A Day In The Life Of A Young Photographer

A Day In The Life Of A Young Photographer

By Mathew Pitfield

Saturday, 31st August saw me visiting family in Southampton, and my Dad had purchased a ticket to see one of his favorite bands, Ugly Kid Joe, at the Southampton 1865, a venue I had shot in before and where I have always felt welcome, especially being someone so young.

My dad had managed to get me added as a photographer for the gig, and we queued along with the rest of the public, eager to get inside on a mild night on the South Coast.

After picking up my AAA pass and grabbing a drink, I checked in with the sound engineer to make sure I was ready for the support act, The Virgin Marys, whom I had only shot 6 days ago at a small but perfectly formed festival, Rockwich, in Cheshire.

As the time approached, I made my way into the pit (photo) with the help of a member of the security team who gave me a welcoming smile. The 3 songs of shooting seemed to go by in a flash, and my time was done.

I then watched the rest of the set and got refreshments as I awaited Ugly Kid Joe. It had been 7 days since I had shot them as part of the press team for the Stonedead festival and had a great experience capturing them as the sun set near my home county of Lincolnshire. What made that experience memorable was that Whitfield, the lead singer, invited all the photographers to the back of the stage to take photos for one song!

But tonight was going to eclipse that, though at this point, I didn’t know it yet.

As Ugly Kid Joe hit the stage with a short intro from the rest of the band, I realized that I was the only photographer in the pit. After one song, I was joined by Ugly Kid Joe’s tour photographer, and I made the most of my standard 3 songs before leaving to meet Dad.

Just as I got to him, I was tapped on the shoulder and turned to see the tour photographer, who said that if I wanted to continue shooting the whole set, I was more than welcome to. One look at my Dad’s smiling face, and I turned and went straight back in.

Being alone in the pit was great, and the movement on stage by all the band members was really good. I had the freedom to capture each of the band members with different lighting. I also managed to get several shots of the crowd as they were encouraged to move their arms and sing along. The tour manager even gave me water, as it was thirsty work.

After about 30 minutes, Whitfield Crane (the lead singer) was singing and doing his thing at the front of the stage. While leaning forward, he caught my eye. I shot 6 photos, and then at the end of the song, he smiled directly at me and invited me to the back of the stage to shoot the rest of the show. As I made my way onto the stage, I was aware of 500+ faces watching me as he showed me the way safely to the back.

So here I crouched for the next 45 minutes, right next to Cam’s (the drummer) drum kit. He, too, gave me water and several smiles, and I took numerous photos of his amazing drumming. As a photographer, I hardly get any good photos of drummers since they are often hidden away at the back with the lights not hitting them, but tonight was different in the best of ways.

All members of the band engaged with me, offering smiles and poses, which made the experience even better. I swapped sides during the show to capture the other side of the stage and took plenty of crowd shots from this great vantage point.

At one point, Whitfield came for a drink of water, and I shot him mid-drink. He came very close to my lens with a great smile of encouragement.

As their set ended, Cam gave me a drumstick, thanked me, and after they had left the stage, I made my way back to my Dad, who was still beaming, just as I was about the experience. He seemed to have had a lot more refreshments than I did during the gig!

Definitely a major highlight of my time shooting at concerts, and I know my journey is long as I am still learning, but this gives me something amazing to tell the teachers at school when I return this week… A massive thank you to the 1865 in Southampton, the management, staff, and security, the band’s photographer and tour manager, and of course, Ugly Kid Joe, for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.