When you think of the music industry the bands and artists that produce the music obviously are the first people you think of but there is a whole ecosystem of creative people who work together to bring you a fuller and more rounded product. Each Single or album comes with artwork, this can either be genuine art (like The Sone Roses – The Stone Roses) or more often there will be a photograph either of the band or of something that strike a chord with the song, album or band. If you see a picture of a band at a gig then more often than not it’s a professional photographer who has captured and edited the image. These are often the iconic images of bands that stick in the memory – whether you were there or not. Lets face it, written articles wouldn’t be half as interesting if we couldn’t bring you an accompanying photograph or two. It makes the artist and event come alive.
Elle – Moment Films
How did you get into photography?
By complete accident, I was going to do my first ever interview The Rills. I was also going to be recording the gig but the video camera failed. I used my DSLR, I filmed the interview on that and then I thought, I’m not going to waste this opportunity. Let’s take some photos. I got to photograph Snayx, Chroma, Deadletter, and The Rills. I was like, oh my God, I’ve just photographed my favourite band ever on my first gig.
What makes a great gig photograph for you?
Emotion, for sure. I always get told that my work holds a lot of emotion and you can sort of feel what the artist is feeling. I’m very good at close-ups capturing the emotion and the way it’s framed. You don’t really want to cut the top off the bass guitar or someone’s arm, it just doesn’t make sense if it’s not composed right. I like colour, it takes a lot of effort to correct the colour sometimes. I like my vivids, I like emotion, I like how it’s composed and it just has to look cool.
What’s your favourite event that you’ve that you’ve shot?
So I’ve got two. The most recent one will be my mates, Archie, Nathan and Trav (Archy and the Astronauts), perform on the Engine Shed stage (largest venue in Lincolnshire). I’ve been working with them since early 2024 when I did a music video for them as their entry into a competition with Kerrang, trying to win a place to play at Download Festival.
It was really emotional to be able to see people that you’ve just seen grow and grow over the last few years, get to play an event on the biggest stage in Lincolnshire and I got to document it for them, that’s a proud moment.
Recently I got the opportunity to shoot Olly Murs. I got a phone call half an hour before the gig, it was just a really random opportunity, but its also the biggest thing I’ve ever done. I think it was 10,000 people and the most I’m used to shooting in front of is 500.
What would be your dream act to photograph?
I never just have one. I would absolutely die to shoot them The 1975. I have the skill of being able to guess any 1975 song in 0.5 seconds. Like this is how committed to this band I am. And I would die to like shoot them. I’d also I would like to shoot Mika, Life In Cartoon Motion is a banger of an album and I will die on that hill and growing up with Mika as one of main the artists in my life. I would absolutely love to shoot Mika and he’s touring again.
What photograph are you most proud of?
I photographed the Rills album release gig in Lincoln. I got this photo of Callum, the bassist, holding his bass like properly up and it was composed perfectly, but then I started messing around with editing. I started working with Gradient Maps and created this thing that kind of just looks like it could go on like an 80s rock’n’roll poster or like t-shirt. I’m really proud of that one.
There’s also, I got the opportunity to shoot Bilk for their Music Venues Trust tour and I did these all like black and white kind of Cook style, influenced by Joy Division’s photographers work. I never really use black and white but on this occasion I was like, it creates the kind of the Bilk mood.
From first gigs to standout moments behind the lens
Fabian – Era_Photos 78
How did you get into photography?
It was around mid-2024, one of my old mates started this band called Rat Salad.
I liked going to their gigs, but I didn’t have money, so I was like, I have an old camera. What better way to get into gigs for free than to take photos? Then from that, my love for photography kind of just stemmed. I just kept working towards getting my name out there, emailing bands almost every day to get more work. That’s how I got started.
What do you think makes a great gig for photograph?
It really depends on the band, because I do love the classic singer and microphone when the lighting is good, like a softer colour just hitting them. I think that looks quite nice but I also do really like a good black and white photo.
So what’s been your favourite event to photograph so far?
My first B-town, that was one of my favourite shoots. I just showed up, I was like, these bands are really cool. I want to take photos, so, I just took a bunch of photos on my phone because I felt like I had to capture it. Then everyone was shocked when I told him I ended up doing them on a phone.At the end of the day, it’s not what you take the photos on, it’s composition. For the longest time before I got my Sony A7 III, I used to shoot a lot on, what was, my first camera was a Nikon D5000 from around 2007, and it only had a 12-megapixel sensor, I also had no editing software. So, I ended up just having to use what was built into Windows. So that’s kind of how I got started.
Is there a dream act you’d like to photograph?
One band I would love to do photos for, is definitely Bring Me the Horizon because I their stage presence and I would love to take photos of the Wall of Death. That is this massive mosh pit that happens at the majority of their gigs.
But the band I would want to do photos for the most is this small Welsh band, well, not so small anymore, called Los Campesinos, because their music has helped me throughout the past, 7 or 8 years of my life, so it would just mean a lot if I was able to do photos for them.
Is there a photograph that you’re most proud of?
The ones I did with Histra a couple months ago because I tried something new with the like grey out and then just showing the red hands. So, it was like the whole photo is black and white, but the red hands really popped. It’s like a nice contrast. It’s a bit different, but it’s like also kind of his brand. I feel like if I attempted it again now, having more of an understanding of like the editing software, Photoshop Lightroom, I could do it a lot better than I did then, but like just winging it, I think I did quite a good job.
One of my actual favourite photos, because it was a strange concept but it works so well is when I try to get the artist in the middle of a balloon.
I was looking to spruce up my photography a bit. How do I add more depth?
Add something more unique? BTown always has the balloons, but they’re always kind of forgotten about. So, I was like, how do I incorporate this into my photography and then I had the idea of having a falling balloon. The lighting’s really good, it doesn’t look as out of focus as I thought it would. One thing I do really love about photography is always trying to find new ways to experiment and find ways to make your photos really pop.
Oli – Scapetrace
How did you get into photography?
It was 2016, There was this YouTuber called Nightscape and he did what was called roof-topping, where you would find your way onto the top of a roof. He took some very interesting cityscapes.
And from that point, I was like, I want to show photography. And then through watching his videos, I was recommended another YouTube channel called Storer that made parkour videos. And that’s what got me into parkour, which is my favourite sport. as well as videography. And so, yeah, I know that was a bit of extra information, but there you go.
How did you how did you translate that into doing gig photography?
I started doing gig photography in 2019. There was a band called Myriam Adams playing at the Godiva Festival. We spoke a bit backstage, they messaged me, “can you come and shoot our gig?” Then we worked together for a few years.
What do you think makes a great gig picture?
Usually, you get the best gig pictures right in the chorus of the song, because that’s when the band is proper going for it. You’ve got to be ready to capture quick moments. You’ve got to have everything set up for that, as well as dealing with various lighting scenarios at different venues. Some venues have good lighting, other venues do not. You’ve got to be prepared to adapt to whatever you’ve got to work with.
What’s been your favourite event to photograph?
Again, Myriam Adams at the HMV Empire in Coventry, we were on the main stage, it was a crowd of about 1000, they were supporting The Wombats, and I’ve liked a few songs by the Wombats over the years.
That was that was not only a good event to be at, and s it was actually quite a massive experience at the time, because I’d never met anyone that’s done that before, and so I was quite impressed.
What would be your dream act to photograph?
You know what, in a sense, I feel as if I’m already photographing my dream acts. I’ve worked with Emma McCarthy, I’ve worked with Matilda Pratt, I’ve worked with No Cash Refunds and I’ve really enjoyed working with and making art with these people. I know that I am working with and I have worked with some absolutely amazing artists and musicians.
Is there a is there a difference between taking photographs at a gig and then trying to set up cover art for an artist?
They are different things, but naturally they do have similarities. When it comes to doing gig photography, arrive and set up my camera settings, so I’ll be like, yeah, this will roughly give me a good photo or video of the artist. When they actually get on stage, there’s always that little slight adjustment that you have to make. It’s a lot more relaxed when I’m making things like cover art, Spotify, canvases, music videos. I love doing music videos. I love it because I feel like I’m part of the behind the scenes and obviously cover art has always been a really integral part of releasing music. I do prefer it when they know what they want, mostly because it tests my ability to produce the kind of shots that match their vision.
Elle – Moment Films can be found here Instagram and here @momentfilms_ | Photographer of the year competition- | Beacons
Fabian – Era Photos can be found here Instagram
Oli – Scapetrace can be found here Instagram and here scapetrace | Instagram | Linktree
