Tag: Matty Vogel

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11 Alternative Music Photographers You Should Follow Right Away

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(Photo by Thomas Falcone)

We have dedicated a lot of blog space over the last two years to helping make you, the reader, a better music photographer. Those efforts will no doubt continue in the future as we believe the role of education in someone’s life is one that lasts from the cradle to the grave, but today we are turning our focus from the ins and outs of the industry to those who are currently setting the standard for professionalism. There are probably hundreds, if not thousands of photographers covering the world of alternative music right now, and in time we hope to highlight as many of them as we possible can. Right now however, we want to focus on 10 people with unique perspectives on the current music scene that we feel everyone should know and follow online. You can learn from them, or you can just enjoy their work. Either way, please support these hard working people:

Adam Elmakias (Website, Instagram, Twitter)

At the risk of overstating his current level of influence, Adam Elmakis pretty much sets the bar for photography in the alternative music scene. He has photographed everyone you can think to name, but he’s best known for his work with A Day To Remember, Of Mice & Men, and Pierce The Veil. 

Ashley Osborn (Website, Instagram, Twitter)

Harnessing the power of social media to further her presence and influence like few have been able to accomplish, Ashley Osborn is an innovative photographer with a perspective on life like no other. If anyone works harder than her to make photography their life I have yet to meet them.

Grady Brannan (Website, Instagram, Twitter)

Sometimes photographers rise to popularity by capturing dozens upon dozens of artists at every level of stardom, but that is not the case for everyone. Grady has been around the music industry, as well as the modeling world, but he’s probably best known for capturing the rise of rapper G-Eazy from underground clubs to sold out stadiums, both on stage and off. His notoriety rose right along with G’s stardom, and today it’s hard to talk with anyone in photography or music without one of their names coming up.

Thomas Falcone (Website, Instagram, Twitter)

If you’re a fan of Mayday Parade there is a good chance you have swooned over the talent of photographer Thomas Falcone once or three dozen times over the last few years. Thomas can capture any artist in a way that makes you drop your jaw, but his time on the road with the men of Mayday has allowed him to work with them on an entirely different level. It’s both personal and professional, making you feel as if you’re right next to the band no matter where they happen to be around the globe.

Molly Louise Hudelson (Website, Instagram, Twitter)

Most the photographers on this list so far have become synonymous with artists who are currently able to headline all over the world. Molly Louise Hudelson works with that level of talent as well, but her best work is done when capturing the artists still trying to cut their teeth in this crazy business of entertainment. If you want to see the artists who will be headlining in one or three years from now, Molly’s work is a good place to start.

Vince Dwyer (Website, Instagram, Twitter)

Vince Dwyer spends a lot of time on the road with The Word Alive, which offers him unique access to the world of hard work and metal that (lucky for us) he then shares with people around the globe using only his camera. Like others on this list, his talent has grown along with the artists he’s dedicated his life to capturing, and with each new tour it seems he only gets better.

Nick Karp (Website, Instagram, Twitter)

It’s not easy making it as a freelance music photographer in 2015, but Nick Karp has somehow found a way to make it work while also living full time in New York City. His ability to hustle day and night, show to show, is right up there with the hardest working bands in music today. On any given date he may be capturing anywhere from one to ten bands at one or more shows in various corners of the city, and once summer arrives with festivals every other week his schedule only grows more hectic. Nick also has a heart for education, as anyone familiar with this blog has seen through his numerous columns on music photography basics, so really there is no reason for you not to follow his work from this point forward.

Sedition1216 (Website, Instagram, Twitter)

We hate not being able to use someone’s real name in a feature like this, but the photographer most commonly referred to as Sedition has chosen to keep his identity a bit harder to come by than most. What we know for certain is that he spends his days driving your favorite bands from show to show, and at night he uses his Canon 70D to capture moments that will make your heart skip a beat. His work with models is pretty incredible as well, and with Warped Tour fast-approaching, you can expect a wealth of new images to be produced in weeks ahead.

Mike Wilson (Website, Instagram, Twitter)

You would be hard pressed to find a single person in music, maybe even the planet, with a bad thing to say about Mike Wilson. The world may have a shortage of truly good people, but Mike is a hard working guy who also happens to be incredibly kind and ridiculously underrated. He spent the beginning of 2015 with Cartel, and the work he came back with will make you fall in love with the band even if you know understand why everyone lost their mind over the release of Chroma. His work is that good, and even though he has a few years of experience under his belt it’s clear he’s nowhere near reaching the peak of his abilities. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Mike found himself where Elmakis is at today within five years time, if not sooner.

Teri Cwiek (Website, Instagram, Twitter)

Originally a name synonymous with PupFresh, Teri Cwiek has become a brand all her own over the last two or three years. She can currently be found touring around in vans with bands on the cusp of taking the scene by storm, and all day everyday she shares scenes from her time on the road through her various social networks. As the average age of our team here at Haulix is around 30, we are not always familiar with the artists Teri is working with, but that doesn’t really matter when you see the beautiful images she is able to produce. Like the hustle shown by Nick Karp, Teri has the kind of driven, business-oriented mindset to actually make her passion her life, and we encourage everyone to seek out her work as soon as they are able.

Matty Vogel (Website, Instagram, Twitter)

There is something about the way Matty Vogel captures live performances, especially those of rapper Hoodie Allen, that defies explanation. Regardless of the place where the photo was taken, Vogel finds a way to make every concert photo look as if it captures a once-in-a-lifetime moment. His behind-the-scenes work is no different, offering intimate access to some of the biggest names in music today. He’s a favorite of our entire staff, and we cannot wait to see what he produces while on tour with Wiz Khalifa, Fall Out Boy, and Hoodie Allen all summer long.

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How To Create Value For Yourself As A Music Photographer

Hello again, everyone. We have heard your demand for additional photojournalism posts and we have set to delivering just that. The post you’re about to enjoy was written by Matt Vogel, professional tour photographer and someone whose work has appeared in essentially every music publication people who enjoy alternative music might read. It’s a little longer than some of our other photo columns, but it’s definitely worth your time.

This site exists to promote the future of the entertainment industry, and to do that we need input from people like you and your entertainment-loving friends. If you have any questions about the content in this article, or if you have an artist you would like to see featured on this blog, please contact james@haulix.com. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook. 

Every year the barrier of entry for music photography seems to get lower. This isn’t a bad thing, in fact I think it’s awesome. But what it means is that the number of people working toward becoming music photographers is much higher. It’s not an uncommon thing to be a music photographer these days, and there are thousands upon thousands of us. 

Cameras that can perform in low-light are no longer super expensive, starter prime lenses can be bought for cheap, and it’s easier than ever to start working for a publication of any size and get photo passes for shows. Boom! You’re in.

I often hear photographers complain about other photographers who are undercutting their prices or offering to do jobs for free to get the experience. It’s a very real issue but the fact of the matter is that there are people out there willing to pay music photographers. If you’re being undercut for a gig, yeah that sucks, but if you’re working with the people you want to be working for – the ones that value your work – you can meet your personal definition of success and also create work that you will be proud of.

The artists I work for don’t just value having “someone" out there to take photos, they want the right person. Every musician has an artistic vision for how they want their band to be represented, and some have higher standards than others.

There are thousands of aspiring music photographers out there and standing out from the crowd isn’t easy. This isn’t a tell-all blog post for how to become successful but I wanted to share a few things that helped me get to a place where the bands I work for see me as a valuable asset of their team.

Oh, and in this post I’m talking about working directly for bands. That was my goal and that’s who I typically shoot for, so I just want to make that clear!

#1 – MAKE IT ART

It’s photography! If you want to stand out, do it differently. There’s obviously huge subjective arguments as to what makes a good and bad photo and you can spend years at an art school becoming knowledgable about this. But fact of the matter is you should be proud of your photos, and hopefully they will feel like they are uniquely yours. I try to be a really good photographer. I try to get unique angles, catch the most exciting, fun, and memorable moments, and edit in a style that I not only love, but also hopefully makes my images recognizable.

#2 – BE COOL

I know that headline sounds stupid, but I’m serious. When I work for bands, they want someone they can trust and someone they enjoy being around. Photographers are really disposable. There are so many of us! So you have to be cool, and you have to be trustworthy.

Being on tour is like being roommates with someone, times ten. You’re cramped in a van or bus or whatever, and have no personal space and are around each other 24/7. If people don’t enjoy being with you or you don’t click together then nobody is happy. And hey, sometimes personalities don’t mesh and that is nobody’s fault. But building a trusting relationship with artists you work with is so important. If they can’t trust you to be around and capture everything aspect of their lives then neither of you will be happy, and you won’t be producing the best photos you can be.

Your photos can be incredible, and you can sometimes be hired on that alone, but if you are not a solid person to be around then you probably won’t be invited back. 

Nearly all of my touring work is from referrals, which is awesome! That means people are vouching for me as a good person to have around and they think I do my job well. That means so much to me. I feel like very few artists are willing to hire people that aren’t vouched for or don’t know personally.

Me napping with Trevor of Our Last Night in Russia

#3 – CREATE AMAZING CONTENT

Ok so you’re cool? Check. Creative? Check. Now get to work! I do my very best to optimize my workflow, know my gear, and try to understand what my artist needs and wants.

UNDERSTAND WHAT GEAR CAN HELP YOU DO YOUR JOB BEST, AND EITHER GET IT OR WORK TOWARDS GETTING IT.

Most people can’t buy all of the gear they’d like right away, but anyone can research and recognize the tools they are working toward getting, and why they are better.

KNOW WHAT TYPES OF PHOTOS DO WELL FOR YOUR ARTIST.

Some artists get incredible feedback from behind the scenes stuff, some get way more engagement from live shots.

GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA, AND TEACH YOUR ARTISTS.

Your content is a marketing tool. Your photos make shows look fun and exciting, and that in turn sells concert tickets. This is simple but true, and I feel like very few people recognize this fact! Someone commenting on a photo your artist posted saying "WOW THIS LOOKS AMAZING, NOW I’M GONNA BUY TICKETS” is exactly what you want. It can be art and also be an effective marketing tool at the same time – they’re not mutually exclusive. 

Also, you have to understand social media. Does your artist want to post 30 photos individually on their Facebook timeline every day? Maybe not the best idea. Teach them to regularly update their Instagrams, use photos to promote ticket sales, etc. A lot of artists are really good at this, but some aren’t. If your artists are using social media right then your value as a photographer and content producer goes through the frickin’ roof. This is so important.

LEARN HOW TO PRODUCE MORE CONTENT, AND DON’T BE AFRAID TO ABANDON IT IF IT FAILS.

Try new stuff! I’ve tried creating daily square Instagram videos for artists, shoot acoustic videos, post entire photo albums to a website, upload videos directly through Facebook, shoot and edit tour weekly updates. There’s so, so much more than just ‘take photos’ that a photographer can do on tour.

However, sometimes only taking photos is the best thing you can do. Some artists don’t benefit that much from tour updates, and they take up a ton of your time as a photographer. Figure out what works and what content is worth your time producing. If you try to do too much then the quality of everything you’re producing is going to go down.

ASK YOUR ARTIST AND THEIR TEAM WHAT THEY NEED.

Talk to your artist, their publicist, their manager, their label, and figure out their needs and wants. You want your artist to be successful and your title may be photographer, but you are really a content producer. So anything relevant to producing content for your artist is something you should be willing to do – and sometimes that means getting extra money for things, which never hurts.

There you have it. These are just a few ways to create value for yourself as a photographer beyond just taking good photos. Hope this post helps!

Matt Vogel is a professional photographer who spends most of his life traveling from city to city with some of the biggest names in alternative music. He also writes about his experiences, which he shares alongside photos on his official website.

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My Workflow: How To Stay Sane As A Tour Photographer

Hello, everyone! This post is for all the photographers out there, and it’s written by our good friend Matt Vogel. If you like what you read, please check out his official website.

This site exists to promote the future of the entertainment industry, and to do that we need input from people like you and your entertainment-loving friends. If you have any questions about the content in this article, or if you have an artist you would like to see featured on this blog, please contact james@haulix.com. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

 

My workflow is the most important part of being a productive and successful music photographer. Other photographers rarely ask about it, but I feel like it’s something a lot of people don’t think about until they’re on the road and freaking out because their workflow sucks. So I want to share mine here, on my nice little blog.

I work really hard to impress each artist I work for with my workflow and turnaround every day on the road. Editing on tour can be really difficult because you don’t always have power for your laptop, no internet to upload things, run out of space on your hard drive, and an endless list of other frustrating obstacles. It’s never an ideal situation, so whenever there’s a green room with a desk, working wifi, and a pot of coffee, I’m a very happy and productive man.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE A FAST AND EFFICIENT WORKFLOW?

As a tour photographer, I’m always taking pictures – not just while the artist is on stage playing their songs. That’s like 1 hour of the artist’s 24 hour day, so it should be 1/24th of my job. Actually I take that back – don’t shoot your artist while they are asleep, because that is creepy. So it’s like 1/12th of my job or so. The point is, I should always be shooting, and when I’m not shooting, I’m editing. There is no “hey guys don’t do anything interesting and let the photographer edit” time so I have to find pockets of time when I can. When interesting or funny things happen, as the photographer it’s my job to be there and capture that. Many of the best moments happen offstage.

When I first started touring, my workflow sucked and in turn I had to spend a lot more time editing and processing pictures. I was usually the first one up and the last one asleep. It honestly became so much less fun as the days went on and I was so exhausted. Not to mention I was missing crucial moments, or not delivering the number or quality of images I wanted to. After a few runs, I managed to fix my system so I’m only waking up early and editing quickly before we get to the venue. If your workflow sucks on tour, your life sucks on tour.

I’m of the belief that each person in the band and crew should have pictures delivered to them each day. This may seem like overkill and a lot of extra work, but the people you are on the road with are your friends. If they’re not your friends, they will become your friends when you have photos of them for their Instagram accounts in a Dropbox folder every morning when they wake up. Most every crew member I’ve ever been on tour with has been astonished that I take pictures of them and they really appreciate it.

WHAT YOU NEED FOR A GREAT WORKFLOW

There are a few things that make or break my workflow. This is a short list of things as a tour photographer I would NEVER skimp out on.

  • A powerful laptop
    • I have a loaded up Macbook Pro that ensures that I’m not sitting around for 45 minutes waiting for photos to export. This is the most important piece of gear I own.
  • Adobe Lightroom
  • Hard drives
    • Like a ton of them. I use Western Digital MyPassports because they are really cost effective and I’ve found them to be reliable.
  • Good card reader
    • I use a Kingston USB 3 card reader.
  • Fast and large SD/CF cards
    • I use 32gb SanDisk Extremes – 45 MB/s. These import through USB 3 into a Lightroom catalog in just a few minutes.
  • Dropbox
    • You need it! Or a cloud storage equivalent. Something with a whole lot of space. I like Dropbox because many people already have it, it’s very easy to set up if not, and their app is very user friendly.

 

LET’S BEGIN…

PRE-TOUR PREP

Before each tour starts, I give myself some homework. I create a folder system for each date of the tour. Here is how that looks:

A folder for each date. Each day, I create a new Lightroom catalog 2 folders deep in order to keep the show’s folder very clean and organized. I also import the raw images into a subfolder 2 deep as well. Exported images are in the “Web” folder, but that comes into play later.

I replicate this folder system on 2 hard drives. I use 2 drives to back up my work every day or two. I keep the drives in separate locations in case one gets stolen. After my internal hard drive starts getting close to full, I will delete the files from it, and still have the two copies on separate hard drives. Do not be lazy about backing your work up because if you don’t do it, your computer will light on fire and you will lose everything and this is not a scare tactic, it’s gonna happen. So back your stuff up.

The next thing I do is create a similar file tree in Dropbox, which is selective synced to my computer. Everything I put in these folders on my computer uploads automatically in the background, which is amazing. 

Everyone on the band and crew gets one of these folders with photos from each day of the tour. I make these before the tour and share the folders with everyone on day 1 so that they have access to the photos from the Dropbox app on their phones.

I also create a folder called ‘Galleries’ which just includes every image from that day – I share this link with management, publicist, etc. as well as the artist and any band or crew that may be interested.

EXTRA WORK ON DAY 1

Day 1 is crucial to your workflow. The first thing I do after the show is import photos and spend some serious time in Lightroom. 

In the image below, you can see my presets on the left side. Day 1 of every tour, I go through behind the scenes images and live images and create variations of my own presets. After the first day, I know what the lighting will be like for the live show, which dictates how I edit. Create a preset folder in Lightroom and do this, it will save you a lot of time.

After you have your presets, head to the import dialogue and set up your “Apply During Import” settings to your generic live preset, and setup your Metadata. This saves so much time later as well.

Now on day 2 when I go through the rough 1,000 shots I took during the day, all I have to do for the live ones is adjust exposure and minor details on the sliders. This keeps a consistent look across all photos and makes my workflow much faster.

After shooting all day, I usually import the photos immediately after the show so that I don’t misplace a card, accidentally overwrite it, and basically just avoid any sort of data loss incident that could occur.

I won’t go through the actual editing of the photos, but the basic premise is I cruise through my Lightroom catalog, using the hotkey “B” to make a quick collection of the keepers, while I edit as you go. I usually have a quick collection of 150-300 images. I export them, resizing for web, into my folder “Web” in each date’s subfolder.

From this huge list of photos, I go through each one and copy and paste the photos of that person into their daily Dropbox folder.

I rarely edit the night of the show, and instead try to get to bed fairly early and wake up early the next morning to do my complete editing process before the bus gets to the next venue. I try to get in the venue as fast as I can and get on wifi so that my selective sync Dropbox folders update and the guys wake up to a notification that there are new photos in their Dropbox folders.

All of this stuff is pretty basic but has changed my life on tour and saved me countless hours by putting in an extra few of prep time before the tour starts and on the first few days. My entire workflow including importing and exporting is roughly 1 hour and 15 minutes for each show.

Photos on tour are very time sensitive – in extreme cases some artists like my friend Hoodie Allen like to post a crowd photo minutes following the show, so I import, edit that very quickly, and text it via iMessage to him right away. The whole process takes under 5 minutes, but really helps engage kids on their way home from the show reflect on how awesome it was.

Things like wifi on cameras are also becoming part of my workflow. For example, I was just with Hoodie Allen when he played a TV show. I took a photo of Hoodie and the show’s host on my 6D, connected via wifi to my phone, edited in the VSCOcam app, and sent Hoodie the high res image for his social media within minutes. That type of shortcut in my workflow is rarely used, but amazing in the right situations. When my artist asks “How the hell did you do that so fast?” I know that my system is working.

I’m always learning new things to implement into my workflow and how to improve it and make my life easier. My personal goal as a music photographer is to provide the artists I work for an insane amount of content, and to make that content amazing. The faster I churn out the content, the more time I can spend focusing on making sure it’s amazing!

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