I absolutely love taking pics of my favorite artists. The passion first started when I was the Entertainment Manager in my previous life; before I moved to Long Island. Now, having access to such venues as B. B. Kings Blues Bar, The Iridium, Highline Ballroom and a few more in the city plus The Space, NYCB’s Theater at Westbury, 89 West, Revolutions, The Paramount on the Island and of course the large capacity venues like The Coliseum, Barclay’s, Met Life Stadium and MSG. How could I not want to pursue the life of a concert photographer?? I wish it were that easy! I wish there was enough financial gain in that line of work, but then again, maybe there is? Ive had the opportunity to meet a couple world renowned photographers and actually reached out to them for some advice. Unfortunately, even though they claim there is a so called “brother-hood” and “camaraderie”, my messages and emails have gone unanswered. Articles I have read and steps taken and followed to reach out to artist management and publicists have also been futile. No wonders they say the field is competitive, no one wants to help each other out! I dont expect anyone to respond with some unchartered advice on how to proceed and get photo passes but it would be great to give another avenue a try. Some have said that its quite easy. Others have said I need to have a publication behind me, but if I did, do the publicists/promoters actually do background checks? I do have a concert photography website which can be viewed at robarmstrongphoto.com, and right now, Im trying to build my portfolio. Are there any publications that are looking for concert photography? And if there are, can one actually make a living while doing it, or do most people do it for the love of doing it?
Ive put together a small gallery including some highlights of some past shows. I hope you enjoy and perhaps someone could point me in the right direction to acquiring photo passes. Im really looking forward to upping my game!
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