Neelam Khan Vela

To be persistent and to challenge themselves the second they find their own work boring.

Hinds in the studio / Neelam Khan Vela

Megan Doherty

Keep shooting every chance you get, you can only get better with practice. Look at what other photographers, filmmakers and artists are creating. Attend gigs, exhibitions, events and meet people, network, reach out to people you want to work with.

Make work for you always, not what you think other people want to see.

On Top of the Hill / Megan Doherty

Riccardo Piccirillo

Do not try to emulate or copy other photos or other photographers. Try to let your personality come out. Do not rush things and do not give into the fear that nobody will care, even if the photos are well made.

Listen to a lot of music and buy a lot of books by the greatest photographers. Before attending a photo session, I always skim through the best books I own which were written by great photographers. By doing this I refresh my eyes through stunning photos.

Riccardo Piccirillo

Rob Jones

Find out what music and events resonate with you, whether it be the type of music that is played, the artists on the lineups, or even the types of people who attend. After doing this you can begin to reach out and offer your photography services to the community you’re interested in. I also wouldn’t be too concerned about having specific equipment such as which camera or lenses you use. Becoming comfortable and knowledgeable with your existing equipment is the key to everyone starting out. Be enthusiastic as well, when you meet people who have a real love for what they’re doing it creates a much better working environment.

Rob Jones

Jada & David

Shoot as much as possible. Put your work out there. Be loud. Make friends.

Isabella VanKesteren / Jada & David

Jérôme Brunet

My only rule is I only shoot musicians that I love. By doing so, I believe it bring you closer to capturing the essence and soul of the musician. Being passionate about what you’re shooting is the first step in creating something compelling and unique.

Cage The Elephant / Jérôme Brunet

Joe Puxley

I think you’ve got to be compassionate towards yourself, stay open minded, approach photography from a perspective of experimentation and most importantly, curiosity. I think quite a few people start from a place of "I need a passion" or "I need a career" but this stops them from developing their style and understanding what they love about photography. If you’re putting yourself under lots of pressure to be commercially successful, then you can’t be very creative and take risks because you have to rely on what you know already works. That’s why a lot of new photographers emulate successful ones or keep recreating work which they know people already like.

I did all of this by the way, and it's understandable because starting a new creative interest with the belief that your way is the best is crazy. I believe the key is; to remember that being a successful artist is extraordinary, and maybe it's so rare because they're the only ones who dared to do their own thing. If you’re coming from an authentic place of creativity, and have learned how to compose your images well, then I'm sure the outcome will be beautiful. Thinking about all of this reminds me of one of my favourite photographers, Mous Lamrabat - make sure to check out his work.

The pressure to be successful feels really intense, especially growing up with social media. One of the most important lessons for me was learning that if you make work that is powerful and valuable to you, then you don’t need to care what other people think of it. It's like if you made a meal that you didn’t like for a dinner party, then all of it's value would come from what your guests thought of it. If you love the meal in the first place, then you’ll be happy with it in the end. It's also more likely that your guests will too, because you really connected with it and put your heart into it. Realising this allowed me to stop comparing myself to my peers, stop caring about likes and ultimately made me a much better and, (ironically), more successful photographer.

Arlo Parks / Joe Puxley

Nat Michele

Make the type of work you want to make, from the very beginning. Having a sense of who you are as an artist will enable you to figure out your own pathway, without bending to the needs and wants of others or trends, where you could compromise your taste and identity.

It’s easier said than done, but in the long run, true collaborators will book you for your eye, taste and style as opposed to simply the need of a photograph. For me, those relationships create the most fulfilling projects which is what it’s all about, in my opinion.

Jason Sheldon (Junction10)

Don’t give your work away for free. If someone asks if they can use your work in return for a picture credit, then it’s good enough for them to pay. This is especially true when you’re looking for a publication to work with. It doesn’t matter if this is your first gig or your 1000th, your work has a value.

Don’t sign photo contracts that take away or restrict your copyright. Be prepared to walk away if they won’t allow you to cross clauses out. Easier to do when there is a group of you all refusing but still possible to have unfair contracts waived if you’re prepared to make a stand to protect your rights. There is no point in wasting your time photographing a show if you don’t have the right to use your own work afterward.

Take your rucksack off and leave it at the side of the pit. Walk. Don’t run. Don’t risk being a distraction and getting yourself ejected. Anticipate your shot rather than machine-gunning. Pick your moments. The audience paid to be there, respect them - don’t disturb them by persistently making noise during quiet moments or block their view. Be friendly to the venue staff. They can be extremely valuable relationships if things don’t go to plan at future shows.

When building a portfolio, less is more. Don’t be afraid to cull images. 15 killer shots are more likely to convince a picture editor than 300 average images.

Rise Up / Jason Sheldon (Junction10)

Thomas Weidenhaupt

From my own experience I can say that this is much easier said than done, but you should try to overcome your shyness and insecurities when approaching artists, magazines or editors, once you feel secure enough to take the next step. Yes, there’s the possibility of getting a negative response, most of the time you will probably get no response at all, but the times it ends in your favour, it feels very rewarding.

Thomas Weidenhaupt

DeShaun Craddock

Start small and local, where people will be more accessible. Allow yourself to try new things and get them wrong. Also, find people who are kind and generous with knowledge.
John Lyons.

For someone starting out in live photography, scout out for small venues where the artists and the venues welcome photography. There are plenty of them around. That way, you can build a portfolio before approaching agencies – which is something I’m working on right now. Another piece of advice I'd say is, if you're intending to do it seriously, even if it's just for your own pleasure, invest upfront in a decent camera. Someone once said "the best camera is the one that's with you", which is true but I'd add to that, "if the camera that's with you is good quality and you know how to use it, you'll get much better photos." If you're taking photos at gigs, by definition you'll be coping with dynamic subjects and, particularly at small venues, you're going to need to cope with very variable and low lighting.

That said, it is possible to get great results with more modest equipment. I have a compact camera that I use for gigs where I don't have a photo pass. In those situations, you can make the lofi nature of the images a feature, for example to convey the feeling of being in the audience. I used a compact camera at a recent St. Vincent gig at Hammersmith Apollo and got some interesting results. Finally, take the time to get to grips with the basics of post-editing. I'm not in the least bit interested in wholesale manipulation of images, but it's easy to turn a good image into a great one with some very simple editing (just like those film photographers used to do in the darkroom, but far simpler).

Surf Gang / DeShaun Craddock

John Lyons

For someone starting out in live photography, scout out for small venues where the artists and the venues welcome photography. There are plenty of them around. That way, you can build a portfolio before approaching agencies – which is something I’m working on right now. Another piece of advice I'd say is, if you're intending to do it seriously, even if it's just for your own pleasure, invest upfront in a decent camera. Someone once said "the best camera is the one that's with you", which is true but I'd add to that, "if the camera that's with you is good quality and you know how to use it, you'll get much better photos." If you're taking photos at gigs, by definition you'll be coping with dynamic subjects and, particularly at small venues, you're going to need to cope with very variable and low lighting.

That said, it is possible to get great results with more modest equipment. I have a compact camera that I use for gigs where I don't have a photo pass. In those situations, you can make the lofi nature of the images a feature, for example to convey the feeling of being in the audience. I used a compact camera at a recent St. Vincent gig at Hammersmith Apollo and got some interesting results. Finally, take the time to get to grips with the basics of post-editing. I'm not in the least bit interested in wholesale manipulation of images, but it's easy to turn a good image into a great one with some very simple editing (just like those film photographers used to do in the darkroom, but far simpler).

David Mrakpor / John Lyons

Chris Suspect

Photograph the music you love, introduce yourself to the musicians in that scene, and become friends. From here your access and approach will grow. Over time you will build a network that will help you. Also, look at other genres of photography and study the work of the masters. Photographic knowledge can be applied to almost any situation.

Darkest Hour / Chris Suspect

Anthony Harrison

My mantra to myself is always be passionate, honest and sincere in what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. If you’re not enjoying it – stop. Don’t force it, let it happen naturally.

My biggest one is do your own thing, don’t compare your work to others. Even if someone is stood right next to you in the pit they will still never capture the same shot you take.

My camera and lenses, relatively, are quite cheap. Some photographers I see probably use lens wipes that cost more than my whole kit combined. It's easy to get intimidated and feel inferior but the camera is just the medium, you’re the one that sees the beauty, the interesting angle, the intrigue, not the camera. No amount of extra megapixels and expensive kit will make up for a good eye. My analogy of it is - I could give Nile Rodgers my very first cheap, left handed, falling apart acoustic guitar and he could give me his Fender ‘hit maker’ and I guarantee he will still make a better tune on my guitar than I would on his.

Also, if you don’t ask you don’t get! The worst thing someone can say to a request is no. The best thing that can happen is they say yes and you have the greatest experience of your life. I vouch for this completely because it's happened to me and my camera numerous times!

Just Like Honey / Anthony Harrison

Hana Kovacs

Don't be afraid of being persistent and asking for what you want. Knock on as many doors as you can, some will open. Turn up with a smile, enthusiasm and can-do attitude.

Strike up conversations with anyone, you never know. My very first conversation in London in 2012 happened to be with Stanley Kubrick's assistant, the late and great Andros Epaminondas. I took his portrait then and there, my first ever portrait in the UK, and it's still one of my most treasured photographs and moments to this day. Be bold, be brave, learn your craft by doing, experiment.

Othello, Ballet Soul / Hana Kovacs