“Photographing
gigs is seen by many as the ultimate goal, which I never really
understood. Who wants to have a pint land on them and then a load of
crowd
surfers just as they’re about to start work? You’ve got no
control over either your subject
or lighting, and you can’t even
judge how it’s going to look until the band start
playing their
first song” - Mark McNulty
I've always known
that I wanted to do both Photography and Graphic Design and that that
would be my plan for a future career - It just so happens that I've
been given these
incredible photography opportunities, through
different contacts that I know, that the photography aspect has
become so huge. As Mark McNulty says, I mostly got in to gig
photography through being a fan of music, it isn’t a case of the
photography coming before the music it’s actually the other way
round. My
brother became friends with singer Example which led me
to photograph my first ever gig with support acts Ed Sheeran, Devlin
and Yasmin. From this, you could say it snowballed. I met lots of new
artists, photographers and managers who put me in contact with other
artists and so on.
Music
photography isn't something I would have chosen if I hadn't been
given the opportunities, and
probably wouldn't have even considered
it. However i'm truly grateful because it has allowed me to share my
work (Photography and Graphic Design) with so many different people
who wouldn't have seen it otherwise. I would never change that
decision.
“I
haven’t got a clue why I wanted to be a photographer and
at that
time didn’t know what I wanted to photograph. I just wanted
to take
pictures and I think one of the first was of a church in Knock in
Ireland. It was my birthday, we were on
holiday and I’d just been
given my first camera.” - Mark McNulty
A
photograph captures a moment in time, not only for you but for the
subject too and in that respect is a very special skill to have.
Photographs are very personal, which is why when you have a
connection or a relationship with the subject you are photographing
i.e. The singer or artist (in this case) you are able to, without
even realising you’re doing it sometimes, portray their
personalities and character through a single photograph.
I believe
this is a huge part of what makes a good photographer, when you are
able to connect with the
subject (the person being photographed) and
portray that in your work.
I
think this is why it has been key for me to begin photographing
people I know which has then led on to photographing people at
festivals etc who I’ve never seen live or met before. The one thing
that I never want to lose is the passion for Music and Photography as
well as Graphic Design because, that’s where it all began.