My 3 Principles To Shooting A Stadium Concert

PLUS: Last call for the Capture One Pro contest!

Two weeks ago, I was in Chennai documenting the largest concert South India has ever seen. My friend, Santhosh Narayan, put an incredible amount of work with his team to bring this event to life and I wanted to deliver images that really showcased the enormity of the experience.

Whether you’re aspiring to shoot something like this in the future or just curious about my process, I’m gonna share with you the three most important things that I keep in mind when approaching an event like this.

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Show the Scale

One of the areas that beginners often struggle with is showcasing the scale of an event. They get so focused on getting great medium or tight portraits of the artists that they forget about the venue and the audience. At this concert, most of the photographers spent well over three hours in the media pit just shooting the artists and if you’re asking me, this felt like a self-serving endeavour. The hope of capturing an epic moment to let your followers know that you were there.

What a waste of an opportunity.

What headliners, musicians, editors, and agencies really appreciate are options. Delivering a collection of shots that can tell a story is critical. And what really helps are images that showcase the scale of an event. This was the first outdoor, stadium concert in South India; a massive move forward for the entertainment industry. It was imperative for me to pick a few spots ahead of time to display how monumental the event this was. And let me tell you, these type of photos are the ones that my clients love the most.

Now, let’s move on to the easiest way to introduce some drama to your shots.