Gig Pics: Unseen Footage

Hey guys!

As a few (or a lot) of you know, I'm studying journalism. So far I've learned how to write critics, short reports, lyrical writing and a lot more. Just recently the topic "photo journalism" popped up. You could say I inhaled it because I love photography a lot.

For some reason I decided to go through the photos I've taken over the years. I also thought it would be fun to share some of the pics I did not upload, the unseen pics.
The oldest photograph you'll find below was taken in 2010, the time I discovered how much fun photographing live music is.

The two pics you just looked at were the first ever gig pics I've taken. I did not blog at that time but I was obsessed with creating little memory albums for myself. Rule number one back then was "the more pics, the better". 

The first photograph shows two and a half members of the American rock band Rooney. They were the first band I ever photographed live. (Not the first band I've seen live but we're not going to talk about the Jonas Brothers today, are we?)

I'll be completely honest with you - at that time I did not have a single clue of what I was doing with my camera. Not a single one.

Whilst going through the pics I realized how I used to edit A LOT. A lot.

I mean I still edit the pictures I take and every other gig photographer does too but back then I just took a crap photo and edited it into something a lot better.

Nowadays I only correct technical flaws like the lighting. I think that's a good sign.

I learned a lot more about how to compose a picture properly. (Not saying I know everything, definitely not!)
It is so much fun to see progress throughout the years. Hopefully I'll be able to continue this journey of learning and practicing.

This year has been a fantastic photo year! I got to shoot at big venues with brilliant lighting and press areas (Tom Odell in March), I got to go on stage and photograph from up there (Martin and James in February), I climbed on ladders to get a better view (The Arkanes in October).
But my favourite part will always be the most exhausting part - standing in the crowd and taking things from there.
The energy is usually always amazing. I just happened to be really focused when it comes to photographing. At the last The Arkanes gig there apparently was a fight next to me and somebody tried climbing onto stage ... and guess what - I did not notice.

 

There are still tons of crappy pics nowadays and I'm pretty sure there will be crappy pics in the future but I hope you guys somehow got the message of this post:

even if there will be frustrating times, because things don't turn out the way you want them to - keep on learning and working on your skills and you'll see progress. 

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. :)

 

Credits // Text & Photography: Vanessa Jertschewske