When I first started doing concert photography I was uncomfortable being in front of the crowd with my camera, especially in venues where there was no photo pit. Being a generally anxious person, I was worried I was blocking someone’s view or that I was being watched and judged. And as a live music fan I know there’s nothing worse than someone standing in front of you and blocking your view of the stage and your favorite musicians either because that person is super tall or won’t stop recording the entire show with their phone.
I’ve come to realize, however, that most people in the crowd respect the photographer being there and respect it as an art form just like the music. On more than one occasion I’ve had a fan invite me to step in front of them to get some shots. They realize that you’re there to support the music and do your work, what you love.
It’s important to not stand in one spot for too long if you are directly in front of people. I always try to move around a lot for several reasons, including not blocking the audience’s view, getting shots of different band members, and getting different frames and angles.
In concert photography, one common rule photographers encounter is that you can only shoot for the first three songs of a band’s set.
While this may be a bummer when you miss would-be awesome shots later in the set, I completely understand it. Fans who paid for the ticket and probably got there early to be on the rail or front row don’t want photographers in their viewing area for the whole show. I can see how it would be distracting. I’ve caught myself watching photographers a few times (mostly out of jealousy). And three songs is plenty of time to get great shots.
Now that I’m more comfortable being a concert photographer and have found a good balance between getting awesome shots and not getting in the fan’s or other photographer’s way, I’m able to focus on other things. I also realize most people aren’t actually paying attention to what I’m doing — they’re watching the band.
I can walk into the photo pit or crowd with confidence and intent.
Instead of worrying, I can focus on getting cool angles and trying out different techniques with composition and framing. For me, it’s important to always keep improving my craft and this means trying different things. Whether that’s getting into a weird position in order to capture interesting angles or studying other concert photographers’ work, I must always be learning and growing.
I also like to try new things out with my editing techniques. I’ve changed the way I edit several times. It’s important to find some continuity for your clients, but it’s also important to not feel stuck or feel like you’re not getting better. It’s also important that your editing reflects the band you’re photographing, I think.
Right now I can edit pretty quickly, because I typically know how I want my photos to look and I know what to do to make them look that way. I get in my groove. Eventually, I’ll want to try something different and it will probably take me longer to get a set of photos done. But change is important. Editing is as an important part of photography as lighting, aperture, angles, framing, ISO, etc., so I want to always be getting better.
Besides, if everything stays the same, not only am I risking the possibility of never improving my work, I’m risking the possibility of it getting boring. Maybe it won’t matter which band I photographed, because my followers can predict what the picture looked like. I don’t want to get the same shot every time. Whenever I start feeling like I’m getting the same shots for very different band, I start changing things up.
That’s the wonderful thing about this art form — it has taught me not to be afraid of change.
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