Image via Complex Original
It's an exciting time to be a music photographer. The digital age has not only made opportunities for more musicians to be heard, it's created avenues for more photographers' work to be seen. On both sides of the spectrum, the people who started making beats in their bedrooms, or who snuck point-and-shoot cameras in to concerts, can more ably turn their hobbies into careers.
No matter the genre, communities on Flickr, Facebook, photo blogs, and photo forums are thriving with photography amateurs, professionals, and connoisseurs, who share a passion for imaging. Each genre carries its own influence and influencers, and often, music photography is forgotten amongst fashion, editorial, and advertising. People tend to overlook the genre, without realizing the skill and talent it takes to do it right. Music photography involves no set-up, and capturing someone moving, especially in scenarios where light may be scarce, can be extremely difficult.
For our purposes, music photography encompasses any image documenting a musician during a live performance. That being said, many of these photographers expertly capture portraits offstage, and a select few have been hired to tour with big names like Justin Bieber, Mos Def, and Kanye West. Some have gotten big book deals and solo exhibitions to specifically showcase their music photographs, while others have amassed eager followings online. All of them exhibit success in different ways, yet they are all excellent at sharing the live experience and making viewers feel like they were there. From the photo pit to the Internet, here are The 50 Greatest Music Photographers Right Now.
Written by @cpasori.
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50. Ruvan Wijesooriya
50. Ruvan Wijesooriya
Location: New York, NY
Ruvan Wijesooriya has been doing fashion, editorial, and documentary photography for a long time, but music photography is the place he belongs. He's been following LCD Soundsystem on tour since 2004 and has had full access to the band and James Murphy on and off stage. As such, we look forward to his upcoming book release, simply titled LCD, which captures the band's top moments in black and white.
49. Shirlaine Forrest
49. Shirlaine Forrest
Location: Manchester, UK
Shirlaine Forrest has been shooting musicians live for 17 years, and her experience is apparent. In addition to contributions for Rolling Stone, The Guardian, The New York Times, and more, she currently shoots some of the most widely seen music photographs for Getty Images and Wire Image. Her work is heralded by many in and out of the UK, and while her style is straightforward, few have work with as much depth and breadth as she does.
48. Allister Ann
48. Allister Ann
Location: Denver, CO
Allister Ann's music photography has mainly been a series of tours with the Civil Wars and Andrew Bird. Similar to the musicians she regularly photographs, her work is softer and more subdued, while also being monochrome and containing an endearing narrative. She has a great eye for details, capturing the moments you might have missed even if you were at the show.
47. Mallory Corr
47. Mallory Corr
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Mallory Corr may still be a student at NYU, but her music photography skills rank with some of the best. Her photos of St. Vincent, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes, Whiskey Rebellion, and others blow us away with their attention to detail and experimental angles.
46. James Marcus Haney
46. James Marcus Haney
Location: Los Angeles, CA
James Marcus Haney is both a filmmaker and a photographer whose speciality is capturing the intimate moments with a brilliant sense of simplicity. He toured with Mumford & Sons after meeting them at Coachella and has documented their exciting progression as a band ever since.
Website
45. Samantha Marble
45. Samantha Marble
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Samantha Marble's work favors high contrast and saturation, almost making her photographs look HDR. Her aesthetic heightens the drama of the images, and it's especially perfect for the rock artists she tends to photography most.
44. Leo Matus
44. Leo Matus
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Leo Matus shoots under his studio/company name, Kult, expertly capturing both DJs and live musicians. He shoots mostly up-close, slightly desaturated color shots of artists like RESET!, Mr. Oizo, Boys Noize, and Ballerina Black. At this pace, we believe that Leo and Kult are poised for great things.
43. Charles Bergquist
43. Charles Bergquist
Location: San Diego, CA
Charles Bergquist is a multi-disciplinary artist and photographer. His aesthetic throughout is light and vintage-looking, which makes his music photography really enjoyable to look at. While it's not the main genre he shoots in, it's nice to see him continually taking photographs of musicians and doing it in such a beautiful way.
42. Brick Stowell
42. Brick Stowell
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Brick Stowell keeps a low profile, but in between being a store manager at the Hundreds in Santa Monica, California and a tour manager for Odd Future, he sees a lot and photographs it all on film. While his aesthetic differs from other music photographers, who strive for perfect lighting, angles, and coloring, Brick's photos are raw, memorable, and one-of-a-kind.
41. Bryan Giardinelli
41. Bryan Giardinelli
Location: San Diego, CA
Bryan Giardinelli calls himself "the guy with the mustache," but we prefer to call him "the guy who takes those really great concert photos." He says, "I have a mustache, own a camera, and have a vivid imagination." Apparently, those elements combine to yield some of the best music photographs that Southern California has ever seen.
40. Ebru Yildiz
40. Ebru Yildiz
Location: Brooklyn, NY
It's pretty obvious that Ebru Yildiz's work is incredible, but you'd have to look closely to realize the angles she has the most affinity for. She's excellent at capturing a musician's exasperation, whether on the floor, doing a guitar solo, or just drenched in sweat. It's hard to wait for that kind of moment and make someone look awesome or badass at the same time, but Ebru does it well.
Website
39. Daren Cornell
39. Daren Cornell
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Daren Cornell may have stopped updating his blog, but he continues to shoot musicians both at shows and festivals like Warped Tour and HARD. He's great at outdoor music photography, whether he's shooting Andrew W.K., the Bloody Beetroots, or the All-American Rejects. Catch him at venues like Hotel Cafe or the House of Blues, as he takes the LA music photography scene by storm.
38. Anna Dobos
38. Anna Dobos
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Anna Dobos' work has an understated quality to it, which isn't at all a bad thing. Her work is soft and subtle, yet leaves a strong message. That message is usually along the lines of, "Hey, this is the greatest performer of all time, and I know you're really jealous you weren't in LA at the ____ show." She contributes regularly to Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, The New York Times, and more, but even without those co-signs, she's on some next level music photography.
Website
37. Deneka Peniston
37. Deneka Peniston
Location: New York, NY
Deneka Peniston's work goes the extra mile to show what action at a live show is all about. Artists jumping in the air or mid-crowd surf are consistent throughout her portfolio, and she shoots a variety of them, too — from Rick Ross to Mos Def, Wiz Khalifa, Lauryn Hill, Patti Smith, Weezer, and more.
36. Rudy Calderon
36. Rudy Calderon
Location: New York, NY
Rudy Calderon has been consistently shooting musicians live since last year, but his work already resembles a lot of the professionals on this list. His style is bright and crisp, capturing artists like like Drake, Rick Ross, Kid Cudi, Eminem, and Lil Wayne in both indoor and outdoor settings. He works good angles from both the stage and the photo pit, exposing the essence of each subject he photographs.
35. Kyle Gustafson
35. Kyle Gustafson
Location: Washington, D.C.
Kyle Gustafson shoots concerts in Washington, D.C., and whether he's at the 9:30 Club or the Verizon Center, he's capturing the top moments of the night. Looking at his photos of Radiohead and Coldplay will make you feel like you were there, and that's probably one of the highest compliments one could give to someone shooting in this genre.
34. Griffin Lotz
34. Griffin Lotz
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Griffin Lotz, who is both a music photographer and Assistant Photo Editor at Rolling Stone, knows great bands and even greater imaging practice. His photos contain a natural rawness to them, giving you a peek into a performer's personality on stage, that isn't always easy to do. He quotes Robert Capa on his Flickr account, saying, "If your photographs aren't good enough, you're not close enough." He can consider that lesson learned.
33. Lindsey Best
33. Lindsey Best
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Does Lindsey Best realize how excellent of a music photographer she is? Seriously, that photo she took of Bono could stop time. The same goes for the Thom Yorke image. You either have the gift or you don't, and even if it seems like the quality of Lindsey Best's work can't get much higher, we're sure she'll continue to soar to new heights.
Website
32. Colin Kerrigan
32. Colin Kerrigan
Location: Philadelphia, PA
You've probably seen Colin Kerrigan's music photographs on Pitchfork, SPIN, and Brooklyn Vegan, and it's because he's built up a portfolio of strong shots and a variety of artists. His photos aren't too dramatic or too simple, they're well-composed, colored, and just right.
Website
31. Graeme Flegenheimer
31. Graeme Flegenheimer
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Graeme Flegenheimer has shot dozens of shows on both East and West coasts. Whether he's shooting Goldfrapp, LCD Soundsystem, Lauryn Hill, or Mike Snow, the lighting is perfect and the expressions are priceless. It's no wonder that his images have been featured in countless magazines and on numerous websites like SPIN, Pitchfork, and Rolling Stone. He's got the gift.
30. Piper Ferguson
30. Piper Ferguson
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Piper Ferguson says her inspiration to be a photographer, director, and screenwriter comes from ‘80s fashion and the hyper-reality of MTV. Ferguson's images are edgy and soulful, and she's both toured with Iron & Wine and photographed artists at Coachella, South By Southwest, and the Winter Music Conference. Her accomplishments are many, both in and out of music photography, and it's because she has an immaculate ability to tell stories while doing what she loves.
Website
29. Neil Favila
29. Neil Favila
Location: Los Angeles, CA
When Neil Favila isn't shooting concerts, he's taking stunning portraits of interesting people in and around Los Angeles. He manages to find these fascinating details in all of the artists he shoots live, which includes Steve Aoki and a lot of the Dim Mak Records crew. Whether at a venue in LA or on the road somewhere, Favila's there to reveal a detail about your favorite musician, like a great smile or an ability to hype the audience, that you may have not noticed beforehand.
Website
28. Cognito
28. Cognito
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Cognito goes by many names, as a result of his many artistic lanes, all of which are under the FROLAB umbrella. As Cognito, he's Mos Def's official concert photographer, but has also photographed artists like The Roots, Erykah Badu, and Talib Kweli. In 2010, Cognito had a groundbreaking show at HVW8 gallery in LA, showing the incredible moments he captured of Mos Def on and offstage during his Ecstatic tour. He's a true hip-hop documentarian and continues to amaze us with his breadth of work.
27. The Cobrasnake
27. The Cobrasnake
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Mark Hunter a.k.a the Cobrasnake is most known for his nightlife photographs, but shooting at exclusive clubs and parties in Hollywood led him directly into the realm of music photography. He regularly shoots Steve Aoki's weekly Dim Mak Records concert series, he's photographed Katy Perry and the Kills on tour, and he's taken some of the best live photos of Coachella Music Festival to ever be taken. He continues to photograph the live event in all capacities, but his music photographs cannot be overlooked, even if simply by virtue of his incredible access to artists on and offstage.
26. Annabel Staff
26. Annabel Staff
Location: London, UK
Annabel Staff takes such incredible color music photos, that it seems like all of the shows she shoots in London are perfectly lit and posed. Obviously, none of these musicians are posing; she's just captured them at the right moment. She makes Elton John look like a king and Tinie Tempah look like a maestro, which go far beyond the standard shot. Annabel Staff has distinguished herself by making her subjects look as excellent as they possibly can, despite that they are sweating and singing into a microphone.
25. Christie Goodwin
25. Christie Goodwin
Location: London, UK
Christie Goodwin has been photographing music since 1976, which accounts for the size and quality of her incredible portfolio. Her work is informed by her roots in fashion and editorial photography, and once you see the energy in her work, you'll realize why she's been booked to tour with Taylor Swift, Usher, and Katy Perry, among others.
24. Erik Kabik
24. Erik Kabik
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Erik Kabik has been shooting concerts for over 20 years. He's taken iconic live photos of popstars like Lady Gaga and Madonna, in addition to rockstars like KISS and Aerosmith. He's also photographed the high-energy Electric Daisy Carnival for the last two years. His work is stunning, if not only because he shows the lengths artists go to entertain the crowd, whether it be through costumes, intense musicianship, or exerting all their energy.
23. Erez Avissar
23. Erez Avissar
Location: New York, NY
Erez Avissar's photography is beyond dope, and it's because he has a unique style to his work. Unlike most bright, crisp music photographs, his have a dark, mysterious style to them. It makes his subjects appear more interesting and contemplative, versus wild and energetic. It's nice to see someone do something different and continuously do it well.
22. Shea White for the Focus Camp
22. Shea White
Location: New York, NY
Shea White shoots for his website, The Focus Camp, updating it regularly with live events and shows all over NYC. His most recent photos of Frank Ocean, Bon Iver, and Kanye West are stunning, showing his ability to use available light and interesting angles, even from the crowd. We're excited to see the progression of his work to come.
21. Joe Papeo
21. Joe Papeo
Location: Nutley, NJ
Joe Papeo knows how to capture action, and he keeps people updated on all the shows and festivals he shoots through his blog, IRockTheShot.com, which even divides his photographs by the genre of music. He really shoots that many shows. He took the best photos we've seen of Jay-Z's recent Made in America festival, and has also photographed artists like Jack White, the Black Keys, and Marina & the Diamonds.
Website
20. Ernest Estime
20. Ernest Estimé
Location: New York, NY
Ernest Estimé seems to be everywhere at once, shooting mostly hip-hop artists including Eminem, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, and Fat Joe. Whether photographing in black and white or color, he captures live portraits well, even in low light situations.
Website
19. Shane McCauley
19. Shane McCauley
Location: New York, NY
Shane McCauley has been taking amazing photos for a while now, despite calling himself a "professional instagrammer." His latest music photography work had him traveling around the world with Diplo, accompanying him on amazing adventures that were compiled in the book 128 Beats Per Minute: Diplo's Visual Guide to Music, Culture, and Everything in Between, which came out last March. He most recently completed Blow Your Head Vol. 1. Dancehall with Diplo, which is a zine documenting music cultures around the world. Despite being based in NYC, Shane's one of a few music photographers on this list who's been able to capture live music in different parts of the world, and he does so very well.
18. John Shearer
18. John Shearer
Location: Los Angeles, CA
John Shearer is a founder and photographer at Invision by the Associated Press, and whether you know it or not, he's taken some of the most widely seen music photos of all time. One of those images shows Madonna and Britney Spears kissing at the 2003 MTV VMAs, and others capture artists like Rihanna, Prince, and Gwen Stefani in their prime. His work is crisp and vibrant, making his subjects look the best they possibly can while performing their asses off on stage.
17. Chris Polk
17. Chris Polk
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Christopher Polk began his explorations in photography at a young age, documenting surfing and surfers. Early on, he gained experience in capturing a moment quickly, before it disappears, which is essential to music photography. Whether shooting in film or digital, Chris' work captures every high point in a live show, and his photographs of Snoop Dogg, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Rihanna, and Coldplay show it.
16. Khadija Bhuiyan
16. Khadija Bhuiyan
Location: Miami, FL
Khadija Bhuiyan is as skilled and prolific as music photographers come. She regularly shoots at popular Miami venue, Grand Central, in addition to festivals like ULTRA and Winter Music Conference, capturing musicians at the peak of their performances and crowds at the height of their excitement. If you're an attendee of any shows or raves she's at, count yourself lucky if she snaps a photo of you, too.
15. Ryan Muir
15. Ryan Muir
Location: New York, NY
Ryan Muir is the music photographer everyone suggests to you when you're writing a list about music photographers. Seriously. From his photos of M83, Foster the People, Wiz Khalifa, and the Roots, it's clear that he was born to do this. Prepare to be left speechless.
Website
14. Mel D. Cole
14. Mel D. Cole
Location: New York, NY
Mel D. Cole picked up a camera for the first time eight years ago, and we're so glad he did. Known as the “house photographer” for The Roots, he's also the favorite contemporary photographer of ?uestlove. He shoots with a sense of humor, exclusively in black and white, documenting hip-hop from the inside out. For a guy that taught himself, Mel D. Cole continues to kill the photography game.
13. Brook Bobbins
13. Brook Bobbins
Location: New York, NY
Brook Bobbins photographs for his site "Who Shot Ya," and has made quite a name for himself both online and in NYC. Not only is he constantly feeding these streets on "Who Shot Ya," photographing artists like A$AP Rocky, Odd Future, French Montana, Schoolboy Q, and Danny Brown, but he's showing you every step of the journey on his Tumblr. At this rate, and with this level of incredible hip-hop portraiture, Bobbins is poised to be the next Jonathan Mannion...and that's a high compliment to give.
Website
12. Andy Barron
12. Andy Barron
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Andy Barron met Chad Butler of Switchfoot at In-N-Out Burger after one of their concerts, which he had photographed. He offered to send Chad the photos, they kept in touch, and now he's been their official concert photographer and friend for many years. His stunning on and off stage photos of Switchfoot impressed bands like The Jonas Brothers, Mumford and Sons, Paramore, and Foster the People, who he has since photographed. Andy's work is striking for the simple reason that he understands light and movement better than most photographers in general, making every show look like it was the greatest night on Earth, time and time again.
11. Alex Reside
11. Alex Reside
Location: Brooklyn, NY
What incredible band has Alex Reside not photographed? And how did he get backstage at a Phoenix concert? Maybe a more appropriate question is, HOW did he get so ridiculously good at shooting concerts, capturing the perfect moment every single time? Alex, if you're out there, please respond to these questions in the comments. While we wait, we'll just admire these jaw-dropping images of Lady Gaga, John Legend, Daft Punk, Kid Cudi, Bon Iver, Coldplay, T.I...and the list goes on.
Website
10. Loren Wohl
10. Loren Wohl
Location: New York, NY
When he's not working his day job as Production Coordinator at RCRD LBL, Loren Wohl's in the photo pit shooting your favorite artists. He shoots the best angles, has incredible coloring, and gets the most stunning facial expressions. His breadth of musicians, albeit Elton John, Kanye West, Crystal Castles, or Florence + the Machine, is extremely impressive. He seems to stop at nothing to photograph anyone and everyone who matters in contemporary music, and they should thank him for making them look this good.
9. Timothy Hiatt
9. Timothy Hiatt
Location: Chicago, IL
Timothy Hiatt's work is mind-blowing. His music photos appear perfectly lit, colored, and captured, whether he's shooting Big Boi, Gwen Stefani, John Mayer, or Florence + the Machine. He's captured a lot of artists, like Lady Gaga, throughout their careers, adding an element of historicizing to his portfolio.
8. Jonathan Mannion
8. Jonathan Mannion
Location: New York, NY
Jonathan Mannion is one of photography's biggest stars, and many consider him the hip-hop photographer. Live music photography is just the tip of the iceberg for Mannion, since his portrait, editorial, and advertising games are just as on point. In short, he's a living legend, and we salute him.
7. Nabil
7. Nabil
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Nabil Elderkin is much more than a music photographer, but it's safe to say that he'd still be successful if he only shot concerts for the rest of his life. In addition to directing music videos for and shooting portraits of Kanye West, Bon Iver, Frank Ocean, and Antony and the Johnsons, he's expertly photographed 'Ye, Frank Ocean, and others live at shows. His greatest contribution to the genre is undoubtedly the book he made with Kanye called Glow in the Dark, named after his 2010 tour, which featured mind-blowing images of the worldwide production.
6. Kyle Dean Reinford
6. Kyle Dean Reinford
Location: Brooklyn, NY
It'd be easy to name-drop the publications Kyle Dean Reinford regularly contributes to, like SPIN, Billboard, and Brooklyn Vegan, but that alone wouldn't do his work justice. He's the guy in the photo pit with all the other photographers, but somehow he comes out with the best images. If we were going on tour next month, we'd hire this guy, because he makes everything and everyone look as glorious as they should look when they're performing their ass off.
Website
5. Kirillwashere
5. Kirillwashere
Location: New York, NY
When you think of Kirill Bichutsky, the founder of Kirillwashere, you probably think of his countless, quality nightlife photographs or Champagne Facials, his side project that went viral. Frankly, who doesn't want to look at photos of hot girls dressed to impress (or get sprayed with champagne to suggest getting sprayed with...something else)? There's more to Kirill than meets the eye, as he's been hired as an official tour photographer for LMFAO, A-Trak, Chromeo, and Steve Aoki, shooting other artists like Rita Ora, Swizz Beatz, and Kanye West along the way. His style is intimate yet in-your-face, making him one one of the best music photographers in the game, no questions asked.
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4. Mike Lerner
4. Mike Lerner
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Mike Lerner is Justin Bieber's official concert photographer, which means that it's his job to document one of the biggest popstars of our time. Thankfully, he does it well, and you wouldn't even realize that he's only been shooting professionally for two years. He networked his way into shooting The Bravery and Katy Perry live, eventually getting his name out there enough to attract attention from Bieber's people. His live shots of Justin set the standard for what live music photography ought to be.
Website
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3. Todd Owyoung
3. Todd Owyoung
Location: St. Louis, MO
Todd Owyoung's bio reads, "I love the rock show," and it's pretty obvious from the quality of his work that he really does. He claims to photograph 4-6 bands per week, which is impressive given the amount of energy and consistency it takes to be a music photographer. His photos regularly appear in Rolling Stone, the New York Times, SPIN, Billboard, and Entertainment Weekly, giving him a platform to share the vivid, exciting shots he captures on stage.
2. Caesar Sebastian
2. Caesar Sebastian
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Caesar Sebastian may keep it elusive online, but maybe it's because his work really does speak for itself. He has a signature warm, grainy, and sharp style that makes his work literally stand out from any other music photographer. He made a name for himself shooting LA's weekly electronic music party, "Control" at the Avalon, in addition to the HARD, Nocturnal, and Electric Daisy Carnival festivals. He's an official photographer for the bi-monthly Check Yo Ponytail 2 concert series, where he's caught every stage dive, stripper, and chicken to hit the stage at the Echoplex. Whether he's shooting Das Racist, Grimes, Diplo, or Boys Noize, Caesar embodies the essence of music photography and makes you wish you were at every show he documents.
Website
1. RUKES
1. RUKES
Location: Everywhere and nowhere (according to his Twitter)
Rukes calls himself "the #1 DJ (Photographer)," and we'd have to agree, except without the parentheses, and "DJ" would be optional. It would be impossible to have a conversation about music photography without bringing up RUKES. People started to notice him from photos he took as official concert photographer for Deadmau5 (hence the "Everywhere and nowhere" — he's always on the road), but since then he's photographed Avicii, Skrillex, Kaskade, Swedish House Mafia, Afrojack, and more at historic concerts, raves, and festivals. If there's anyone who's expertly documenting the takeover of electronic dance music worldwide, it's RUKES.