Greetings! You may recall a few entries in this series running around the start of the new year. We love this column and thought we had run every photo we had acquired, but it turns out we missed one! We thought about skipping it, but that felt like it would be a disservice to you and the photographer who was gracious enough to share their work with us.
Here’s the original introduction in case you were unaware of this series before now:
After much thought and debate, we settled on a new concept that we think everyone enjoy. Together with a group of our favorite music photographers, we have compiled a collection of images that showcase some of the best and most intimate moments in music from 2014. The images shared in this series were chosen by the photographers who captured them, and the only guidelines they were given was to choose the one image that meant the most to them. Some included an explanation for their photos, while others did not, but everyone chose images that are sure to linger in your mind for days to come.
Next up: Professional music photographer Connor Feimster.
In June of 2014, I was lucky enough to fly out to Dallas, TX to cover the first annual Pegasus Music Festival. I worked behind the scenes with PMtoday (now Move Orchestra), one of my favorite bands from my high school years that performed their final show under the moniker. The incredibly stacked lineup also included Bad Books, Dustin Kensrue of Thrice, Cold War Kids, Circa Survive, and headliners Brand New.
Anyone who knows close to anything about me will most likely know that Circa Survive and Brand New are two of my three favorite bands of all time (the third being mewithoutYou), so my excitement leading up to the night of the festival was unparalleled for the rest of 2014. My departure flight was the first indicator that my weekend in Texas would be legendary, as I sat one row away from three-fifths of Circa Survive and ultimately chatted it up with them to the point where they offered me a ride to the festival like the gentlemen they really are. The journalist in me played it cool while the fanboy in me exploded.
At the festival, I got to hang out backstage with literally every single band on the bill. Bumping into Jesse Lacey, Andy Hull, Kevin Devine, and Dustin Censure in the hallway together was something I never thought I’d see, let alone something in which I’d be included. I got to have a few quick one-on-one portrait sessions with most of these frontmen while also documenting my time with PMtoday and chatting with them about how much their opus In Medias Res means to me.
The time then came for the festival to get a move on, and I got to go out to the crowd and do my thing at the barricade for each band. It was the coolest thing to be able to shoot and then head backstage to rest. It was like some sort of luxury. By the time I finished shooting Cold War Kids, a realization came over me: Brand New are essentially a “great white shark” in the music photography industry. The band, as “egotistical” or “shallow” as it sounds, does not ever allow photographers present at a show of theirs that isn’t under the category of a festival. I personally have no idea why (it’s the ~mystery~ aspect they have to uphold, I bet), but that didn’t stop me from running out to the front of the stage to prepare myself for easily the most important shoot of my young career.
Brand New’s performance was the stuff of legends. I’m lucky enough to say that I’ve seen them at least five times, as it’s damn near impossible for even the most devoted fans to see them at all, but there was something about this performance that struck a chord with me. It must be the overall experience of the festival, but their energy and lights and setlist were all just outstanding. I made it a duty to not look at my photos until the plane ride home, but once I was in the air, I pulled out my camera, flipped through, and dropped my jaw.
That night, Brand New used strobe lights, which are incredibly hit-or-miss to photographers, as they can catch everything or nothing at all. I was incredibly lucky to grab this shot, featuring all four members of Brand New, with heightened energy, within the light of a strobe. This is something I never, in a million years, would have seen myself getting. It’s the type of photo that literally catches me by surprise every time I see it, because I simply can’t believe that it exists.
Connor Feimster is a professional music photographer who has contributed to a number of popular alternative music blogs. His future is bright, and we believe he will do amazing things in the year ahead. If you enjoy the photo in this post, please make it a point to follow Connor on Twitter. You should also check out his official website, which hosts a ton of stunning live music images.
