Money? Did someone say money? Seriously, where is the money?
I have been asked this several times throughout the past few weeks, each time it comes down to “How do I get paid to do concert photography???”
Truth is, good luck. Sure you might find some money here and there, at times enough to cover gas cost to get to the venue and back…but really, this gig is not one where you will make a lot of money off of. Maybe enough eventually to pay your bills on, but at least starting off, you need a secondary job, and one that pays at least decently.
Starting, you will be paying for your own gas, you also have to remember you have to maintain your equipment. It wasn’t too long ago that I finally upgraded my camera body, from the old Nikon D300 (which I LOVE, it is a real work horse that I still carry around as my backup camera) to a D750. It was a necessary move for many reasons. On top of that, you still have rent to pay for, food to buy, clothes to wear, insurance and so on to pay for…and as we all know gas prices are insanely high right now…to the point where you almost need a job to pay for just gas itself.
Where you might make some money is by going on tour. Now going on tour is not a sure thing. Even if you work your ass off, develop a stellar portfolio, know bands and their PR people personally, etc. etc…there are just too many photographers out there for all the bands that are available. And, sorry to say this, but not all bands want to have a photographer on tour with them.
You also might be able to get signed onto a local publication that will help cover things like your gas to get to shows and shoot, with maybe a tiny bit left over for a Dollar Menu supper once or twice a month. But that too is rare.
So, then what do you do? Work your ass off.
Long story short, you are a small business owner as a concert photographer (well, as a photographer in general), and you have to bust your ass like any other small business owner out there. If you think about it in a way, you are up against some of the giants in the concert photography world to prove your stuff; people like Ross Halfin (one of my personal favorites), Jim Marshall, Mick Rock (Yes I am aware that both Jim and Mic have passed, but their work is still out there and your work is still competing with theirs), Danny Clinch, Rita Carmo, and so many others (hell, even myself if I may be so bold). The point is that you have to get your work out there and seen, thus being known.
From there, once your work and name is starting to be known…even regionally, you can start maybe making a little money off of your work. Maybe have an exhibition of your work at a local gallery and sale some prints, also think about getting enough work together for a book possibly. The issue is here that you will need to photograph enough big names that people know and are wanting to see photos of/own a book that has their photo of. If you have photographed the local headliner at always plays Saturday Night at the local dive bar up the street, great…you are getting some work in, but no one out side of a few people will want to see that (unless that band has a BIG name in it…so you never know).
The point is for this update, yes you can make money in the field of Concert Photography, but it is going to be a little bit here and there. You really have to hustle and pimp yourself out there, let your work be seen and your name be know. Then, just then, might you be able to make a few bucks off of your concert photography. But as a reminder, your heart has to be in it first, you are going to have to suffer the long haul and cut your teeth in it first. If you are looking for a get rich quick style of photography, look towards something like Weddings where people will be willing to throw you a few hundred every weekend to snap a few photos. This is live music baby…and there is nothing better than that.