Music Photographer
Hudson Valley – New York City – Long Island – CT – NJ
Performances, Rehearsals, Behind The Scenes, Social Photos, Album Covers, Promotions, Concerts
The adventure of photographing bands / musicians in and around New York has always been exciting. I’ve been lucky enough to photograph, meet and attend performances of many types of creative people.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to shooting live music.
Depending on the genre of music, the size of the venue, the quality of lighting, the rowdiness of the crowd, and any photographic regulations imposed by the band/venue, the approach to getting the perfect shot can vary greatly. This is actually why I find live music photography so much fun; no matter how much you prep, you simply never know what will be thrown at you. The combination of difficult lighting, fast moving musicians and a mass of people competing for sight lines makes getting the shot all that more sweet. Especially when your photo conveys the pure, unfiltered energy of a live performance. It’s a hard thing to pull off, but so gratifying when it happens!
Have a performance / event / practice to cover? Contact me for a quote today.
Photography of The Long Island Studio of Music
Beer Fields Music Festival – Long Island, New York
I find that photographing music performances is challenging..
A musician’s first intention when on stage is to sound good; looking good is secondary. When people normally get photos taken of them, they stop, face the camera, pose, smile, make a hand gesture, etc. and then they freeze until you snap the shot. When people are singing or playing instruments, they make a bunch of different faces if you break down each frame. So, as a photographer, I have to find the milliseconds of time where the subject is smiling, making a natural face, or “in the zone” of the music they are making. This takes a lot of hypervigilance during the performance, as you never know when the perfect shot can happen. Plus, there’s usually only one chance to get the shot, there’s no do-overs (unless they perform multiple times), and you can’t ask the artist to do something specific. You can only watch with 100% attention and feel the music along with the performer to kind of foretell when a good moment could come.
Queens Summer Vocal Institute
Photography of Soundswell in Long Island, NY
Want candid photos of your practice / rehearsal? Let’s talk.
christine abbate, new york music photographer