This month was my busiest for photographing live music, and it felt really good to be back at it. Not only that, but I’ve been working with a new lens, so that’s been exciting too!

The Marías on The Submarine Tour at Radio City Music Hall

The Marías at Radio City Music Hall

The first concert was The Marías at Radio City Music Hall. As soon as I saw the band’s album artwork by Bethany Vargas, I just knew that I had to photograph their live show. Radio City is an iconic venue in New York City, but it doesn’t have a photo pit. Since I wasn’t sure whether or not I’d be able to approach the stage, I reached out to the folks at Nikon and they loaned me a 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 to use. Luckily for me, they’re allowing me to use it until November, so I’m excited to continue putting it through its paces.

To my surprise, I was granted all-access for this show. That’s something I’ve only been lucky enough to have a few times over the course of my career, and it meant that I could photograph the entire show, as well as move freely around the venue. It was also a treat to work alongside friends CJ Harvey and Deanie Chen. One of the nicest things about being able to photograph a show in its entirety is that you can capture any surprises that may occur outside of the usual “first three songs, no flash” timeframe. In fact, I’d say all my favorite photos from that night came after the first three songs.

María Zardoya, of The Marías, at Radio City Music Hall. Taken with the NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S

The Marías

María Zardoya, of The Marías, in the crowd at Radio City Music Hall

The Marías

María Zardoya, of The Marías, in the crowd at Radio City Music Hall. Taken with the NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S

The Marías

My two favorite kinds of photos to take are extremely minimal, intimate moments, and ones that embrace the scale and enormity of the moment. I was able to do both that night, and it’s my favorite show of the year so far.

The Marías at Radio City Music Hall on The Submarine Tour

The Marías in the crowd at Radio City Music Hall

The second show I photographed that month was Andrew Bird at Pier 17. It was my first time attending the venue and I’m happy to report that everything went smoothly. It’s an outdoor rooftop venue with views of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridge. Originally, I was asked to photograph the show, as well as some moments behind the scenes, but it ended up working out that I had less than a minute to take any photos before Andrew and his band took the stage. Being able to adapt to changes quickly is so important with music photography, even away from the performance. I’ve wanted to get more candid moments at shows, so I was happy to get one that night.

Andrew Bird backstage with his band at The Rooftop at Pier 17

Andrew Bird backstage with his band at Pier 17

The lights here were extra bright, and while dark lighting conditions are the norm, very bright lights can pose their own challenges too. With only three band members to worry about, it was easy to get moments with each person as they performed over the course of the night. I know I just finished saying how rare it is for me to get all-access, but I had all-access for this one too.

Taken with the NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S

Andrew Bird at Pier 17

Taken with the NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S

Next up was Shenseea, who performed at Webster Hall. I had first come across her at Rolling Loud in 2021. Her set was incredibly energetic, and I was hoping that I’d get a chance to photograph a headlining show sometime down the line. I mainly stuck to taking photos during the first three songs for this one, but it was an amazing show with well-lit, summery colors and incredible dancers. This felt like just the right preamble to the upcoming West Indian Day Parade on Labor Day weekend.

Shenseea at Webster Hall

Shenseea at Webster Hall

Finally, I got to photograph Childish Gambino at Barclays Center. I first photographed him back in 2017 at Governors Ball, and with this being his last tour, I was hoping that he’d allow press and that I’d be able to cover it. The production was really over the top, and it was very challenging. There were a lot of lasers in use, and a lot of haze being used to make the lasers more visible. This resulted in some extra texture in the photos, but it was still lively and fun to photograph, with an entire catwalk to work around and a set that began on a second, smaller stage.

Childish Gambino at Barclays Center on The New World Tour

Childish Gambino at Barclays Center

Childish Gambino at Barclays Center on The New World Tour. Taken with the NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S

Childish Gambino at Barclays Center

Childish Gambino at Barclays Center on The New World Tour

Childish Gambino at Barclays Center

Photographing this show also meant that I got to share the pit with a legend: Greg Noire. It was nice to get to have a short conversation before the show, and he was actually pretty open about sharing info regarding certain show cues. Not only that, but I’m always happy to see some melanin in the photo pit.

That’s all for the recap! To be fully transparent, I have been feeling discouraged about my path with concert photography all year. Not a week went by where I didn’t consider making 2024 my last year. This month was so satisfying, and getting to photograph things I care about matters a lot to me. Music photography—and photography in general—started as a hobby for me. It’s a labor of love and unfortunately, it’s a niche of photography that is exploited far too much by the industry. Getting to photograph the kinds of shows that matter to me was a huge boost to my confidence and renewed my desire to continue for a bit longer.

Here’s hoping there’s more to look forward to in the coming months.

DeShaun A. Craddock

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