When two brands love each other very much, they slide into each other’s Instagram DMs to discuss their vision and projects, and that’s how beautiful photos are made (it’s a very romantic process between brands).
That’s exactly what happened in March of this year, when Liquid Kandy came to us about an awesome upcoming show. Eighteen of Australia’s best hip-hop artists spread over nine hours, in need of two kickass photographers (this would be more modest if one of them wasn’t writing this).
The Process
Just like the event itself, a concert shoot has a lot going on behind the scenes that people rarely see. We want to take you behind the curtain and show you what it takes to make sure a concert looks as good as it sounds.
Getting Started
Once you get in touch with us, your creative evaluates the brief and researches the project. We usually begin by assessing your brand’s social media platforms (we basically become your biggest fan), checking out similar events, and getting to know the artists. For Liquid Kandy, this process included cranking up a playlist we made from the line-up and checking out the local hip hop scene, venue, and concert videos.
We then send you through a quote and a couple of questions about the project (we want to get to know you as best we can). Once you’ve accepted the quote and we’ve become best friends, we set up your file in our system, and book you into our calendar.
On the Day
The day is typically filled with last minute check ins, carb-loading (an essential step we assure you) and watching out for the endless amount of cables that are busy charging our gear.
For Liquid Kandy, we shot on two Nikon D5600 cameras (we have since upgraded to Nikon’s Z6, for any camera nerds reading), with Margarete rocking an 85mm 1.4 lens for closeups and long-shots, and myself with a more modestly sized 35mm 1.4 lens for whopping crowd shots and getting right up in the action. With a bag of batteries, lens cloths, and snacks (always) we arrived at liquid Kandy before even the most hardcore fans were waiting out the front.
Shooting
We can’t tell you all our photography secrets without attaching a huge HECS fee to it, but we’ll fill you in on the basics. Shooting technique depends on the style that best suits your brand, and if you book more than one photographer, we divide the tasks between us. For LK, Margarete was glued to the artists, getting those crispy, loud, sweaty artist shots that show off the performance. Meanwhile I oversaw crowd shots, wide shots, and behind the scenes photos that capture the energy and scope of the show. This is a great way for us to focus our attention and stick to a solid system.
Post-Concert
It may be 4:00 AM when we get home, and no matter how tired we are, those photos get backed up on a computer and separate hard drive for safe keeping. The next day is full of coffee, comfy trackies, and potential Adobe sponsorships. Once the photos are done, they’re uploaded to a cloud server and sent straight to your contact for uploading, printing, or whatever your heart desires.
There’s a lot of love and care in what we do, so when you get in touch again with your next project, we’re ready to jump right back into the world of your brand. So, when Liquid Kandy got in touch again, they already knew we were keen to come back to Metro City for another great night; this time headlined by Aussie hip-hop icon, Drapht!