This is In Focus. Every post in this series is a case study of one of my services, told through the work itself. This one features Concert Photography.
Are You in a Band or a DJ?
Are the only pictures you have of your shows the ones your friends took on their phones?
There's a difference between a picture of a show and one that captures what it felt like. That's the job.
My Style
If I get the opportunity, I listen first. For Concert Photography, I get to know the artists I'm working with—the music and their on‑stage presence. I observe when the big moment in a set is coming. This helps me reveal their personality in the process, instead of simply snapping pictures of people holding instruments.
I don't get that opportunity with every band. But when I do, the pictures are better for it.
The concert doesn't stop for a photographer. The light changes every few seconds, the singer moves, the crowd moves, and you don't get a second take. You learn the band's timing, you watch for the moment, and you take it when it comes.
DJ Valence with The Grasshopper Unit - A Beastie Boys Tribute filmed at The Paddlewheel
What Is Concert Photography?
Concert photography is live photography. Nothing is posed, nothing is repeated, and the light is whatever the stage gives you — usually not much of it, and usually red or purple.
Most of the time you're shooting from the pit, the space between the stage and the crowd, and you're working fast. You have to know when the singer is about to hit the big note, when the guitarist is about to step forward, when the drop is about to hit. That's the picture.
Where It Started
For a few years I had my business in Branson, Missouri. One of my clients was Main Street Marina and the Paddlewheel on the Branson Landing. On weekends, I shot their live music event, Rock the Dock — photography, video, and social posts. It had a new live band each week, and some of the better bands had repeated gigs. During the week, I helped manage their websites, social media, video, YouTube channel, and blog.
That's where I met Paralandra, a band from the Springfield area. I met them doing this kind of work. I shot them at The Paddlewheel and in other places outside of that venue. This included their release party for the album "Street Magic". When I moved to Vegas, I kept going to their shows when they came out west, at The 44 in Glendale and Count's Vamp'd in Las Vegas, just because I like their music.
I've shot bigger rooms too — Theory of a Deadman, Saliva, Walk the Moon, Starship with Mickey Thomas, and others.
Other clubs along the way — Waxy O'Shea's Irish Pub on the Branson Landing, before the Paddlewheel hired me, and a one-off at the Bowery in Myrtle Beach, shooting their house band, The Bounty Hunters.
What Stood Out About Paralandra
This band has an amazing story. There is a whole backstory on how Casandra and Paul are playing together; he was scouted early on in his career by big rock names. However, he changed his career path to be a dad instead. His daughter grew up incredibly talented with a great feel for the industry. They formed Paralandra, and the rest is history. I don't think I have ever shot a more polished band that isn't playing arenas.
Great band, amazing music, and true role models.
Find out more about Paralandra
A three-year compilation of images I took with Paralandra set to music from their Street Magic Album
More Than Pictures
The pictures are the start. I can take those images and put them in workable formats for whatever you need — social posts, a press kit, a poster, your website. And I can help you build your voice online or in print with the rest of what I do.
A band or a DJ is a small business, and most don't have a creative team. I am a Creative Media Specialist. I can help fill those gaps to promote yourself that you don't have time for. The Paddlewheel was a case study proving it: building blocks to build your presence online or in print.
If You're On Stage, or Own the Stage
If you're in a band or a DJ and you need more than phone pictures of your shows, get in touch. We'll talk about the show, the songs, and what you need the pictures to do. If you are a club or venue and need someone to build a creative project or event, let me help you make that happen.
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