Music Photography

The term "concert photography" usually conjures images of giant arenas, massive stages, multitudes of lights, fog machines, screens, and photographers hauling massive lenses and cameras about as they make their way around the stage and crowd. However, as a musician and photographer based in New York, I work in jazz clubs, dive bars, and other small venues around town. Capturing genuine moments in these venues requires a very different skill set, and in this article I will detail some tips to help you take great photos in your own neighborhood haunt.

I recently had the chance to get a personalized tour of Ajani Charles' solo hip-hop photography show being hosted at Toronto's City Centre Airport. Charles' exhibit is the result of a lifelong passion that has turned into a massive personal and professional adventure: Project T-Dot. I thought I was going to get a straightforward gallery tour from one of Canon Canada's Ambassadors, but I walked away with a whole lot more. Due to its popularity, the exhibit has just been extended to July 24, 2025.

Live music photography is an area that intrigues many, yet few really find a breakthrough. We recently spoke with Kevin Kerr, who swapped his Silicon Valley profession for a career in live music photography. Find out what is in his gear bag and what goes into a great live music photograph.

Photographing live music can be an amazing experience once you embrace the idea that you have no control over any of the elements in your frame. So how do you create great pictures when you have limited angles to shoot from, terrible lighting, and no control over what your subject will do next?

It's not often that Sam Emerson sits down for an interview, but inevitably when he does the questions are about his most famous client, Michael Jackson.

Jumping back to an article I just wrote on how to speed up your career by 10 years, We Eat Together suggested “finding your passion and photographing the hell out of it.” That is what exactly New Zealand-based photographer Charles Brooks did in his recent photo series, Architecture in Music.

This livestreamed special event which sees Paul McCartney discuss his photography and memories of a unique time in history is one not to be missed, and you can watch online globally.

Icons of 90s British indie music Blur have just announced their long-awaited ninth studio album. The cover art has me tilting my head slightly to the left in confusion.

Do you ever feel challenged by the creative energy of your subjects? The pressure to create something unique when you're walking amongst giants? I had a chance to talk with renowned music photographer, Denis O'Regan about shooting some of the biggest names in modern music history.

No video is complete without a soundtrack. Excellent sound and SFX can make or break your production, which is why it is so important to get it right. If you’re looking for a royalty-free platform that offers a one-stop solution for audio, look no further than Artlist. 

Alice Hirsch (they/them) is a portrait and music photographer based out of Toronto, Canada. They combine the best of vintage images with a new world mindset of collaboration and exhibition.

Photographing live music is a difficult but rewarding genre and can require a masterful understanding of settings to get the best images. If you can use speedlights, however, you not only gain more control over the results, but it allows for greater creativity too.

Imagine an application that can write music for your video with only some hints from you about the style of music and the length of the video. Imagine an app that will write music that fits with your dissolves or add a punchy note wherever you like for emphasis. 

At just four months old, Spencer Elden is the star of possibly the most iconic baby photograph of all time, as he floats on the cover of Nirvana's album Nevermind, but now in his 30s, Elden is suing the band over child sexual exploitation.

One of them spent decades making decisions with the intention of fitting into community norms, creating stability. The other threw caution to the wind and jumped into a world of creativity with both feet before really understanding what life and responsibility were all about. Both Fin DAC and Mick Rock have ended up in the same place, near the top of their chosen artistic fields — inspirations for anyone following in their footsteps. What's even better, they're collaborating on a new show.

It has almost become a truism: social media creates mediocrity. In an effort to gain a share of the social media pie, artists are rewarded for blending in, not standing out.

Drug and alcohol addiction often go hand in hand with art. Painting has Van Gogh and Pollock, poetry has Coleridge and Ginsburg, music has The Beatles and Jim Morrison, and novels have Burroughs and Welsh. I was, however, surprised by how little information I could find about photographers’ substance abuse. Where are the in-depth books about photographers that were inspired or crushed by their addictions? 

Music licensing company, Audiio, has announced its latest product, which is bound to come in handy for anyone using music and sound effects in their photography and video projects.

The basic answer is that their videos are more complex. They have more setups and budget, sure, but in these videos, Josh Olufemii goes through the details to show what they do with regards to color, contrast, lighting, depth, and composition. 

We need to change. Not only our way of thinking, but our actions. What we buy and who we buy it from is a political decision in itself.

I get it. Ansel Adams inspires you. Perhaps Bresson, and maybe Gursky too. But there's another world of creative geniuses outside the realms of photography where you can draw creative ideas and energy from. Here are two people that influence me.

Do you ever find yourself having an emotional reaction to a movie and you're not quite sure why? If you're making movies, you need to spend time being intentional with the music you select. It's too powerful a tool to leave in the drawer.

Do you love movie soundtracks? Do you know why you like the soundtracks that you do? Do you ever struggle to add music to your films that has meaning to the themes and stories of the production?

Shutterstock, who are already providing content creators with royalty-free music, are announcing an unlimited music subscription and a few other new features to make it easier for creators to find the right type of music for their project.

82-year-old photographer, Robert Freeman, famed for his worth with the Beatles, has passed away.

I recall reading an interview years ago in which Steve McCurry — a master at assembling powerfully wrought imagery — claimed not to think about composition. I was dumbfounded, even more so when I realized he was telling the truth.

Take a quick moment to watch Profoto’s latest clip showing off their wireless flash trigger, Connect, used by Hélène Pambrun. When you’re done, give Profoto’s accompanying story a read.

The topic of phones at concerts has become quite contentious in the last few years, with some artists even going so far as to ban phones at their shows and eject attendees who violate the rule. Aerosmith's Steven Tyler is the latest to voice his opinion on the matter, telling a fan to put their phone away and "watch the f***ing show."

Any video editing task depends on what type of video it is (documentary, music video, industrial/business, TV show), what style will be used, will it include extensive animation/effects/titles, and so on. The ultimate sacrifice one has to make as a video editor is time.

I grew up on MTV and can remember the excitement surrounding newly premiered videos from bands I liked. Now, the place to see the new videos is YouTube, and the latest video of the hit song "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus is a wonderful mix of cinema and culture.

Have you always wanted to photograph live concerts, but are anxious about how to start? Were you recently hired for your first concert photography gig, but don't still looking for more ideas on how to capture great moments of the show? Well look no further, and keep reading. 

One mistake that I've noticed many photographers make is not thinking about what type of music they have playing while on a shoot. You'd be surprised how changing the tracks up a little can dramatically affect the outcome of your images. Check out these free playlists before your next shoot.

Are you a wedding photographer or videographer who's always on the lookout for licensed music for your slideshows or films? Are you struggling to find a good quality soundtrack that suits your vision? Check out Musicbed, and enjoy the first month free on their platform!

Do you like country music (or music in general for that matter)? Hey, me too and here's a video that I think raises interesting questions and may serve as a great thought exercise regarding modern media trends and the problems of sameness.

As someone who produces videos for YouTube, one of the things I've struggled with is the music. Buying individual songs from people to use in projects can be very costly and impractical. Fortunately, platforms like Artlist.io make it extremely easy to find the right piece. 

When searching through music catalogs leaves you frustrated with no results, it's time to get creative with how you source the perfect soundtrack. 

Successful concert photographer David Bergman has been shooting in front of screaming fans for years. His new workshop can land you right next to him in the shooting pit for one of his big-ticket clients.

What started as a simple copyright dispute between MetalBlast writer, photographer and full-time attorney J Salmeron has quickly escalated to Thunderball Clothing owner Marta Gabriel announcing the company will be shutting down due to the immense amount of hate comments received.

You may have seen an article floating around online about the metal band Arch Enemy banning photographer and full-time attorney, J Salmeron, from photographing their future shows after sending a takedown notice to an indie clothing company for using his image on social media.

Dutch photographer, YouTuber, and full-time attorney J Salmeron of Metal Blast took to the platform to explain how he was banned from photographing future Arch Enemy live shows as a result of requesting payment after a band’s sponsor used one of his images to promote their clothing. 

For all you creators out there! LG understands there’s more to the final output. There’s also the “process.” All the hours spent working, toiling, creating, that no one ever sees. The endless brain-strain and ideating a creator dedicates to their goal is what makes up their UltraWide Time. Few will ever see or understand the process, where all the work and magic happen. But LG understands.

Using music in your films is one of the best ways to drive emotion, connect to the audience, and elevate the video. If the visuals and the music are out of sync, however, disaster can happen. Here are a few tips for editing music to videos from a seasoned professional.

Seattle-based photographer and cinematographer Mitch Pittman captured his friends The Musical Mountaineers and Nikki Frumkin in an ode to the mountains in Mt. Rainier National Park. Watch the video and read how. 

Go to any live music event and if the crowd is big enough, there will be photographers snapping away for the first three songs. Concert photography is a blast, but does that blast produce bucks?

Having your images stolen and used against your will has all but become the norm for many working photographers. One gig photographer who confronted the record label editing and using her images, however, was greeted with insults as they told her she “doesn’t have the portfolio to back up [her] prices.”

So, you’ve been told time and time again that royalty free music is the way to go when it comes to selecting beats for your videos. But part of you can’t help but wonder about the alternatives.

Concert photography is probably one of the most appealing genres to shoot for any photographer. When I first picked up a camera, the only thing I wanted to photograph was my favorite bands as they played live. Our good friend and Canon Explorer of Light ambassador David Bergman is launching a pretty unique live workshop called Shoot From the Pit that will not only let you work side by side with David himself but also shoot a variety of artists as they perform live. 

The art and business of photography has had no trouble in inspiring millennials into finding a path to success within the field. Twenty-somethings have embraced the use of new technologies in their workflow, marketing, and creativity, but there is one lesson on reaching your goals that has not changed since the dawn of commercial photography.

The Killers – who were headlining the event that earlier in the night saw Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme kick a photographer in the face – made an on-stage pledge to say photographers were "welcome" and "respected." But one of the band's own rules for live gigs contradicts this very statement, and many live music photographers are not happy.

A Shutterstock photographer has posted shocking footage of the moment Queens of the Stone Age Frontman Josh Homme kicked her camera whilst she had it held to her face in the pit at their recent concert.