We recently connected with Gina Monahan and have shared our conversation below.

Gina, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I never took proper photography classes when I started. It was all trial and error. I was lucky enough to have good mentors at the time that would give me tips on editing, some of which were not afraid to tell me that my editing was bad! But they always showed me how to fix it. The relationships between highlights/shadows, whites/blacks, contrast and vibrance. I taught myself color grading, and by extension, color theory. I slowly began to figure out my style, what I valued in a photo. I love bright colors and lights. But I’m most interested in capturing the relationship between audience and artist. My favorite pictures are crowd shots that show the audience’s love for the music, and photos of musicians that show intense emotion. The fans wouldn’t be there with the music and the music wouldn’t be there with the fans. There is a beautiful balance between that relationship. That’s what I love to capture, first and foremost.

I think one thing that held me back for a long time was my own anxiety. When I began photography, I was young and anxious that I was doing something wrong or that I wasn’t welcome in certain spaces. I was terrified that when I reached out to artists or publicists I was being annoying and would get blacklisted. It was just my own paranoia. I wouldn’t pursue certain opportunities because I was scared of rejection. This year I really tried to overcome that. I had to push down my fears and instead encourage myself to put myself out there. When I was on the media team for a festival a couple years ago I received the best advice of my career. It was my first time on a media team and I was so nervous about going somewhere I shouldn’t, getting in artists’ way, etc. I was talking with another photographer on the team, and he bluntly told me “Honestly, just do something until someone tells you not to”. I simply took it to mean don’t be afraid to do something in fear of rejection, Just go for it…the worst someone will tell you is no. I never got that photographer’s name and I didn’t see him again after that. I internalized that advice, and it’s kind of the backbone of my work as a photographer.

Gina, 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?

My name is Gina Rose, I am a 22 year old concert photographer working primarily in the Philadelphia, PA area. I’ve always loved music and I grew up with a diverse range of music from my parents. My dad was a drummer so we bonded over our love of music. I jokingly call my camera my musical instrument, because I don’t have a musical bone in my body! I kind of fell into concert photography, but I feel like so many music photographers will say that! I bought myself a Canon Rebel t5 for myself with birthday money when I turned 16. I also make and sell jewelry so I wanted to take good product photos. The week after I got it I traveled to a small music festival where my favorite band at the time was headlining and brought my camera. I had no idea how to use it but I took photos from the crowd and instantly fell in love with it. It was like love at first shot! After that show I was determined to learn photography and editing. I was lucky enough to have attended several festivals that year that, thankfully, didn’t have a photo policy, meaning there were no rules about what cameras you could bring. Typically, you need to have a press pass in order to bring in professional camera gear to a show or venue. Some don’t mind it, but most will have this rule. I was able to build up a small portfolio that I eventually used to apply for photo passes. The first band I ever got a photo pass for was Skillet, and I’m still grateful to them to this day for giving me that chance.

I shoot for a couple of different online magazines in which I provide photo galleries and show reviews. I cover predominately rock and metal artists, but also cover CCM, indie pop, and other genres. I began shooting for my first publication at 19. I started out just taking photos, but eventually learned that band publicists value live reviews just as much as, if not more than, photos. Concerts are such a sensory experience; there’s light, movement, of course sound, but most importantly there is emotion. The air is filled with excitement and passion and gratitude. My intention is to capture the feeling of being at a live show with my photos as well as my words.

I think what sets me apart from other photographers is I am crazy meticulous when it comes to culling my photos. I will only post my best work. I have so many rules for myself about what makes a “good photo”. These are just my specs for myself, everyone’s art is different and is meant to evoke different feelings. I won’t post any photos if the artist’s face is covered or hidden. I love motion and blurriness in photos but the faces must be sharp. I’m a stickler for good composition, so I try to perfect my angles and composition in-camera when I’m shooting. There has to be something interesting about the photo. I don’t like static shots. I value movement, emotion, and light. I’m as mindful when I’m taking photos as I am editing and culling. If it’s not something I’m proud of, it won’t get sent in.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

There are so many rewarding aspects of being a creative. I am so grateful that I have the ability to work in the music industry. Getting to work with, provide content for, and eventually become friends with the very bands that shaped my adolescence is unreal. There is a kind of mutual reciprocation between musicians and content creators. They share their music with us (fans) and we share our photos with them. I certainly don’t do photography in order to become friends with bands, but it’s very rewarding to know that your work is respected and loved by the artists you’re working with and have listened to for years.

It is also really rewarding when I get to mentor people who want to get into concert photography. I love sharing advice, tips, and my own experiences with them. We all started somewhere, and we all had inspirations and mentors that helped us along the way. I hate gatekeeping and will always do my best to pass down my knowledge. I’m far from the most knowledgeable or experienced, but I’m in a place now where I am confident and comfortable mentoring others. When people approach me it blows my mind and it reminds me how grateful I am to do what I do.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I have to give credit to fanpages! A large chunk of my followers are fans of the bands I cover. Fanpages have been my biggest cheerleaders at times, always tagging artists in my comment sections and reposting my photos. For example, I recently covered Foals, and their fans shared my photos like crazy! I wouldn’t be where I am if people didn’t enjoy my photos. I started out as a fan bringing my camera to shows…I appreciate the fans because I was one. I love networking and chatting with people, whether they’re fans, other creatives, industry workers, or band members. I try to give back the love I receive, and I think people appreciate that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gemmatherose.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gemmatherose/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@gemmatherose

Image Credits
Photo of me: Sam Reed Concert photos: me