Image via Complex Original
Making a list of The 50 Greatest Music Photographers Right Now last month was an arduous yet exciting task. It combined in-depth research from within Complex to the music industry and the greater photography community. It also involved a lot of Flickr, Tumblr, and Facebook page research, since many photographers across genres seem to prefer these forms of media over a website. Despite all of it, we recently discovered a few who we wish we hadn't missed.
You can't always get it perfectly right, and thankfully, we became aware of a lot of music photographers worldwide who are masters in their own right. It's a growing genre with a lot of room for newcomers, amateurs, and professionals to thrive. Like we said before, the difficulty of shooting music cannot go unnoticed, and we salute everyone giving it a shot in the photo pit.
We took a lot of the suggestions we received via Twitter and email into account for this list of 25 More Music Photographers You Need To Know. Just because these music photographers didn't make the first cut doesn't mean they're any less great. This list is about celebrating music photography through submissions sent by our readers and the photographers from our previous list. We hope the work of these 25 talented artists inspires discussion about the state of photography at a time where it's more vast and accessible than it's ever been.
Written by @cpasori.
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Frederik Jaeger
Frederik Jaeger
Location: Maastricht, Netherlands
Frederik Jaeger shoots a variety of music events, from concerts to showcases and festivals. Whether shooting DJs or live performers, the work always focuses on movement. Sometimes he achieves this through long exposures and at other times it's by simply capturing the right movement at the right time.
Website
Jessica Lehrman
Jessica Lehrman
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Jessica Lehrman is a dope music photographer, who's had her work published in Rolling Stone, Billboard, Spin, Vice, Gothamist, Filter, The Source, and Frank 151. She shoots both in black and white and color at a variety of music festivals and concerts across genres. She captures the best, perfectly composed moments, whether an artist is on-stage, in the crowd, or backstage. We also like her because her Tumblr is called PhotoThugLife. Props.
Website
Brock Fetch
Brock Fetch
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Brock Fetch is the guy everyone says should be on your list of Music Photographers, and now we know why. Some of his best images capture musicians in the crowd, next to their adoring (and sometimes aggressive) fans. Otherwise, he has a breadth and depth of work that's enviable, even despite his emphasis on hip-hop artists. He updates his work frequently, so be sure to follow his Tumblr website to keep up.
Tom Falcone
Tom Falcone
Location: New York, NY / Boston, MA
Tom Falcone splits his time between New York and Boston, and he's on tour with Mayday Parade this fall. He's great at capturing the in-between moments—ones where musicians are catching their breath or in the middle of a guitar solo. We have a feeling he'll be touring with a lot more bands in the years to come.
Verena Stefanie Grotto
Verena Stefanie Grotto
Location: London, England
Verena Stefanie Grotto has published her music photographs in Dazed & Confused, Vice, The Guardian, and Wired, and she's in high demand. Her live images have led to stunning portraits both on and off stage. She uses the color of stage lights to her advantage in every shot effortlessly.
Lenshot
Lenshot
Location: Paris, France
Nicolas LÊ is a photographer from Paris who goes by the pseudonym, Lenshot. His bio points out that he got into music photography by combining his passions for music and photography after stints in street photography and fine art. He shoots a lot of reggae and hip-hop, doing cool things with available and non-available stage lighting. He has a high-contrast style, and it works for him.
Sydney Frames
Sydney Frames
Location: Little Rock, AR
Sydney Frames uses the pseudonym, Visible Sin Photography, and keeps her fans updated via her Facebook page. We admire the action she captures across genres and artists, even in moments that appear to have hardly any available light.
Justin Wise
Justin Wise
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Justin Wise's work has an element of perfection to it. Every image is sharp and perfectly lit, as if he set up the shot. Whether in the photo pit or on stage, he creates amazingly balanced compositions.
Website
Shaun Regan
Shaun Regan
Location: New York, NY
Shaun Regan's work specializes in up-close shots of musicians on-stage. He uses his Tumblr as his website and adds cool captions and commentary about how long he shot a set or how much fun he had, which gives his photos a personal touch. We give him props for consistency no matter what type of music event he's at. It's all emotional in the best way possible.
Jesse Lirola
Jesse Lirola
Location: Chicago, IL
Jesse Lirola shoots mostly in black and white and at music festivals. His work specializes in being sharp, candid, and dramatic. Off-stage, he expertly captures intimate moments between bands and artists. It's no surprise that his portfolio also contains a ton of stunning portraits of musicians when they're not performing, too.
Website
Matt Sayles
Matt Sayles
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Matt Sayles shoots a lot of portraits, but his music photography portfolio contains some of his best work. He's shot iconic images of ADELE, Whitney Houston, Kanye West, Madonna, and more. It's no surprise that he's gotten national and international assignments for the Oscars, Grammys, Golden Globes, and the Cannes Film Festival, among others.
Valerio Berdini
Valerio Berdini
Location: United Kingdom
Valerio Berdini uses the pseudonym Live on 35mm. His work uses saturated colors and intense facial expressions to yield dramatic images of all types of musicians. Whether capturing an individual or the entire band, he's great at capturing the height of the live show. His shots of musicians in the air are some of his best.
Emanuel Wallace
Emanuel Wallace
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Emanuel Wallace (under the pseudonym, Eva Noslen) shoots a lot more than music photos, as do the majority of the photographers on this list, and his live work contains an element of portraiture. It's up-close and at times you could mistake it for not being live at all, which isn't a bad thing. In 2011, he was nominated for an Ohio Hip Hop Award in the category of Best Photographer. We expect more accolades to come his way in the future.
Website
Caroline Traitler
Caroline Traitler
Location: Vienna, Austria
Caroline Traitler is based in Vienna, Austria but works with bands around the world. She's been documenting the rock scene since 2000 and has worked extensively with bands like Anathema and magazines in Austria, Germany, and Holland. Her images highlight the energy and spirit of rock music in a way that she's refined over the years.
Danny Clinch
Danny Clinch
Location: New Jersey / New York, NY
According to photographer Mel D. Cole, Danny Clinch "is one of the best to ever do music photography." His live music photography has given him opportunities to shoot a lot of musician portraiture and promo. All of his work is intimate, on or offstage, proving that he's earned all the opportunities and distinctions he's been given.
Audrey Dujardin
Audrey Dujardin
Location: Munich, Germany
Audrey Dujardin came to music photography by way of being a radio host, and we're so glad she did. Her work is colorful, intimate, and sometimes brilliantly low lit. She shoots for a number of popular European publications.
Doug Van Sant
Doug Van Sant
Location: Washington, D.C.
Doug Van Sant prefaces his work with the quote, "I make DJs look like Jesus." He's not lying. His bio also reads, "I want you to know exactly what it felt like. What it looked like, and sounded like, and in some cases even what it tasted and smelled like." With clients like Carl Cox, Sander van Doorn, Afrojack, and more, it's clear that he succeeds in taking viewers of his photos back in time to the shows he photographed.
Matthew Comer
Matthew Comer
Location: Manchester / New York / Illinois
If we could describe Matthew Comer's photographs in one word, it would be sharp. Both his black and white and color images make you wish you were at what looks like the coolest night ever. He also shoots a variety of artists, from Tyler, the Creator to One Republic and Jessie Ware. Click through to his portfolio to see 100 live photos that could teach you a lesson or two in quality music photography.
Aku-Axel Muukka
Aku-Axel Muukka
Location: Southern Finland
Aku-Axel Muukka shoots concerts and festivals in Finland and has received commissions from Universal Music and Sony Music Entertainment. His work is excellently lit whether in color or black and white, on-stage or offstage.
Clayton Woodley
Clayton Woodley
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Clayton Woodley is the guy who photographs almost every party ever (how does he manage to do it all?!), but he's also a really excellent music photographer. The best parts about his work are the humor and saturated colors. Everything appears to be bright, exciting, and unforgettable.
Simon Bedzekova
Simon Bedzekova
Location: Czech Republic
Simon Bedzekova's strength is using available light to draw out amazing coloration from the various shows he photographs. He also captures the craziest moments that we didn't even think could happen on-stage—things like musicians on ladders, doing deathly jumps, and lighting fireworks. We're glad he's kept himself safe so that he can keep delivering this incredible work.
Website
Joseph Okpako
Joseph Okpako
Location: London, UK
Joseph Okpako shoots professionally for WireImage. Whether he's at a concert, festival, or other live event, the work is spectacular and captures the high energy of the show. He also blogs about his continuous shooting on his awesome Tumblr.
Adam Elmakias
Adam Elmakias
Location: San Diego, California
Adam has spent the majority of the past five years of his life traveling with bands on the road. He's a really, really expert music photographer. The best part is that he documents his travels and the progression of his work on his blog, providing inspiration and stories for aspiring music photographers and lovers of great imaging alike. Check out the places he'll be on tour next here.
Matt Vogel
Matt Vogel
Location: Minnesota
It's shocking to us that Matt Vogel has only been shooting for three years. His work is undoubtedly professional-looking and seasoned. His techniques are unusual for a music photographer, and that's what makes them great. He uses double exposures and other types of post-layering to give his work a real artful touch. The 21-year-old photographer from Minnesota has photographed for Owl City, Imagine Dragons, Alternative Press, Armor For Sleep, and The Dangerous Summer. We imagine this list will grow to be much longer in the coming years.
Website
Jussi Eerola
Jussi Eerola
Location: Tampere, Finland
24-year-old Jussi Eerola shoots shows across Finland. His work captivates us by virtue of its intensity. He doesn't have to capture a musician in the air to make them look amazing, but even when he does, it's somehow unique. Jussi has the gift of making his music photographs appear effortless.
Website
