Last week, I asked a simple question to my Twitter followers:
“What’s the hardest part about being a music photographer?”
Here’s how you responded.
@crickontour: Night’s like last night, show starts at 8pm, lead act on at 12:15am, editing complete at 4am, sleep till noon next day. Repeat!
@hybrid756: Hardest thing I would say is starting out with no clue how the business works. That, and badly placed smoke machines!
@Sara_Holla: Not having a Y chromosome/people thinking you’re only in it to sleep with the band/d-bag security guards. (Yes, I’m bitter.)
@emily9980: Counting to three! Haha, they always have to tap my shoulder or something…
@Pixgremlin: I think the hard parts make it a challenge for me, but I must say it can be the management & their incompetence regarding ©.
@TheOnlyIzak: Mosh pits.
@redwallphoto: The late nights and deadlines, especially when also working a separate full-time job. The shooting challenges are the fun part :)
@sebbux: Having multiple terabyte external drives sprawled out across your desk… and needing more in a few months time anyway!
@xdonniex: For me, making the band feel comfortable in front of the camera, especially when they are just starting out (aka not famous)!
@fvphoto: Being respected as an artist and not just someone who sprays & prays.
@giloscope: Industry types who forget/never intended to sort your photo-pass.
@sk8bette: The unpredictable nature of it. Everything changes from shoot to shoot: lighting, crowds, performers, energy, permissions, etc.)
@dokool: Going to a show as a normal attendee, looking up from the mosh pit, and wishing you had your gear with you.
@jasonsheesley: Convincing young bands of the value of quality images, regardless of cost.
@minkus: Keeping the camera steady when it’s your favorite band.
@evatography: Making $ and putting in requests/dealing with pr/management types. Shooting a show is the easiest most enjoyable part of it all.
@victoriapk: Lighting, lighting, lighting. Every venue & show is different…
@shotbykim: The schedule is rough; you are always out shooting shows while your friends are out drinking/dinner etc.
@xdonniex: Trying to reach a personal style without taking too much inspiration from other pros.
@benyacobi: Marketing oneself.
@ailinglu: The hardest part of being a music photographer… is when you stop taking pictures of the band.
@scorpiusdiamond: 1) Rejection 2) Liquids 3) The unexpected.
@simplyjenn: Getting the lighting to line up with the shot. And getting the shot at the right angle.
@delineated: Finding time to properly edit each show set before getting too backed up. Not easy when shooting multiple shows/week.
@LizFromStLouis: The hardest part: Being taken seriously when you’re a girl photog at at pop-punk show.
Have Your Say
Agree? Disagree? What do you do you think is the hardest part of being a music photographer?
Add your answer below or hit me up on Twitter via @toddowyoung.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 at 6:22 pm and is filed under Music Photography and tagged with advice, challenge, concert photography, music, Music Photography, photography, Photography Tutorials. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
The hardest part of being a music photographer – your answers! http://bit.ly/MlLrW
RT @toddowyoung: The hardest part of being a music photographer – your answers! http://bit.ly/MlLrW
RT @toddowyoung The hardest part of being a music photographer – your answers! http://bit.ly/MlLrW
RT @toddowyoung The hardest part of being a music photographer – your answers! http://bit.ly/MlLrW woot, made the list!!!
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After the 3 songs the lights get much better.
Hardest part would be dealing with a very unprofessional industry. Quite seriously the sheer volume of apallingly unprofessional management and pr companies continuously astounds me. I have a full time job as an engineer/technologist and the amount of bs that those groups attempt to blind you with (before the whole copyright issue even comes about) leaves me wondering how inefficent the music business really is.
That said, I also work with some great members of the industry, but it’s one where, sue to the bright lights and celebs, snake oil salesmen/women abound.
Thankfully I’ve never been in the position to be effected by the three song rule, only taking on work when full access is granted – I imagine when the time comes it will be of great discomfort.
…at present I would have to say making people understand copyright.
Regards…
Matt
@minkus: Keeping the camera steady when it’s your favorite band.
This made me laugh. Sometimes it’s hard for me to focus on shooting and not just rock out.
@danielbedford – getting turned down for all the good artists because I shoot for an agency
@danielbedford – red lights for first 3 songs, then everything turns awesome
Not having a lot of job opportunities in my area. So i have to resort to other branches for photography, and most of the time, consodering my music photography as my hobby. (i really really love music photography though =(…)
Everything that @ Joel said, and also after jumping through hoops to finally get a pass only for them to ask if they can have the images but “they’ll give me a credit!” That, or at the start of the gig, you’re presented with a ‘Release Form’ where if you’re not careful, you’ll be signing your rights away! By the Great Pix!!
I’m amazed to see that no one mentions « stupid photo rules that prevent you to work in decent condition coupled with 2000+ venues that think a photo pit is worthless. » Is France the only country where this happens on a daily basis ? My latest example is here, its crappy translation into English there.
There are some nights where I realize that getting a photo pass means a lot of trouble ? including no photo at all sometimes ? when I could have stepped in the venue with a undetected telelens and settle in the middle of the front row for the whole show because the security staff doesn’t do its job well… I wish I could come back to the US where the security is reliable and photo pits exist. You often get kicked out from the venue after the 3 first songs but at least you go home with pictures.
That, and the backaches.
having to change the films as quick as the interval between the second and the third song!
Wouldn’t say it’s the worst but my most common complaint is waiting around during soundchecks or to get into a venue, as I’m usually on my own at the time. You don’t want to arrive to early but you don’t want to miss anything.
getting rejected because you work with a news agency and the promoters think that somehow a freelancer can influence the editorial policy and force them to write about the event before it happens
90 seconds and you’re out.
Personally I find selling them the hardest part! The taking of pics the waiting around the unique challenge every band in every venue offers,is uite frankly why I left sports photography! Making cold hard cash is the only hard part for me:)
Same as m0n5t3r… and missing beer stand on press entrance:))
Thanks for all the comments on this topic, all. Next up, we’re going to do the flipside.
bad lighting, inanimate performer, and limited access are the hardest parts of shooting concerts.
Marketing oneself, and to get to that “first” breakthough gig shoot.
Sad to say, I still have achieve the latter part yet.
i am an 18 year old female, being taken seriously is an obstacle for me.
it seems like every other teenager is a ‘photographer’ these days.
it’s important for me to be viewed as a professional, rather than just another kid with a camera.
the toughest parts are dealing w/ proofing/editing/publishing stuff when you have a lot of shows in a short period of time, while juggling a full-time job and family demands.
not hearing back from publicists is also a needless pain in the arse; i’m an adult, i can take no for an answer. gotta give redlight props for their excellent communication for the recent Phish shoot.
i’m not in this thing to make a ton of $, but it is increasingly frustrating to hear from bands that they love yr work, but that they have no money and just want stuff for free (and not just tiny bands…i got contacted by the guitarist of a pretty decent-sized band last week).
I agree with the 2nd and 3rd responses. The security guards are extra mean to us females that just want to take pictures. Also, I’m still kind of new to the whole thing so I guess its hard to convince venues and management that I’m a serious photographer not just someone that wants to get into a show.
@DPC:
Nope man, same here in Belgium. I take the AB and Le Botanique as an example (but for the last one I have the chance to know the security guys very well).
For the AB (as far as I remember):
You get into the concert hall as anybody else. At some close exceptions; You wait at the lobby for your photopass (at this point of time, the 2 firsts front rows are already full). You make your way into the already over crowded front rows whishing your camera doesn’t get wet by some guys/girls dropping their beer on it. Try as much as stay polite when you get on the edge of the stage when you hear: again a f-word with a camera (but in 90% the guy/girl comes to you after a while asking for the site where the pictures will be put on).
For Le Botanique, you only get you photopass around 19.00 (7pm), not before! Generally no problems. Only problem is when there is a big band playing there. Last almost bad experience was The Subways. After I got my pass I found myself with the crowd at like 10 meters from the hall entrance. Then I heard A voice saying: Ollie, you got there!
Security guy (I know hil well for having work with him) letting me pass first :-) But usually these 2 concert hall have no photopit or whatever it is. The only time I saw one in the AB was for NIN!
Beside that, the worst part of being a concert photographer are for me these things:
- Guys working for an agency who think they are ‘la crème de la crème’ (means the best of the best) and not having respect for the others or event the crowd (see one of my exemple in my flick photostream called don’t do that).
- Having my photopass 10 minutes before the show because someone did forget one of the list on his desk… 2 floors up.
- Being pushed by the security before the end of the 3rd song(dpc should remember Main Square Festival last year).
- Not having any answer at my request. It’s just yes or no, no more no less.
But there is also good parts!!
Concert photography is just my hobby, I love it. But sometimes it’s hard
Same as M0n5t3r and Stan
Arrived at a show tonight and the press agency I do stuff for had arranged with the record label for my photographic pass. When I turned up at first they had no knowledge of me. How unprofessional!?!?!
They then found someone from the band’s management who had an email from the PR company and even although he had heard of me, he rejected me because he found out I was working for a press agency!!! “I’m sorry there’s no way I can let you in if you work for a news picture agency”
To say that the Agency and I was dissapointed was an understatement. Been doing local stuff for ages and this was my first big show through them!