There are a lot more music photographers than there are music photography jobs — that’s just how it is in this corner of the industry. It’s a port of entry for many hobbyist photographers, and the result is saturation of the market. A lot of budding photographers are willing to work for free, making the gigs that are out there even tougher to get. When most bands are composed of young people just out of (or still in) high school, is understandable that most aren’t able to pay photographers much. I used to charge local bands $100 for a band promo shoot. That felt like a fair price back then; I gained valuable experience and it was affordable for the musicians as well. But a few years down the line when you have thousands invested in gear, $100 shoots aren’t going to cover your costs, not to mention your time. When you reach that point, you have to figure out other ways of simply financially maintaining your hobby. I want to shed light on a few opportunities that I’ve found and seen my peers succeed in, not just breaking even but actually making a living.
I’ll do my best to provide what kind of compensation you might be able to expect from some of these methods. I want to make sure I disclaim that I haven’t done all of these myself, but have friends or acquaintances who I know for a fact have found success in these opportunities. If anyone reading this has more accurate numbers for any sort of gig I list below, please let me know so I can adjust them!
STARTING FROM SCRATCH
Skip this section if you’re already getting photo passes and shooting shows and just looking to start making some money. This part isn’t a moneymaking method, but it outlines the first steps that many photographers take. Most beginner concert photographers start by shooting tiny local shows, then finding a small publication to work for to start getting photo passes to shows. That’s the standard piece of advice to newbies, “find a small online publication to shoot for.” It will be unpaid, but it will help you build a portfolio and experience in shooting shows. How do you find a publication? Search around. There are hundreds of people passionate about music creating small websites, web zines, and music blogs. Find small artists you like and see who they are doing interviews with, what small websites they’re posting links to on their social media pages. You’ll find one in no time. Working for a small publication will get you access to photo passes, which allow you to bring your camera into venues and shoot concerts. The gatekeepers of photo passes are publicists. Much to the credit of publicists and artist managers in the industry, they’re patient and kind to photographers new to this world despite being inundated with requests from us. It’s a small part of what they do to benefit their artists but they’re extraordinarily respectful of us so please be sure to return the favor. There is an entire spectrum of the “photo pass” world between shooting an artist in a small bar and shooting a superstar in an arena. But this is where nearly everyone begins, and it allows you to build up contacts in the industry and experience shooting shows. If you need any guidance starting out, I wrote a bit about good lenses for concert photography beginners to start with that you should check out.
SHOOTING FOR LARGER MAGAZINES AND PUBLICATIONS
Larger music publications have budgets and can hire experienced photographers to shoot for them. There are multiple types of work in this genre that photographers are hired out for. Cover shoots, editorial shoots, shooting concerts and festivals, shooting behind the scenes or day-in-the-life features — these are all gigs that are hired out. Many of these medium to large publications also seek already shot images to use for their stories and send out requests for submissions.
Cover Shoot – $1,000-3,000Editorial shoot – $200-800Shooting a festival/concert – $150-$300/dayShooting a BTS-type feature – $150-300/dayLicensing a photo for them to use – $100-$200
There are some even larger publications… think Rolling Stone… who have even higher budgets, but often work with a tight knit group of photographer contacts. How do you start being considered for these jobs? Networking. Everyone’s introduction to this will be different, but here’s one example: Now you have a contact at the magazine. Hopefully they like your work. Let them know you’d enjoy working together on other jobs if they’re interested. Local festival coming up that’s right in their wheelhouse? Respectfully ask if they are looking to cover said festival and let them know that it’s in your area. I have peers who make decent money shooting for larger magazines. They are excellent studio photographers who shoot cover images for magazines very consistently. There are a handful of larger publications like this who have budgets. But these companies are having a tough time, budgets are getting smaller, and monetizing photo galleries, so this work is becoming more sparse.
BAND PROMOS / ALBUM ARTWORK
Local band promos are a cornerstone of most budding music photographer’s portfolios. Larger bands need promos too. They’ll often tap photographers they know or work with, or their label has a relationship with, to shoot these for them. Some artists, especially in hip-hop and pop also use photos of themselves as album or EP artwork. Expect $200-$2,500 for this type of work. This is a broad range, but it depends on how many images they need delivered, how intensive and time consuming shooting the concept will be, the cost of renting a studio, props, assistants, etc… the list goes on and on. A variety of work in the same vein is available too; behind the scenes photos at video shoots, or documenting a band in the studio for example. I will usually get this type of work from artists that I have a relationship with and have worked with in the past.
LICENSING PHOTOS
Bands often license photos from photographers to use for many purposes. Usage of photos for posters, shirts, and other merch is very common. Sometimes the artist will give you a portion of sales of the merch item. Having a relationship with artists and their teams often helps with these opportunities because it puts you on their radar. Expect a minimum of $100 to license a photo for one of these uses. Hope to get more, especially if it’s for a large run of shirts or posters being sold on tour. Companies also often license photos for marketing or advertising purposes. This licensing deals will often be more lucrative than licensing to artists because of a difference in budget size. Some photographers also build long-term relationships with companies that license music, sell instruments, or other products geared towards musicians. This type of work can also net you a lot of money and help sustain you in-between tours or other work.
TOUR PHOTOGRAPHY
Most of my successful peers’ income comes from this type of work, myself included. It’s a very rewarding and challenging gig. Being able to travel with your friends and make money doing so is hard to beat. If you start shooting small shows, you’ll inevitably create a network of publicists, managers of bands, and artists themselves. A lot of bands feel that its important to have a photographer with them when on tour. Photographers can provide a ton of value to artists, I’ve covered this before if you want to read more about it. When hiring a photographer to bring on tour, most artists or their managers are looking for a few things… (1) they like your work and it fits their brand. (2) you are a person they enjoy being around or are vouched for by someone they trust. Because of this, once you get the experience of one tour, you’re “qualified” to tour with others. Especially if you’re expanded your network and others can speak to your quality of work and back you up as a good human. What kind of pay can you expect as a tour photographer? It depends on a lot of factors, including how much work you’re expected to do. Some photographers on small tours are also expected to sell merch. Will you be shooting just photos, or video too?
About the Author
Matty Vogel is a music and tour photographer based in Phoenix, Arizona. If you would like to see more of his work, check out his website, follow him on Instagram and Twitter and like his Facebook page. This article was also published here and shared with permission.
