Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Daniel Coston. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Daniel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
My mission is to create and document to the best of my abilities, every day that I am here. I love finding things, taking a photograph that feels like that moment, and then sharing those moments with others. That extends into writing books or articles, making sure that the work of others is shared and preserved,organizing a concert, overseeing recording sessions, or whatever moves me, When I was young, I would think, “Wouldn’t it be great if someone did that?” and then I later realized that said person could be, or should be me. Create, enjoy, repeat.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am originally from update New York, and have lived in North Carolina for most of my life. I was writing everything from a very young age. In high school, I got into film and TV work, writing, producing and directing for local television. After a few years of doing video work, I began writing sports articles for one local newspaper, and feature stories for an independent magazine. Neither paper had a photographer, so I began taking the photos for the articles I was writing. As soon as I began photographing musicians, and started working with musicians around the region, I came to realize that photography was becoming more than something I did for fun. It became a calling. I found this remarkable rabbit hole that I wanted to see where it would lead me, and I’ve continued that adventure for the last 28 years.
I photograph everything from luncheons, galas and special events, to concerts and album covers for musicians, and more, I currently take event photos for six media outlets in the Charlotte area, after 16 years of photographing events for the Charlotte Observer, I also work directly with banks, hospitals, Symphonies, Opera companies, and numerous non-profits. And when I’m not doing that, I’m working with musicians around the world on both new photos, and photos from my archives. I’ve also produced or co-produced several records in the last few years for several artists.
As a photographer, I’m proudest of the work that I did with Johnny Cash in 2003, Photographing early records for artists like the Avett Brothers, Drive By Truckers, Andrew Bird and many more. As a long-term photographer, I’m proud of the fact that I found a way to survive, and possibly thrive in a business where many photographers do not last long. It’s one thing to work with Wilco in 2002. It’s another to stay in the business, maintain contacts in the industry, and have those photos used over ten pages in a boxset that won two Grammys in 2023. The road to a lifetime of creativity isn’t always easy, but it’s the only road I’ve ever wanted to travel.
Have you ever had to pivot?
At first, I started photographing events when I wasn’t on the road photographing music. It was a gig, and it paid for travel. Over time, I realized that I had been missing the possibilities of becoming an event photographer. I had to get over whatever prejudices I may have had about said luncheon not being a music gig, and really try to create something better. Once I did that, my event photography greatly improved, as did people’s response to the photos. I now see them all, whether I am working with musicians, or that weekend’s gala event, as part of the larger body of work that I try to create. Regardless of the client, it all comes back to me, and what I can do in any given moment.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I dug my heels in for many years about switching from film photography to digital. Some of it was I’d found a way of working that I’d liked, and I didn’t like being told to change. I was didn’t allow myself to learn more about scanning and emailed digital versions of my photos. I eventually switched to digital photography when I’d taken the film work as far as I could go creatively, and was ready for the change. I made the decision on my own terms, which was good for me, but I didn’t always make it easy for myself in the years leading up to that.
Contact Info:
- Website: danielcoston.com
- Instagram: @danielcostonphotos
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daniel.coston/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-coston-3b0b506
- Twitter: #danielcoston
- Other: danielcoston.photoreflect.com (for events) danielcostonmusicphotos.com (for music archives)
Image Credits
Johnny Cash. final concert, Hiltons, VA, July 5, 2003 Wilco, Philadelphia, PA, fall 2002. Photo was used across two pages in the 2014 best of. Monkees, Hollywood, CA, Sept, 16, 2016. Final show together with Dolenz, Tork and Nesmith. Photographed the show for the Monkees. Avett Brothers, promo shoot for Mignonette album, Seth Avett’s backyard, Concord, NC, August 2004. Aretha Franklin, Charlotte, NC, 2010. Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran, Charlotte, NC, March 2011. All photos copyright Daniel Coston