welcoming of female photographers, but one woman -- Alison Arena -- has made a name for herself in this industry and is now coaching others to follow suit.
Event photography is an art form, and it takes a while to achieve what you’re looking for. Not only does shooting an event require you to be constantly on the move, but it’s also necessary to know how to fully use each setting on your camera.
The Auckland Festival of Photography and Auckland UNESCO City of Music Aotearoa Music Photography Award (Whakaahua Puoro Toa) have announced the 2021 winners for its music-themed photography competition.
I'm often told that being a professional concert photographer is the coolest job in the world. In order to dispel some myths surrounding what I do and also support others who want to get into the profession, I’m going to peel back the curtain of the entire process from preparation to editing.
Every Sunday, we bring together a collection of easy reading articles from analytical to how-to to photo-features in no particular order that did not make our regular daily coverage. Enjoy!
Every Sunday, we bring together a collection of easy reading articles from analytical to how-to to photo-features in no particular order that did not make our regular daily coverage. Enjoy!
My father was the archetypal collector. He had dozens of cameras and optical devices. Tens of thousands of LP record albums, and eventually even more CDs and DVDs. There were always books, in particular series of books. And art books. He bordered on being a hoarder, but with great taste.
A couple of weeks into the coronavirus lockdown of 2020 and I’d noticed, among the many mentions on social media timelines of toilet paper shortages, sourdough fanaticism, and the essential viewing experience that is Tiger King, was a computer game called Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
In Summer of 2019, while working with Elbow in Manchester, concert photographer Peter Neill had an idea. He decided to try and stitch an epic panorama... with a twist. Instead of using a wide-angle, he would use an 85mm f/1.4 and capture a pano of the stage and the crowd, but with a shallow depth of field and bokeh.
The World Photography Organization has revealed the category winners of the Sony World Photography Awards 'Open' competition for 2020—in other words: "the best single images from 2019." From Architecture through Wildlife, 2019 produced some truly incredible imagery.
I am writing this concert photography guide in response to several ‘How to’ guides I have seen online that don’t quite hit the mark on how to take great live concert photographs. Most of the articles focus too much on the obvious, like concerts are dark and avoid things in your way (like mic stands and such). Personally, I think it is a bit patronizing to suggest that you are letting the photographer in on the ‘professional secrets’ if it is written by a non-professional music photographer, so this is my guide.
After I saw an ad on Facebook about an upcoming Best Buy photography workshop, I got the idea to attend it, and I thought other photographers would be interested in the experience, too. I signed up, paid the $50 to attend the workshop, and got an email confirming my registration.
What would it look like if I made a timelapse out of every single picture that I captured during a concert? I had occasionally been toying with this idea since I saw a wedding timelapse by photographer Kevin Mullins a while ago.
Photography workshops are a dime a dozen these days, but that isn't stopping a retail heavyweight from launching its own: Best Buy is now in the business of photography workshops for beginner and intermediate photographers.
Photographers know that in this industry, technology, tastes, and trends change on a near-daily basis. This means a constant evolution in the way they work, create, and run their businesses. Zenfolio moderated a lively discussion between 6 industry powerhouses to discuss the changes they see coming, and how they manage to find financial, personal, and business success in a volatile creative field. Read on to see how you can make a profit, secure your business, and find happiness as a professional photographer.
We didn’t start Unsplash to reinvent an industry. We started Unsplash because we thought it might be useful. Unsplash is a community where anyone can share high-resolution photos for anyone to use freely.
The city of Los Angeles is banning photography at free concerts in a public park, and photographers aren't happy about it. Several prominent photographer, journalist, and civil rights organizations have joined forces in writing a letter that protests the policy.
The kind of photography I do begins as a moment of theft. Finding the scene, finding your angle, and stealing the moment for yourself. Some photographers are creators. They build a scene, a still life, or arrange their models and angle their lights and create an image from nothing. I’m not one of those photographers. I’m a thief.