Shooting a concert in documentary style was something that I always wanted to shoot. A few years ago I got my first chance of it, when Ozone Mama and some other band was playing at Barba Negra track. Only the small stage was open, and while quite a few people showed up, it wasn’t a mega concert. Fortunately who did show up went crazy, and the place was almost packed!
Storytelling
I tried to create memories that would bring back the feeing being there. I focued on storytelling. The interactions between the band and the fans, and also friendship and tensions between band members. I hope you will find the small nuances that I accidentaly or deliberately left in the image that make it tell a story.
When I’m back from a photoshoot, I throw out all the files that are technically bad. They are blurry or the composition is very off. And I do this on the memory card, I don’t even copy them anywhere! Then I import them to my project onto my computer and go through each picture and see if they tell a story or not, how much does this picture worth to me personally and to my client? How much further does this image let me towards my goal of delivering what I was commisioned for? This grants the image a number from 1 to 5. I never hand over images that are 1 or 2. If I can manage, I only use grade 4-5. If it helps to move the story forward, I include a couple of 3s, but rarely.
”Shoot what you want, how you want to”
It is really important to shoot for yourself, not just the client. Of course, if you’re getting paid, you have to deliver what the client orders, but if your product has a certain plus, it will definetaly add to the value your clients are getting. So look for micro-stories next time you’re on the job.
Looking back
Now as I look back to this concert documentary, I can feel the summer heat and the blast of vintage rock n’ roll. It was one of my best experiences as a music photograper.
This was exactly what my client asked of me, so I delivered.
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