Photography’s Place in News Media: Music Festivals as an Outlet for Change

Caleigh J. Nordan

December 2022

Abstract

This study evaluates the emotional and sensorial effects that can be experienced when viewing photographs from high-intensity settings, specifically focusing on music festivals. The research was conducted over a four-month period remotely in Ottawa, Ontario, studying those in the music festival world in the United States. Using virtual interviews, online participant observation, and group discussions this project documents what aspects of music festival photography invoke these effects on viewers. This study explores what those in the music festival communities across the United States use and experience through live music and the capturing of live music. The outcomes of this study include further detail into how lighting and crowd interactions within a photograph, as well as the historical context of music festivals, play a large role in achieving emotional and sensory responses from viewers.

Introduction

After asking Alison Narro, a seasoned music festival photographer, about an emotionally impactful shot she had taken in her career, I could tell by the deep inhale and “aaaah” she gave that the picture she would paint and that she took, would be beautiful. Her voice went soft as she explained shooting an audience member looking up at the stage, as a glow of yellow light sprayed behind him. He was full of emotion, grasping for his chest in tears staring up at the musical artist standing on the stage above. It was as though she was describing a religious image, a halo or beam of light shining down on an important or holy event. Yet the scene she was describing was one based solely on the sensations, both in the body and mind, of this onlooker as they fully connected to the performance they watched. Alison ended the description with a short statement, something so fundamental it may have seemed too simple for some, but was truly something deep. Music affects people. The moment she captured, described at such length, with such vivid detail, that seemed so important, was simply one person. It was one person's own experience, nothing larger, as the music affected them. These types of experiences and responses, both emotional and sensorial, expand beyond the live setting of the event though. Media became deeply intertwined with the process of live music events, for not only promotion but also as a form of memory. Professional photographers, like Alison Narro, are hired on to highlight artists and unique qualities for music festivals, while also attempting to have their art connect with viewers who did and did not attend. In this paper, I will show how these types of emotional and sensorial responses, that create this connection, are evoked through the photography of live music festivals.

A Space in Cyberspace

When beginning research into this very exclusive field, it seemed the best place to start was in the most public sector, the internet. I began my digital fieldwork with research into several famous music festival photographers, in order to gauge themes throughout the different styles. During this comparative work, a public forum for music event photographers appeared in the search, with a steady supply of questions and answers flowing into the sub-chats. This seemed to be a space for photographers to bounce off one another with tips, tricks, and advice for those wanting to start their journey of live music photography. While reading through these sub-chats to see the most commonly asked questions and advice in the forum, it was clear from the beginning that it wouldn’t be possible to obtain a full picture of the career using just the forum. Most amateur photographers wanted to know how many cameras to bring, which millimeter lens to use for specific shots or other technical and logistical information. However, the answers were all over the place, varying depending on the style the photographer associated with. Yet, most of the conversations with veteran photographers of the forum highlighted the same underlying theme, the importance of lighting.

Lighting The Way

Since the forum wasn’t indicative of participating fully in the observation, having the ability to interview a professional in the field offered a greater level of understanding of the intricacies of the job. Luckily, Alison Narro had a break between two different live music events she would be photographing and could schedule an interview. With over 15 years as a music festival photographer and major events including Coachella and Austin City Limits under her belt, Alison was a picture of success in the industry. When discussing the necessary skills and knowledge to get the “iconic shot”, like her own of Lil Uzi Vert climbing into the crowd as they reach up to touch him, she specified the necessity of good lighting. Describing how her time as a portrait photographer aids in her knowledge of lighting stages and venues that are commonly difficult. In Alison’s words “if you can't light a small room with minimal equipment, you can't just move into the studio. You've got to figure it out, it's the same way with like music lighting. You could go into a small club where there are absolutely no lights, it's how you figure out how you can make it work,”. Yet even in neutral settings, she states how the use of natural lighting and editing the lighting creates different stories and emotions for the viewers. A necessary ability for a job where you commonly work with a variety of companies, all containing their own aesthetic, throughout the year to make money.

As former music festival owner Justin Nordan describes, owners are very picky about their festival’s “vibe”, which can make finding photographers hard. While there is no shortage of people who want to do the job, Justin believes the key is someone who fits the vibe and who is unique, but who everyone can relate to. In his own words “it takes a special kind of person to shoot narcissists or egomaniacs or artists on the verge of genius or insanity, it takes a special kind of human and that doesn’t include all the rules that come along with it,”. The extensive list of rules, spoken and unspoken, alongside fitting very specific molds of style and artistry contribute to an already exclusive field. These rules include those while photographers are in action, which can commonly limit access to tools like lighting grids.

Drawing Senses From the Light

However, lighting plays a larger role in drawing out the sensorial responses from viewers, outside of just sight. This is due to how “increasing analytical interest in photography as a sensorially integrated medium is embodied and experienced by both its makers and its users,” (Edwards, 2012). The lighting of photographs can display different messages, and in turn evoke different emotions, specifically in terms of music festival photography. The responses between Image 1 and Image 2 below can evoke entirely different sensorial responses, as seen through discussions with Ari Bassler and Nina Phillips.

Ari Bassler, who attends roughly eight live music events a year, and grew up surrounded by the scene, felt as though Image 1 shows how lighting can fuel more high energy sensorial effects. Explaining how “music already has the effect of making someone happy, but live music gives people an adrenaline rush. Your heart rate may increase when a show begins, or you could be so excited you start screaming when your favorite song is played. This is part of why live music is so unforgettable! When looking back at these live events, I go to photographs taken at the event to get this same rush!”. Along the same lines, however less upbeat, was Nina Phillips, former music festival worker and live music enthusiast, who highlights how Image 2 resonates with the senses. She discusses how listening to particularly nostalgic music she connects with, she may taste or see things from her past somewhat. During live music events these sensorial experiences can be amplified, and with good photography, you can almost reconnect to these sensations. For Nina, Image 2 brought back the sensations she felt while attending a very slow and soulful performance of City and Colour, as people were swaying to the music and where she tried malt ice cream for the very first time.

The Full Picture

Similar to these senses sparked not only by the live event, but that are brought back to the surface through the use of photography, people experience emotional responses as well. This is something commonly evoked through a sense of missing out or memory, which can commonly be brought out through photographs that include the crowd. According to Alison Narro, “anybody can get the close up shot of somebody shredding…everyone can get that shot. But how do you stand out? How do you make it different? ...I want somebody to look at that photo and just be like, oh my god that I got there so early to be in the front row so I could see my favorite artists play and this photo brings me all the way back to that spot,”. Being able to get proper crowd interactions also allows a greater reach in terms of promoting a live event for the following year or selling last minute box office tickets.

When choosing photographers for his own festival, Sol Blume, Justin said lineup photos and artists don’t make people go buy tickets. Rather you need a photographer who can also show the crowd receiving the music, someone who can show people what they will be getting themselves into. This includes showing the emotions of those as they receive the music or enjoy other aspects the festival may have to offer, as many commonly have more activities than simply listening. Justin explains how photographers who made him feel emotion, through photographs such as “two people chillin' on a blanket smoking weed or a dude flinging himself off of the stage and into the crowd and there's a pit,” were first to be considered for his festival.

Creating Emotional Connections

While bands and artists do play a role in sparking emotion, there seems to be a consensus over crowd interactions being more impactful. This was confirmed further as Ari described the personal aspects of music that spark emotions in crowd interaction. Explaining how “when you are so close to the person or band that made the song, you are thanking them in a way by singing back to them. They put themselves out there to show you what they have created and to be able to show them how much you enjoy their work is very special,”. Capturing this engagement filled with gratitude, inspiration, and admiration carries these feelings outside of the venue or location and into daily life. Nina carries on this sentiment as she personally likes to feel fully engaged and immersed in the music and performance. In hopes of feeling energized before, during, and after an artist’s set, and in essence to feel as “alive” as possible. Feeling this way after a live performance requires the ability to capture those emotions and responses, which she says is the purpose of music festival photography. This commonly crowded and fast-paced setting uses photography to make people feel as though they are missing out, they are back in a specific memory, they are connected to the performer, and more. This is done through photographs people can relate to, such as photographs of people at Woodstock in 1969, who are showing their frustrations with society through responses to the performers on stage (Sacks, 2021).

The Results are in the History

The emergence of music festivals, and the photography of such events began in the 1960s due to the post-war counterculture era. Festivals like Woodstock 69’, predominantly rock music festivals, were created as a tool to show alternative lifestyles as well as discontent within the United States. Similarly, the publications that promoted or reviewed these events were highly focused on maintaining “ the coherence of this newly emergent culture, presenting and reemphasizing a stable roster of icons, as well as setting boundaries for the growing canon of musical artists to define the genre,” (Sacks, 2021). This allowed those who were a member of the growing community to set the stage for their movement in an attempt to avoid misconceptions and lies about their goals. Photography played a huge role in this as it was able to visually depict the discourse and new stylistic approach to economic and social issues in a more aesthetic expression than print. Adam Sacks explores this time-specific period and the expansion of artistic styles, due to the impact it created and the awareness it built.

The need for impactful photography has carried on throughout the past few decades as the art form has evolved, and media has transformed into an increasingly negative space. The “‘big event’ aspect,” (Lough, 2019) provides the particular category for the photographs being taken yet it “also needs to have some sort of impact on the reader,” (Lough, 2019). Without the impact, created through emotional and sensorial responses, a photograph of a high-intensity setting is not worthy of publication. However, this impact can come through many lenses and frames based on the topic at hand and the view trying to be pushed. At times a photograph may be “created by a person of relative privilege, it might nevertheless foster ideas of human connection and a vision of a less unjust world” (Linfield, 2012 p.237).

Bigger Picture in Media

Sadly, not all news media outlets use photography to foster this vision, it is quite the contrary. Photography of high-intensity settings is used to push specific views and biases, even if said events photographed are designed with the mission of peace. This is due to the innate nature of photography, where “this moment of the photographic act, which is said to reach its end when incarnated in a final product, a print or digital file, is, in fact, a new beginning that lacks any predictable end,” (Azoulay, 2014, p.137). This idea can be seen through our original example of Woodstock 1969, as the photographs and stories of the event heavily varied based on the views behind the news outlet. The United Press International article from August 16, 1969, titled “Thousands flee Woodstock chaos, mud” makes statements about the festival focusing heavily on the heavy drug use, giant mud puddle, and unsafe drinking water from such puddle, as well as hospitalizations. The UPI is known for having a slight conservative bias, due to their owner World News Corporation, and used Woodstock as a tool to delegitimize those participating in the post-war counterculture.

Within the article they used an image rescued by several other publications, such as the RollingStone in their original September 20, 1969 article “Woodstock: ‘It Was Like Balling for the First Time’”, of the opening ceremony as Swami Satchidananda gives a speech. While both articles use the same image from the festival, UPI uses the image as a representation of overcrowding and poor logistics. Whereas the RollingStone uses it to speak on peace bringing people together while ignoring any shortcomings. This crowd interaction could evoke many different sensorial and emotional responses, however, the news media it is used within ultimately guides the direction they go in.

Conclusion

As photography is used commonly in news media, whether it be print, digital, or televised, it is key to understand the way in which photography in high-intensity settings is used. Whether it be music festivals or protests, or a combination of both, the sphere of news media can take this unpredictable response and twist it to their own interpretation. Photography and the events depicted can be extremely impactful, and the way in which they are used within news media needs to be recognized in order to make informed opinions and grasp the entirety of events. Without awareness, we will continue to fall toward biased news media and away from the photography that originally sparked our instinctual sensorial, and emotional responses.

References

Azoulay, Ariella. The Civil Contract of Photography. Zone Books, 2014.

Edwards, Elizabeth. “Objects of Affect: Photography Beyond the Image.” Annual Review of Anthropology, vol. 41, no. 1, 2012, pp. 221–34, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-anthro-092611-145708.

Lough, Kyser. “A Gate in the Wall of Sound: Embodiment and Traditional Gatekeeping in Music Photography.” Journalism Practice, vol. 13, no. 2, 2019, pp. 247–62, https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2018.1423629.

Linfield, Susie. The Cruel Radiance: Photography and Political Violence. University of Chicago, 2012.

Sacks, Adam J. Using Periodicals for Investigating Postwar Popular Culture of the 1960s-1970s

Rock/counterculture Era. Adam Matthew Digital, 2021.

“Thousands Flee Woodstock Chaos, Mud.” UPI, UPI, https://www.upi.com/Archives/1969/08/16/Thousands-flee-Woodstock-chaos-mud/5321502589701/.