Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brenden Fuller. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Brenden, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
Back in 2022, when I first started considering concert photography, I was really into a band called “Good Kid”. I was obsessed with their music, and they had just announced their first U.S. tour. Unfortunately for me, this was an East Coast-only tour, and I was in Cheney, WA. Luckily, they had a show in Chicago that seemed close enough for me to fly to. With 1000 bucks in the bank and a $600 plane ticket, it was an easy purchase. Granted being in Chicago and never being on my own I would fly through the rest of the money for housing, food, and travel, but I got to go on my first-ever trip to go see a band I loved. Good Kid was also still fairly small at the time, with a following of 200k at the time. I took the opportunity to reach out to their manager and see if it was possible to get an interview with the band. I kept telling myself, “There’s no way this is going to work”. But it did! Well kinda, I got a reply from the bassist, Michael, and he was willing to chat for a bit! One member was sure better than nothing. So I flew out to Chicago, got my questions ready, and on the day of the concert, found myself in the green room with the entirety of Good Kid. Star Struck, I fumbled my way through my questions and filmed the interview for YouTube. Not only that, I got the chance to take photos and video for the concert afterward. Taking the risk and simply asking to do the interview not only allowed me to meet and chat with the entire band, they’ve recognized me at later shows, and I got to take photos at their recent Seattle show at the Crocodile. My one email has let me hang with one of my favorite bands ever!
Brenden, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
HI, I’m Brenden! Also known as Smoothy. I do concert photography here in Seattle, WA. I started playing with a camera when I was around 10 years old, going to my grandparents’ ranch in Kittitas WA for a week in the summer and seeing my Grandpa take stunning pics of my sister and I on horseback. Later on, I got my own camera I use today for concert photography. I’ve been doing concert photography, as well as portraits, for just a little over a year now. I started by reaching out to some of the local Seattle concert photographers and asking how they got into it, what I could do, and who to meet to get going on my own. Since then, I’ve met so many wonderful people who’ve helped me get to where I am today, and I’m sure I’ll meet plenty more! Lots of the concerts I’ve done have been at local house venues of the Seattle underground punk scene. I typically shoot with a wide angle lens and flash for nice bright pictures and double exposures.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I wish I had taken advantage of YouTube! The amount of free graphic design and photography tips you can learn on there are everywhere, you just gotta search for them!
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Instagram. Every new band that I reach out to, or reaches out to me, is almost always from Instagram. This is usually because bands are tagged in flyers so after you take their photos, you can send them the photos and just say, “Hey! I’d love to take photos for you again!” And that has been the best way I’ve been able to communicate with bands.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/smoothymedia
Image Credits
Personal portrait by Jimmy Humphryes. The rest by Brenden Fuller