Capture stand-out shots
Find out how to make your music photography unique
We’ve likely all been to gigs where we’re met with a sea of mobile phones spanning the width and breadth of the crowd, everyone desperately trying to capture the best possible image. Music photography can offer many challenges, so photographers will often become very skilled very quickly and can use these skills in other genres, making them a well-rounded photographer. However, on the other hand it becomes more and more difficult to stand out from other photographers in an increasingly saturated genre. This is why the ability to be creative, adaptive and to think quickly is key.
Matthew Higgs says,“Constantly experiment with your angles and compositions for unique captures. Once you’ve found an angle that seems to work, don’t just stick to it for the rest of your time in the pit, grab a few images and instantly start looking for the next one. Try getting close to an artist and accentuating the depth within a scene, or go wide and show the crowd’s interaction with them, maybe even grab a few shots from the back of the room. It’s this variety that will make your set of photos from a concert look interesting, and result in those unique images that others seemed to miss.”
To make your imagery really stand out you must try to think outside of the box – the worst thing you can do is shoot it like you are recording and reporting on the gig as it unfolds. Think of it like art, and not like a documentary. Art is very subjective, so if you start considering your compositions in an artistic, creative way it is unlikely that someone else will get the same shot. Try to look for unique angles and find a way to form your own style in order to make a reel of images that are unmistakably yours.