Earlier this year, Vogue published an interview with Lloyd Wakefield, tour photographer for Harry Styles Love On Tour. This has been one of the most massive arena tours in recent memory, with Harry Styles at the pinnacle of his career and stardom. Wakefield's images for this tour are among the most viewed and shared in the history of music photography.

_{An important note: This article is not a critique of any specific photographer or artist. We love Harry in this House. Furthermore, Harry Styles’s previous tour photographers include acclaimed photographers Helene Pambrum and Anthony Pham. Harry has a record of supporting diverse talent, not only for his choice of photographer but more largely in his touring crew. The aforementioned interview was a catalyst discussion within the music photography community and I feel we must acknowledge it as a touchpoint.}

In the interview, Wakefield mentions, “I’d never actually shot a live show before Harry. He was the first concert that I’ve ever shot.”

This article sparked tremendous discussion in the music photography community at the time of its publication, and this single quote was at the heart of it.

Acknowledging Gender Inequity*

For many music photographers, it highlighted the reality that circumstance, character and opportunity matter more than experience or honing one's skills with years in the game. 

For many women in music photography, it spoke to so much more. Specifically, the fact the institutional bias and sexism of our industry that continually challenge their experience and opportunities.

A man having an opportunity doesn’t take away from his story or his talent. But it does mean that he didn’t have to fight the sexism, misogyny and double standards women experience to get it.

Acknowledging the challenges of women is not an admission that men in this industry are not talented, hard working or deserving of success. Just as the success of others doesn't take away from our own accomplishments.

As a man, it feels important to understand that regardless of my own personal challenges, hard work and opportunities, there are subtle, persistent factors that work against women in this industry that I have had the privilege of never experiencing.

The Insidiousness of Institutional Sexism

Music photography is hard. The simple truth is that there are not the opportunities available to match the talent, the dreams and the passions of us who pour our lives into this pursuit. We don't question this reality.

But neither should we shy away from the specific and very real challenges faced by women that plainly men never fear or experience.

I've heard first hand stories from women music photographers about being rejected from opportunities specifically because of their gender, appearance or how band members or their significant others would feel “uncomfortable” with a woman as part of the crew.

I've been asked for a referral for a touring photographer when the client is specifically requesting a man to fill the role, due to “tour dynamics.” Even at the very least offensive, these insidious requests come under the guise of simplifying logistics, such as tight budgets for crew accommodations and the assumption that crew will share rooms or even beds.

While decisions like these may not be rooted in sexism or specific prejudice, what it represents is a systematic bias in the music industry where men are all too often considered as the default of convenience. The result of a patriarchy dictating the status quo is that women are denied space or forced to justify their qualifications based on their gender alone. 

To refute these gender specific biases — unconscious or not, malicious or not — feels like refuting fundamental facts of reality, like a round earth or the force of gravity.

Micro Aggressions, Harassment and Assault

Beyond barriers for equal opportunity, women working in music photography are met with further negative experiences that few men share to the same widespread degree. These range from gender-based micro aggressions and verbal harassment to physical violence and sexual assault.

My friends and colleagues tell me about being introduced to venue security by the tour manager as the tour photographer with full and unrestricted access, only to be immediately questioned or hassled once the TM leaves.

From press photographers, I hear of women having their credentials scrutinized, while male colleagues walk past them to enter photo pits without questioning. From others working on productions or on set, hearing of women photographers being paid half the rate of a man for doing the the same job.

All too often, we hear about women photographers being accused of being a girlfriend, a fangirl or a groupie by staff, fans or even fellow photographers — accusations men rarely face in the photo pit while simply trying to do their job. All while other men in the same space stand by in silence.

Colleagues have been physically assaulted, being violently shoved against the stage by security as they pass for no reason, while the same security personnel leaves men working without harassment.

Most harrowingly, women are at dramatically higher levels of risk for sexual harassment and sexual assault in the music industry when compared to men. From crowded live events and working in close quarters of touring to navigating power dynamics often controlled by men, music photography is not free from sexual violence perpetrated by men.

These are events no one should go through in any context, let alone our peers in music photography, but their instances are far too familiar among so many women in our space. What we see is that even when women succeed in the world of touring and live music, with access, opportunities and work, the same spaces that are safest for men have no such guarantee for women.

Tour Photography and Gender Bias

In the world of music photography, touring is held up as the pinnacle of the profession in many ways. Working closely with an artist or band, with unfettered access and a romanticized life on the road have their clear appeal. Because of this coveted position and the rarity of it — there’s so often only one tour photographer or even a single creator doing both photo and video on a tour — it’s all that more elusive for so many.

While women represent a huge proportion of music photographers, what do we see in touring? Particularly at the highest levels?

Consider the iHeartRadio Music Awards, which is one of the few if not the only honors for tour photography. For the 2023 category of “Favorite Tour Photographer,” out of eleven total spots, three women were nominated: Yasi, Ashley Osborn and Elizabeth Miranda.

To be clear, this evidence is not a slight against any photographer nominated. But it does raise a simple question: Is this what our music photography community looks like? Is this what our talent looks like?

Since the addition of the tour photographer category in 2019, we have seen similar or worse levels of representation, with white men dominating the nominations. In 2020, we saw no women nominated in this category. 

Acknowledging Our Challenges to Overcome Them

Why does this matter? The iHeartRadio nominations show us how the biggest artists hire. These are tours that have the budget for touring women-only crew rooms. Without the need to share beds or the entire crew to sleep in a van together.

These are the most successful artists who should be in the best position to skip past the inequity of this industry to hire diversely and to seek out the best talent. And yet even here, we see a sampling of photographers that doesn’t match the breakdown of talent in the music photography community. 

Why is that?

The reality is that the upper levels of tour photography skew heavily towards men because they are a reflection of a system that positions men as a default. Of what is easy, what is convenience. Of who has time and time been referred to as a “good hang.” This fact is why we must acknowledge our challenges as a whole. 

In numerous aspects of photography, we see women dramatically under represented, despite reporting that globally women make up 75% of photography students. Shifting our industry and community must start at the lowest levels, so that we can see this change at the highest, most visible levels.

The Fallacy of the Good Hang

In touring, there's the common understanding that being a “good hang” or someone who can “vibe” with the band or artist is essential to joining a tour. When it comes to tour photography, we implicitly understand that this aspect is as important if not more important than the quality of one’s work.

This vague signaling of personality fit is essentially one of comfort and trust. An understandable and reasonable expectation for artists and crews, where the boundaries of personal space and intimacy can be nearly non-existent. But when the norms of what is comfortable and who is trusted are shaped predominantly by men, the connotation of what constitutes a “good hang” cannot be taken at face value.

What this simple truth belies is the systemic gender bias, sexism and misogyny present in our society, where men cannot universally welcome women without qualification or as equals. That at worst, in a patriarchy, a woman must choose between being “one of the guys” or being their true authentic selves.

When we point out inequality, no one is asking for women to be considered based solely on their gender. This is not equity. We are striving for the day when gender is simply not a limiting factor to the opportunities women have. 

Smashing the Patriarchy in Music Photography

So, you're a man reading this. Ask yourself: Who are you referring for jobs when you have the position and opportunity? Who do you choose to associate with, lift up and champion? What do they stand for, and who are they supporting?

If you've witnessed sexism and misogyny in the photo pit, or backstage or on a tour bus, are you speaking up? Are you advocating for pay transparency with your peers?

We must do better. This change starts with our community. And it starts with you.

* A few notes: 

First, women are not the only group that faces inequity in music photography, but they are the largest single group facing discrimination. Women of color, trans women, queer and non-binary or gender non-conforming people face even more inequality. While this article focuses on the experience of women and the inequality they experience, we are fighting for all groups that face forms of underrepresentation, discrimination and unequal access to opportunities despite the ability, talent and drive to succeed.

Second, this post is directed primarily at men. Simply put, men are in positions of power at every level of the music industry and as a result, the burden is on men to change a horribly flawed system.

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If you're a music photographer, pricing your work can be a struggle at any stage of your career. Traditionally, guarding one's pricing and rates has felt like an asset or perhaps a necessity. This approach isn't specific to music photography, but it is one that is very common in this field.

I'd argue that being as transparent about rates and pricing is something only benefits the music photography community. If we can leave egos aside, understanding what our peers charge and earn can give us both goals and the aspirations to set our sights even higher.

To this end, I wanted to create a comprehensive music photography rates sheet that can serve as a community resource to encourage transparency about rates. Enter the Music Photography Rates & Pricing spreadsheet.

If you're looking for what to charge for music photography or have experience to share, read on.

If you want the sheet, skip to the end, but I'd encourage you to read about why this resource was created first.

Why is pay transparency necessary?

Like most aspects of business and employment, pay transparency benefits those doing the work. Conversely, being closed about what we charge only saves egos and protects low budgets.

Not sharing rates gives leverage to those who would take advantage of our passions and talents. It feeds on the doubts and insecurity of creatives and reinforces the narrative that we have to lower our fees or miss out on opportunities.

I feel sharing rates about what we charge as music photographers gives us strength collectively. It gives points of reference — both high and low — for the value of our work.

Rate transparency empowers photographers

Transparency about rates empowers photographers. Here's an example that was shared on the Music Photography Discord recently, where a beta of the rates sheet was shared in advance of its public launch.

Knowledge is power. Photographers being able to negotiate higher rates from the confidence of community knowledge is the exact reason we need rate transparency.

Creating a solution for the music photography community

With this in mind, I've created a Google form and linked Google sheet that I hope can serve as community reference point for rates in music photography.

The intent of this form and data are to give us a transparent look into music photography rates. The goal is to show real world rate reporting as a reference for estimates and fees so that we can help negotiate and leverage our value more effectively as music photographers. 

The more we can share and understand what clients are paying and what are peers are charging, the more power we have to advocate for our worth. All submissions are anonymous. All data, high and low, is valuable and encouraged.

Contribute to the Music Photography Rates Sheet

If you're reading this and have ever been paid for music photography, I'd strongly encourage you to enter work history and rates. The strength of this data relies on as diverse entries as possible giving as much detail as possible.

If you're looking to contribute rates, it's helpful to view the sheet first to understand the formatting. Take a look, then add your experience.

From local bands to world tours, if you've done work as a music photographer, we need your data. All entries are anonymous, but you can name the artist or clients if you wish.

And here's a plain link to the submission form:

https://forms.gle/zHxJ9g4DVPZCQS7T7

What do Music Photographers Charge?

If you're creating an estimate or you've been asked for a rate and want to a reference for what other photographers are charging, look no further.

You can see past entries from this form in the reference sheet for music photo rates here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1n-9lzJ9aKmkT_N_cNsV4-xvz2otvCIZfTCzVn4Zs04c/edit?usp=sharing

I hope this resource is helpful. If you're looking for more help with business and pricing, or if you're looking for a place for community, join us on the Music Photography Discord.

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If you're new to live music photography, you may be new to photographing using high ISO settings. A common question for newer music photographers is, “what ISO setting should I use for concert photography?”

While there's no single setting that will work for all situations, overall what I'd say this:

Use the ISO you need to make the images you want.

Why avoid high ISO?

The biggest avoidance with using high ISO is due a decrease in image quality. Generally, with digital sensors, image quality declines in a few notable ways above (and below) the base or native ISO of the sensor. The base ISO is the sensitivity at which no digital gain is applied to the image capture. When photographing above the base ISO, the signal is amplified, and too with it digital nose.

Digital noise is the prime symptom that most people associate with photographing at high ISO. In addition, dynamic range, color fidelity and more also suffer.

High ISO is a compromise

In photography, there are three variables that dictate exposure:

• Shutter speed
• Aperture
• ISO

With concert photography, one is working in low light and the production. Using primes or even f/2.8 lenses, we're very often photographing at max aperture to let in as much light as possible. So here, aperture is fixed as well.

That leaves aperture and ISO as the main variables we may change in the dimmest venues for live music. So we are often left with the choice — motion blur or grain.

All things being equal, most photographers would prefer a pristine image, without significant blur or grain. That said, within the constraints of exposure, we must choose our compromises.

It's natural for many photographers to want to avoid excessive grain or digital noise, particularly if you're not used to seeing it in your images.

Why high ISO doesn't matter in music photography

So, back to the question — what's the “best” ISO for music photography? My answer is always this:

Use the ISO you need to make the images you want.

Now here's why:

If the “worst” thing someone says about your images are that they're a little grainy, that means you did everything else right. You nailed the composition, the angle, the moment, the emotion.

Consider every classic rock photo that's ever etched itself in your memory. I'm not looking at the iconc photos of Lynn Goldsmith or Jim Marshall or Mick Rock or Pennie Smith and thinking, “Incredible, but a little too grainy.”

Don't sweat the technique. This includes motion blur, focus, or any other technical bit of execution or image quality. So long as they're not distracting, these aspects can be often less important than the moment, lighting and emotional impact of the image.

My personal suggestions for ISO

I'm a hugely technical photographer and pride myself on my execution. Still, I will never hesitate to choose an image that captures a decisive moment imbued with emotion and passion over a technically precise image that lacks these qualities.

These days, most full frame cameras perform wonderfully at high ISO. Even with APS-C sensors, you should be able to comfortably use ISO 3200-6400 with proper exposure.

On my Nikon Z 9, I will use up to ISO 12800 without much hesitation. Most of my concert photography lives between ISO 3200 and 6400. It's a rare day when I photograph at ISO 1600 or below as a professional music photographer.

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As I always say, music photography is all about “low light, fast action and high ISO.” All these challenges mean that your camera gear can matter a lot more than in other genres of photography. This especially includes the right lenses for concert photography. At the very least, having the right gear makes the task of music photography much, much easier.

Do you have the right lenses for concert photography? Here's my recommendation on the essential lenses to photograph live music.

Choosing the right lenses for concert photography can seem like a daunting task. In this article, we'll cover the main lenses used by professional live music photographers. With this focus, this does exclude faster prime lenses, which can be extremely useful if not necessary for small, dimly lit clubs.

This list of lenses covers zooms exclusively, due to the fact that the utilitarian nature of a zoom lens has massive benefits for music photography, where the photographing positions, access and time are often extremely limited.

As such, the utility and convenience of zoom lenses is almost universally embraced by professional music photographers. If you're interested in seeing my full kit for music photography, visit my Concert Photography Gear Guide.

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Now, with that out of the way, let's get to the lens recommendations!

The Holy Trinity of f/2.8 Zooms

For professional music photographers, there's really only three main lenses that everyone seems to agree on: the “holy trinity” of f/2.8 zooms. An ultra-wide zoom, a midrange zoom, and a telephoto zoom.

In my kit, this set includes:

• Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8
• Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8
• Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8

You have everything from ultra-wide at 14mm to telephoto at 200mm covered in three lenses in a constant f/2.8 aperture. This three-lens kit covers nearly everything you could reasonably be expected to photograph as a live music photographer.

For professional music photographers, these three lenses are the ones you'll find in everyone's kits, almost without exception.

Now, let's look at these individual lenses and their uses in music photography, but slightly out of order. Instead, I'll cover these lenses in the order that I recommend you buy them as you build your photography kit.

24-70mm f/2.8 — The Midrange Zoom

A 24-70mm f/2.8 is called a midrange zoom because it covers the middle range of focal lengths, from wide angle to short telephoto. For most general concert photography from a photo pit, where you're not very close or very far from your subjects, this lens is often the most used. The 24mm to 70mm range is simply super useful for general music photography.

While a 24-70mm lens may not have the visual impact of an ultra-wide or a tighter telephoto lens, its often a single “do it all” kind of zoom range. The exceptions to this are for very large festivals where you have photo pit access, but when the stages are so tall that a 70-200mm f/2.8 becomes more useful.

For most photographers, the 24-70mm f/2.8 is the first zoom lens you should buy. It will excel in all but the very smallest venues right up to arenas and amphitheaters.

70-200mm f/2.8 — The Telephoto Zoom

After the midrange, a 70-200mm f/2.8 is an essential lens for live music photography. For most music photographers, this is the second zoom lens you should buy to round out your kit.

The telephoto range here lets you easily close the distance between you and performers, allowing for isolation and beautiful close-ups.

A 70-200mm is most useful for larger venues such as arenas, amphitheaters and festival setups. In addition, a telephoto zoom will be perfect for photographing individual performers and especially members of the band who may be further back, such as drummers. Remember: Don't forget the drummer!

14-24mm f/2.8 — The Ultra-wide Zoom

Lastly, the 14-24mm f/2.8 is the final zoom lens that most concert photographers will want to add to their bag. This is an extreme wide angle lens that gives dramatic perspective distortion.

An ultra-wide lens like the 14-24mm is ideal when you can get very close to a subject or the front of the stage, as well as for capturing atmosphere of a venue and the scale of a crowd at concerts.

My Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8S is the perfect lens for photographing a massive crowd in an arena or amphitheater. It's also one of my favorite lenses to use to photograph drummers when I have stage access.

The reason I recommend buying an ultra-wide lens last is that due the extremely wide perspective, the ideal situations for using such a lens are more limited than the midrange and telephoto zooms we've detailed above. In addition, the look of an ultra-wide lens is very particular and even with the ideal circumstances, the effect can come off as more one note

Summary of Essential Lenses for Concert Photography

These are my recommendations for the essential lenses for concert photography. Almost every single image of my photography portfolio has been made with one of these three lenses.

Of course, there are exceptions to these recommendations. Read by article on the Best Lenses for Live Music Photography for more options including prime lenses, as well as a lot of examples of images made with each lens!

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So whether you're photographing for an editorial publication, an artist/band, or just want to know the standard images to create for live music, here's a list of common images to make as a music photographer.

First off, I'm not saying that you must create the images in this concert photography shotlist for every single client or every assignment. Everyone's vision is different, and concert photography is no different.

I'm presenting this list of common live music photography images as a reference for inspiration if you're a new music photographer or are looking for inspiration to increase the variety of your work.

Setlist

Fans always love seeing a setlist for a tour or show. The diehard fans will always try and score a setlist after the show. The next best thing you can give them as a concert photographer is a photo of the setlist.

Fans on the Barricade

Fans make live music, full stop. Showing fans seeing their favorite artists, rocking out, and enjoying the set is a great concert photography image to make. As I like to say, sometimes the best image isn't on stage, but right behind you.

Full Stage

Similar to images of fans, setting the context for a concert is essential for concert coverage. Tight images of a band member or artist could be made anywhere. What places it at your specific venue?

Venue/Production

Related to full stage shots, production photos focus on the production itself — lighting, effects, pyro, etc. These are images that capture the lighting design and full treatment, as well as the experience the tour creates.

Full Group/Band Photo

If you're photographing a band, it's essential to make an image that shows every member as clearly as possible. This can be a challenge for larger stages or bands with more than 4 members, but this image can be critical to concert photography storytelling.

Individuals of every band member

Beyond the full band photo, make images of every band member. This is often the easiest kind of image to make and one that you will likely gravitate towards naturally. But don't just focus on the lead singer or guitarist — make sure to create one great image of each band member.

The Drummer!

Drummers are special and sacred. Drummer photos are often the most difficult and challenging, but the exact reason why I'm calling them out now even after the above advice. As I always say, “Don't forget the drummer!”

Multiple Combinations of Band Members

We've covered individuals and we've covered full band images. What's left? Different combinations of members. Drummer and bass player. Guitarist and bass player. Singer and guitarist. You get the idea.

Multiple Angles

In essence this list is all about covering different perspectives, but what I mean here specifically is to make sure you get as much coverage as possible from different vantage points. For example, getting a variety of images from the stage left, center and stage right. This is in addition to images from the photo pit, on stage (if you have the access), front of house, etc.

Multiple Focal lengths

In addition to covering your angles, try to vary the perspectives you make in terms of using different focal lengths. If all your images are made with the same or similar focal lengths, you're going to get a very similar look to your images.

The standards of photojournalism apply to music photography in creating a wide, mid and tight shots as part of the storytelling.

The Reverse from Stage

If you're blessed with all access and the ability to photograph from stage, there's nothing like a reverse shot to make the most of that access. A reverse shot is made from stage, looking out to the audience. Literally the reverse of what the audience sees.

Artist Closeups

I sometimes like to refer to music photography as “low light action portraiture.” Artist closeups are essentially tight portraits of a performer. Instead of studio lighting, these are simply portraits using the existing stage lighting, but which otherwise may fall into a portrait study that creates isolation and insight.

Details

Similar to images of the setlist, it's always nice to have detail shots from a concert to fill out a set. Perhaps it's a closeup of a guitar, or the shoes a performer is wearing. Maybe it's an aspect of the show or venue that gives greater context or place setting. Whatever the detail, these images add variety and depth to the storytelling of your concert photography.

Artist/Fan Interaction

This one is situational and something that's pretty obvious in the moment, but artist-fan interaction photos are one that I live for. Particularly when you have photo pit access, this one is always great to create and gives you that feeling of being right there in the best seat in the house.

Special Effects (Pyro, Cryo, Confetti, etc)

If a concert has any special effects, these are a great element to capture that that help ground your images in a particular tour. Similar to capturing the particular lighting effects in the aforementioned production images, special effects at a concert are often one of the most memorable aspects of a tour or performance.

And more

There are countless ways to approach concert photography and images to make. These are just a few and by no means how you must approach photographing live music. These are just some of the images on my mental checklist when I do concert photography.

In addition this list doesn't even start to get into the more artistic kinds of images you can make in live music photography. From abstracts to silhouettes to motion blur or more stylistic images.

More importantly, don't limit yourself to how others approach concert photography. Photograph live music the way you want to. Take the ideas and inspiration that align with the images you want to make. It's really that simple.

Summary

If you're new to music photography or just looking for ideas on how to approach concert photography, I hope this article gives you some ideas. This is no by no means a complete or definitive concert photography shotlist, but just some standard images you can make as a music photographer.

Your style and how you approach music photography can be as different as you make it. But if you're looking for conventional images to make, I hope this list gives you some ideas. Have fun in the pit.

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