Greta Van Fleet’s performance at Musikfest on August 1st was only the second concert I’ve ever photographed. Needless to say, it’s a big jump from the tiny, intimate, indoor stage at XL Live in Harrisburg (check out my photos and article from the Stephen Sanchez concert), but no less amazing of an experience.
Clearly, I am far from being a seasoned concert photographer, but everyone has to start somewhere and I will admit…my starting block is a pretty good gig. I’ll always be grateful that I’ve had this opportunity to photograph concerts through WVUD and be mere feet away from artists like Greta Van Fleet. Check out James Kelly’s review on the full concert experience.
Since starting college, my photography hobby has taken a backseat to things like classwork, feeding myself, and, of course, radio. That being said, I am overjoyed that I was able to take photos that I’m proud of at this concert. I was painfully reminded that concert photography is no joke: the lighting is always changing, the subjects always moving. This show had the added inclusions of a much taller stage, a dozen other photographers jostling for a few feet of space…and a lot of pyrotechnics. But while the conditions can be difficult to work with, they make for some pretty wicked photos if you can catch them.
You may notice lots of elbows, speakers, and various other objects in the edges of the frames in these photos. These are the unfortunate consequences of being 5’3″ standing next to a stage of about the same height and being surrounded by maybe twenty other media and security folks. Photobombs may not be ideal but I do think they give my work character and remind me of the chaotic reality of live events.
Photographing concerts combines my love of photography with my love of music and I’d do it just about every weekend if I could. It still generates some major imposter syndrome, once I start to think about the fact that my camera is likely the cheapest model in attendance and every other photographer seems much more qualified than myself. But in the end, there’s always that one shot that boosts my confidence again. I’ll round off the gallery with what I consider to be the shot of the night…
