Welcome to the (Photo) Pit

I recently had the opportunity to shoot a concert at the House of Blues Dallas for Chelsea Cutler. It was one of the most memorable times I've had as a photographer and while the performances were amazing, the people around me made it so much more.

This concert was one of my first times not shooting directly for the artist, but rather shooting through a third party. I am very fortunate to have a partnership with LiveNation for this blog that allows me to attend certain events and concerts with media credentials. On this particular night, four other photographers were shooting for various media outlets. One of them, James, had an amazing personality and naturally wanted to get to know us. All of us ended up introducing ourselves and sharing our photography journeys. It was truly amazing to get to hear from other artists about their unique paths and why they love to create.

As we all exchanged stories, I noticed that I was the youngest one there by about five years. The female photographer closest in age to me was shooting her first concert which was so exciting! The oldest among us—a very charming man—named Justin had been shooting for over 25 years and was still shooting on a Nikon film camera (which was the coolest thing ever). He said something to me that resonated with me for days to come.

"Take time to enjoy this. You didn't get here by accident. You earned this." -Justin

He reminded me that people work super hard to be able to shoot big events like that concert and many don't ever make it. It was no small feat that I was already being given these opportunities at such a young age. I am so thankful for the gifts that God has given me and I cannot wait to see where he ends up letting me use them.

Shooting in the pit with other photographers was a new situation for me. I was nervous about getting in people's way and/or blocking their shots. What if someone got mad because I kept stealing their spot? However, I was surprised at how naturally it came to me. It's almost like a sixth sense I had to have to keep my attention on the artist, but also know exactly where people were around me. As the night went on, I became more and more confident with going where I wanted to get my shots, rather than trying to avoid other people's. It was a fine line of respecting other photographers while also making sure that I was doing my best work.

Because there were two opening acts before Chelsea—ROSIE and Adam Melchor—there was plenty of time to talk and get to know people between acts. I met an amazing guy from Australia, Findlay, on the front row who was attending the concert with his fiance. Another group asked for some photos and I was happy to shoot a few for them. I'm not sure who was in charge of the aux between the performances, but that crowd was loving every single song. It was just a crazy atmosphere overall.

One of the most memorable moments came when someone on the front row dropped their cup over the barrier. I had been moving right under Chelsea (she was on the edge of the stage) and I totally didn't see it because I had my camera in one hand and my prism in the other. I tripped backward and ended up flat on my back. It was so humiliating. I swear Chelsea had to have seen it, but her professionalism gave her the ability not to react. In that moment I was so embarrassed, but the front row ended up just laughing with me and it's a funny story to tell now.

I am so thankful for all of the people that I met there and I can't wait to see what the photographers and musical artists create next!

I don't know about y'all, but this week is crazy busy for me so make sure you find time to relax a little bit too! Also, I'm excited to release something new next Tuesday, but more on that later!

-Luke