If there’s two important things I’ve learned this first year as a concert photographer, it’s that 1) you should just shoot as much as you can, and 2) you shouldn’t be afraid to ask if you can photograph a gig!
I always thought that I would never be allowed to shoot gigs if I wasn’t involved in one or other medium (magazine, paper, …). Though this might be the case for the bigger venues and bigger bands, this doesn’t mean there are no concerts at all you can shoot. I’ve shot plenty of concerts this year, even of some of my favourite bands!
- You should just shoot as much as you can!
This is really important if you want to learn how to get great shots. Especially in small venues the light may be a real pain-in-the-ass, so if you shoot plenty of concerts, you’ll learn what you can do best in a certain situation. Don’t be disappointed if you have no great photos in the beginning, learn from it, don’t give up and continue! It’s really by shooting concerts that you’ll learn the tricks! The more you get comfortable with it, the better your pictures will become and the more you can start developing your own style. If you can, find someone to give you objective feedback and/or show your work on a website or another platform.
- Don’t be afraid to ask if you can photograph a gig
If you don’t ask, you’ll never get permission to photograph a gig! If you get no answer or a ‘no’, then at least you tried to get permission. For small venues and less known bands it will be easier to get permission than for big venues and bigger bands, but at least you’ll get started your journey as a concert photographer! What I did was asking to photograph the concerts I would go to anyway. That way it was easier to get permission as I did pay for the concert ticket, but I also got to shoot the gig.
Even if you’re not a concert photographer, these are two important lessons to keep in mind nonetheless. If you do portraits, wedding photography or nature photography, you should also practise as much as possible to become better at it. And you should not be afraid to communicate with people to get the best shots. For instance for portraits, ask people to act a certain way; for travel photography ask local people if they are ok with you taking their picture, etcetera. I often even ask animals if I can take their picture (and none have said no so far)! 🙂