Everywhere we go—to work, to school, or even to drive about in our cars—music is played to fill the air with booming waves. Everybody's life is enriched by music. It may inspire, be creative, ease emotions, and create a lot of communities. However, what happens if we incorporate our passions into our careers? That's exactly what Emma Henderson (she/her) is doing. transforming our perceptions of music through a variety of images that are bursting with vitality, vibrancy, and vibrant moments of enjoyment.
Emma and I chat in my apartment after a warm dinner and delightful conversations. Emma talks about getting into concert photography, connection between artist and fans and much more.
How did getting into concert photography change your life?
Wow! That’s a big one. Right off the bat. Haha. I think that it was a pretty big push to even pick up a camera for me. It took me a while to actually pursue concert photography after I had already decided to be a photographer. In the beginning it was an aesthetic inspiration. However it was always a goal I was pushing towards until I finally did it. Now I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. I’m really excited about what I’m creating and the people that I get to meet. Plus the experiences I get to have because of it.
Concert photography became popular in the 1950s/60s due to the genre of rock and roll. It’s still a relatively new thing that a lot of people are getting into. Why do you think concert photography is such a captivating field people are gravitating towards?
I think it's an exciting way to interact with music and not just being an audience member. It makes you feel like you're there for a bigger reason than to just enjoy the art. You're there to capture and find some way to sell. Depending on what you’re using the imagery for, but it's like one step above being an audience member participating, you're reacting. It seems so cool, especially if you can do it well. You get to interact with artists that you love. Meet new artists and enjoy their creativity and create in reaction to their creativity. It's like a push to keep going and making more work.
What are some important factors you’ve learned while getting into concert photography?
Crowd management is the biggest one. A lot of smaller venues don’t have a designated pit where photographers can be. For instance, like a bar, you’re going to have to push your way through. Else you're not going to get what you need to. The thought of trying not to be in everyone’s way so you're not affecting the performance and ruining an audience view. They paid to be there and are the ones that fund the music. So you don’t want to ruin it, but you kind of have to be up there because the band wants good photos. I didn’t realize how intense it would be, like, “Oh my gosh, I need to be in that spot right now, but there are twenty people shoulder to shoulder that I have to get through before I can get there." It's all happening in a split second, and you can’t stop the show for a shot; you just gotta get it or you don’t. That’s one of the important things that you have to keep in mind.
You also don’t have to have the best equipment for it. A lot of it can be done post-editing. When I first started with a Canon Rebel, I was creating just as well as with what I'm creating now on my Canon R6. It's a huge quality jump, and it's easier when you have better equipment. But it's totally doable, and you can totally be successful with starter equipment.
As a concert photographer, I feel, when one gets invited to these spaces, you’re surrounded by energy, the electricity flowing from the sounds, and the fans cheering on the artists. There’s this unspoken bond you have between them both. How important is it for you that you’re capturing those sentimental moments between the artist and fans?
It's really important. I started as a fan going to shows and being in the audience, and it’s what you're there for. You wouldn’t be there if you weren’t interested. There are many factors that go into making a live show and letting it run smoothly. All of them are important. You have the band, the audience, the sound technicians, and the people who move everything in and out. Depending on how big or small it is, you can have a whole bunch of people there to create this experience for everyone. It's not just the band, nor the singer; you know, I think it would be really shallow if you didn’t capture it. It wouldn’t do the experience justice if you’re not capturing everything. I feel like an interaction between an artist baring their soul and someone receiving it is kind of how I see the band/audience trade going on. There’s so much energy and power there, and it's visually rich. I feel like it's a great shot. I love being able to send people pictures of them interacting with their favorite artist. I’ve had people come up to me and ask, “Did you get this moment when I reached out and touched this guy’s hand?” Or, “When she signed my chest, did you catch that? Because I would love a picture of that.” So making memories last or just being there to capture those moments is really important and a big part of the job.
That’s a good one
Haha
Haha
Music is a valuable and important asset to many people’s lives. It’s cultural, lyrical, and personal. It navigates us in a way that helps bring out emotions we probably haven’t felt in a while. What has music done for you throughout your life?
Lots! I grew up in a strict, religious household, and at first it was like, “Oh yeah, this is what we’re listening to”—country music every once in a while and religious music—then we left the church. Trying to find who you are outside of religion, music was my outlet. That’s how I found everything. I found my friends in middle school because of our shared interest in music. I think a lot of my values too, majority of the time, are pushed because of these subcultures I'm in with the music that I listen to. They're all drawn together because of whatever genre you're hearing; like for me, it's EMO, rock, and alternative. I'm meeting these people who are really interested in making the world a better place. That idea of acceptance and like we’re all outcasts, but together we can be a family. That’s always what I’ve drawn from music. You have the artist saying things that you’re deeply relating to, and you know that you're not alone with a lot of the things you're feeling. Not only do you have music itself making you feel like yourself and making you feel heard and seen. Plus, it's teaching you to be accepting of everyone no matter what. Then you also have this group of people who couldn’t be kinder; they couldn’t care more than they do, which is so nice. I know that if I had never found music as a passion, I would be a very different person, personality-wise, in my values and views. I've had my fair share of nights falling asleep to sad songs, hahaha, and sobbing because I couldn’t find any other way to release my emotions. With finding community and searching who I was through music, you can also use it as therapy. To know that what you’re going through is not permanent and also that other people have gone through it too.
I feel like when you look back on this, its going to be rambling but its okay hahaha
For someone, like me, who has seen a lot of your time and effort at this university. It didn't really dawn on me until you mentioned that you’d wanted to shoot concert photos. You've done a lot of experimenting with screen printing, portraiture, and photographic sculpture. which you appreciated and taken great delight in. It was striking to witness, but it was also evident as your artistic personality. What has experimenting done to make it a valuable tool for your work?
It has gotten rid of a lot of doubt and fear because I’ve done crazier things. When I'm sitting and editing a photo, I go, “I'm going to push this saturation all the way up; I’m not going to sit there and be like, ‘Oh, I can’t do that because it's not technically accurate. I’ve already made those jumps of pushing technically accurate out the window, and I’ve seen that they can, but not always be successful, of course. They have a lot of potential and possibility. I think now I have the confidence to push my own style, and that’s how I'm going to do it. I’ve had a lot of artists talk to me about how, like, “Your color is so crazy; whenever you give us photographs compared to other photographers, your colors are always so bright and out of this world.” That’s what I pride myself on, and I enjoy it, and other people seem to enjoy it. It brings a confidence because then those other things aren’t necessarily that important, and I'm not showing them off to the world. Sure, I'll take some pictures and show some people, but it feels like what I want to put out into the world. Music is experimental, like we’re all just doing things until something's cool; haha, we're just trying. Especially with music, people are just making stuff and making stuff until they find something that sounds good. I feel that’s what I'm also doing. I'm taking pictures, and I'm finding what works and looks cool and what doesn’t. I feel pretty comfortable and confident giving someone the photo and saying, This is the work I did, and not, “Ohh.” I’ve been through my fair share of being like, “They won’t like these; these are crazy.” Now I can hand over an album and be like, “This is what I did. Of course I'm still working on it a little, but because you can never not have doubt in yourself and in your work, but I think I'm getting there.
what festivals or concerts you wish you could shoot for?
All of them. Any time I see a band doing it, I just wonder, "Oh, can I do that?" I would love to do a full festival. I went to SOWHAT fest as an audience member two years ago. I remember when their photos came out, I was scouring for all the photographers on the floor just to see what they got and how they experienced it versus how I experienced it as an audience member. Having that rush of all the stages and so much going on at once, I would just love to do a huge festival. I’d love to photograph a band that I listened to before I started concert photography. Because now, of course, I'm going to listen to all the bands that I go shoot for all the local, small shows and become a fan while photographing them. I feel there would be something about going and photographing people like Pierce the Veil or MCR; like, yeah, little middle school me would be geeking right now. That’s the experience that I want to have for sure. So yeah, anything, everything, all of it.
Your work has transformed into an array of unthinkable, colorful wave of energy and rawness that is poignant to your beginnings as a concert photographer. In the future what is something that you hoped you’d learned while staring at the beginnings of your work?
The first thing that comes to mind isn’t technical or aesthetic, but I'm really hoping I get the hang of networking. It's so intimidating right now. Trying to reach out and be friends with people is intimidating, especially for me because I never leave my house. I'm just trying to go and insert myself into this world that already exists. I'm hoping that I get the hang of that because these people are amazing and so talented and doing it every day and grinding and getting their music out there, which is something I need to be doing. It's nerve-racking but rewarding. But technically, I don’t know; I feel like I have a good handle on things—settings, editing, and how I get my work out there—but, I mean, it can only go up with experimenting. I'm hoping that I see some improvement because I don’t want to be static. I want to work with people who are willing to be experimental, fun, and exciting and get new outcomes and be cool with it and make it their own. I'm hoping that’s what I'll take in the future. It's so uncertain; everything is uncertain, and you can’t always google, and you have to go and do it; you kinda just have to talk to people who’ve already had experience and experience it yourself and just do it. I'm not very good at that; I like having a roadmap, but it's okay; I'm getting there.
Thank you Emma for doing this interview with me
Your welcome thanks for having me and being interested in my work and so supportive
Of course I would be. You’re obviously my best friend and I’ve seen you grow so much from every stage and its comforting to know that you’re in a space where you feel like you can do this and very confident. Your going to push the boundaries and just go forward.
I love you
I love you too
One significant example of how we establish a unique connection between fans and artists in the music scene is concert photography. Showcasing the artist's distinct styles along the entire journey. Transforming the possibilities of documenting music in a enrich, energizing way.
I've always had a great affection for Emma because of her pleasant atmosphere and unwavering commitment to her work. Seeing her develop as an artist genuinely shows her cool nature of an unmistakable pure talent .
Her insights on her own development, confidence, and will to achieve more, highlight the manner in which artists define themselves. Her art is lively, boisterous, and filled with fast-paced, seemingly timeless moments. Emma’s journey has only just begun. She is a pillar to bring forth her love of music with photography to which lead to her fated density.
Find Emma’s work here - https://emmahendersonphotography.cargo.site/
Comments