5 Tips to Becoming a Music Photographer
Before Covid hit, I had a busy year lined up full of tours and adventure. I had been gearing up for what I thought would be my most exciting year yet. It's funny to look back and see how much has changed. In February, I wouldn’t have thought twice about pushing my way through a crowd of people.
I don't know when live music will return, and until then, I've decided to reflect on the adventures I've had and to be grateful for what I’ve experienced.
I've been asked how I became a music photography more times than I can count. Upon reflecting on my journey and the things I have learned, I've come up with 5 tips I wish someone would have told me when I first started out.
1. Work on your craft!!!!
I know, this one seems obvious. You can't be a music photographer if you don't know how to take a photo, right? The funny thing is I've met many photographers who get caught up in the idea of touring and are more passionate about being on the road with musicians than the photography itself. Being a touring music photographer is a hard career to get into and sustain. If you don't have passion in your work, you're going to burn out. Now I'll never discourage networking and reaching out to people or even accepting a tour if the offer comes along, but when just getting started, spend time on your craft. What's your style? What makes your work stand out? What types of feelings or mood do you want to create with your photographs? Are you telling a story? Invest in yourself and focus on creating your best work, and remember, there's always more to learn!
2. Networking
Networking is a word that scares many people, but believe me, it doesn't need to be stressful. I recommend reaching out to smaller venues and bands to inquire about shooting a show for them. You may have to shoot for free, but at this point in your career, this is a great way to gain exposure and experience. I'd also suggest doing research in your city (or closest city where tours roll through) and find out which venues do not have a camera policy to bring your camera to. When you start shooting, start working on building connections with these venues and musicians. It can start by just saying hi and being polite, to running into them enough where you get to know each other. You have to network if you want to work in the music industry. People need to know who you are (and like you) if you want to find work. Start local and get to know the industry people in your area. Build friendships with them. What I would do is I would photograph a show for fun, talk to one of the musicians after the show to ask for their email to send them photos. Eventually these bands would start hiring me for shows. As your experience and photos improve, don't be afraid to reach out to bands coming through on tours if you could photograph them. As long as you're professional and polite (and don't send 45 emails) there's nothing wrong with inquiring, especially if you see that they don't have a lot of photos from the tour.
3. Have a Positive Attitude
Believe it or not, who you are as a person matters just as much as the quality of your work. Think of tour as living in a studio apartment with five other people. There is no such thing as personal space and you spend a LOT of time together... so you need to like one another. I can guarantee you that even if you take the most amazing photos, if you're not a pleasant person to be around, you won't be hired. You'll often see artists hiring the same crew for each tour because they know one another and they know they work well together on tour.
4. Take on other roles on tour
Something I’ve come to realize in the touring world is that you are more valuable the more hats you can fill. This may depend on the tour or your client, however, my first tours were with smaller artists who couldn’t hire more than a couple crew members on tour. Because of this, I learned how to sell merchandise and tour manage as well. This added a lot of work to my plate and sometimes reduced the amount of content I created, however I learned valuable skills that helped me book with so many other artists.
5. Be Easy to Book
I remember once where I was asked to recommend a photographer in my hometown of Winnipeg, MB. I spent two hours searching and sifting through websites of people I knew to find their work and figure out how to reach them. I was helping a friend so I took the time to do this - but I guarantee no one thinking about hiring you will. If you’re looking to have a serious career in any type of photography or freelance work, you need to be reachable. You should have a website and social media accounts that all go by the same username and are easy to find and look through. Don’t make it so that potential clients cannot find you.