We recently connected with Joseph Buscarello and have shared our conversation below.
Joseph, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
Shortly after first picking up a camera and shooting around the city as a hobby, I knew I wanted to photograph concerts. Live music has always been an important part of my life and I wanted to document the artists and performances I was going out to see. But unlike most photography subjects, concert photography is quite unique because you have absolutely no control of any aspect of the scene or perspective. In most instances, you are in a fixed location determined by the venue or someone else, the lighting is ever changing, and the subject is in constant, unpredictable motion. Learning how to create meaningful and captivating images in this environment was a fun challenge that just hinged on practice and instinct. It took a lot of practice using my camera in full manual mode at concerts in order to be fluidly changing settings to adapt to the dynamic lighting. The more shows I was able to photograph, the better my instincts became in anticipating the performers movements and creating the right framing to make the images stand out.
I became somewhat obsessed early on with trying to always get the sharpest, “technically perfect” photo at every show. I fell off with other photography subjects and was just chasing some ideal of concert photography that does not really exist. I wish I learned earlier on that the most moving, emotionally packed concert photos are far from a textbook photo. The subtle softness from the motion blur of the subject, the battle for space in the frame between the lighting and the artist, and the drama from the perspective all combine to convey the energy of a live concert in a still photo.
The most essential skill for concert photography is understanding how to adjust your camera’s settings and shooting modes on the fly, without menu digging. You need to be fully prepared to to capture the images you have in mind as the show is going on and changing for every song. Once you are in full control then you can easily walk away with diverse, dynamic photo albums no matter how much of the show you are allowed to shoot. It turns out, even if you are hired by the band, most of the time you are only allowed to shoot a very small amount of the show right at the beginning. This short period of shooting time was certainly an obstacle to mastery early on. Practice was the name of the game so this just made it take that much longer.
Joseph, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I have been working as a Laser Engineer ever since 2011. I picked up photography a few years after that as a hobby and a way to explore New York City in a way I never had before. I have always been the type of person to learn a new skill to the fullest extent possible, no matter what it was. For photography, I wanted to master the skills and put myself in a position to photograph the things I love. I was already going to concerts religiously at this point so those two hobbies naturally overlapped. I sat down one night and cold emailed as many bands as I could that were about to play in the city, hoping to get my first photo pass. I got my first opportunity from The Claypool Lennon Delirium’s publicist in exchange for some free photos and I was on my way from there.
I spent a few years shooting as many shows and festivals as I could for various online music media outlets, generating the portfolio that I now send to prospective clients. Fast forward to today, I am shooting on direct hire for band’s and venues at least once a week, and also offering portrait, promotional, and other types of photography packages. I pride myself in delivering an all-encompassing album for my clients that includes portraits, photos of the performance, and photos showing the atmosphere and breadth of the event. Within those albums, I always take time to explore more artistic and abstract images of these events so the client has more engaging images to share.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
The best images will always come from the most unlikely and unplanned circumstances. As long as you are prepared you will get the shot and I learned this lesson in two similar scenarios.
The first was shooting BUKU Music Festival in New Orleans in 2022. I made the trip with a group of friends after getting approved for a media pass so I can review the festival for an online outlet. Tame Impala, one of my favorite bands, was headlining the first day and I was beyond thrilled for the chance to photograph them. However, annoying news came that morning when we were informed no photographers would be allowed in the photo pit area during their performance. I was pretty disappointed when I found out, feeling like I would only get a few boring, wider shots from some random spot buried in the crowd. I explored the grounds earlier in the day and decided on my spot for Tame Impala. My friends and I caught the show from that spot, and I ended up taking what is still one of my all time favorite photos and hangs above my desk. When I saw the RAW image, I had a vision for a really dynamic edit and created a photo that still makes me smile when I see it. This same lesson came a second time while shooting Kendrick Lamar at Governors Ball in 2023 in the same exact scenario. I was able to again capture another portfolio topping photo. No matter what the shooting situation is you have to get past the inconveniences right away and adapt your skill to your given perspective. Stay prepared and you will come away with amazing photos.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Photography is still a “side hustle” for me, but I still pour my full passion into it. I work full time manufacturing medical lasers and frequently travel around the world doing service and training with our distributors. But my mind is always occupied with my next photo gig. I do street and sunrise photography in the places I travel to for work and when I am home in New York City I am constantly reaching out to bands and artists to work together with. I want to photograph every city I travel to and I want to work with all of the bands coming through New York. My personal goal is to become one of the photographers in the city that the tour managers reach out to when their aritsts have shows in town. I want my personal concert photography style to be desired by the bands I love, and hopefully one day shoot an album cover for those bands.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.buscarphoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buscar_photo/?hl=en
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/buscar_photo
Image Credits
All photos by Joseph Buscarello