We recently connected with Nicole DiBenedetto and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Nicole thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Success should be dictated by your own standards. It’s good to see what others are doing and where you stand comparatively, but success looks different to everyone and it’s important to keep that in mind. For some live music photographers, success looks like touring. To others it looks like working on an editorial staff. The bar for success that you set for yourself moves and changes as you grow as an artist. When I first started, I thought that being successful meant photographing larger acts on a publication. Now, my views have shifted and my successes look like working directly with artists to present photos that will help get their fans excited about their shows. In a couple years’ time, that could change again. It’s all about where you want to be in your career.

Nicole, 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 Nicole DiBenedetto, I am a music photographer located in New Jersey. I started out writing reviews for Cherry Pit Mag and was inspired by the photographers on the team, so I ended up borrowing my husband’s DSLR camera, and my editor at the time took me out to my first show. I’ve always loved going to concerts and used to travel a lot with my friends for shows so it was a no brainer that I wanted to cover music specifically. Since starting music photography, I co-run the publication Sound Bites Media, work as a house photographer for 3 different venues, and work directly with artists to provide content. I’ve started working on my video skills as well. I am always willing to work with my client to make sure I am delivering the work they want to showcase that will best represent them as an artist. I provide quick turn around times on projects because I believe this is a fast moving industry and time is of the essence. Bad timing can be a deficit to artists trying to promote themselves, so I work diligently to make sure my work is received in a timely manner.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Resilience is an ongoing skill that music photographers need to practice. Things change and move quickly in this industry and you need to be flexible. There are stretches of time where you might not find as many gigs, and if you’re on a publication there are times you’ll receive denials for photo passes. Even now, I receive denials for many reasons (not enough allocated passes, publication numbers aren’t big enough, artist isn’t allowing press, etc.), but I don’t take it personally. I take the denial, and move on and just keep requesting. The right opportunity will come when it is time!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Building my audience on social media is definitely still an ongoing process. The ever changing algorithm makes it difficult to build your following at first for sure. Something you need to keep in mind when you’re starting to build your presence is that consistency is key. You want to find ways to keep your audience engaged so you don’t fall off when you start to gain momentum. It helps to keep up with the trends and find ways to make it match with what you do. It can be easy to find yourself set in your ways, but you can’t get too comfortable. Last, don’t forget to engage with others in your community and show support when you can!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nicoledibphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoledibphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicoledibphotography/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@nicoledibphotography

Image Credits
Nicole DiBenedetto