My three weeks on the road as tour photographer for rock band Vega was an opportunity I couldn’t let go. I knew it would be hard work (with a small crew everyone was on double-duty) but with hard work comes great reward – access to fantastic photo opportunities and to record what turned out to be an amazingly successful run of dates for the band.

Going into this I knew I needed a strategy, I didn’t want to approach each show as I would a normal gig - I would end up with hundreds of similar images and it would become boring after the first few shows too. I decided to photograph only the shows from larger venues – there would be plenty of space for me to capture different angles and utilise my all-access privilege to get some shots from stage. Another consideration was to make sure that the band always looked at their best – small stages and poor lighting in some venues don’t make for epic shots! My job was to make the band look great – always!

The first day began on a high as I was shown the bands new CD which wasn’t out in stores for another week. I hadn’t yet seen the booklet which used my shots from our photo-shoot earlier in the year. The caricatures of the band on the front cover was a brilliant take on the photograph on the inside cover – Sebastian Cast is a very talented artist and this bold and humorous step by Vega had really paid off. The CD packaging looked great and I still get excited seeing my work like this. As a music photographer producing shots for album covers and sleeves is my ultimate reward.

One of the first big shows was Islington Assembly Hall in London. A fine venue with a tall and deep stage – perfect. I used this show as practice for stage shots, the lighting was fabulous (c/o Lee Foster) and there was room for all 6ft 4in of me with size 12 feet to move around without attracting too much attention (or knocking things over).

The next large venue was Rock City in Nottingham. This venue has a close association to the band as they have played the main stage many times as part of a festival line up and Dan Chantrey (drums) is a Notts lad too so many friends and family would be in the audience. A buzz had generated from the first few shows of the tour, something was definitely happening and we all knew that Rock City was going to be a great show. Again, my strategy was to access the stage and to get some shots from the bands perspective – some “keepers” for them to show their grandchildren in years to come!

Vega owning the stage at Nottingham Rock City

Whilst in Rock City before the show I took the opportunity to photograph band members in the atmospheric rooms around the venue. A couple of gelled off-camera speedlights was all that was needed to turn a dark cloakroom into Satan’s lair! This was me having fun!

It was at around this time in the tour that the bands CD began hitting shops and it also charted in the official BBC Rock Chart! Another photo opportunity in HMV…

The buzz was turning into a boom. The Merchandise stall was rapidly selling out of T-shirts and CD’s each night and fans were following the band from city to city (and have since became known as “Vegabonds” with their own Facebook fan page) and I needed to capture the scenes on video to perhaps be used in a music video at a later date. I incorporated this into filming one particular song in the set each night – who knows what this will turn into….?

Manchester. Mad, mad, mad. Sold-out show and the best one the band have ever put on. I was proud and privileged to witness this and to play a small part in capturing it in photographs.

My personal highlight was Newcastle. A venue I know and love and yet I wasn’t shooting that night… The band had very kindly allowed my daughter, Elara, to shoot for them this evening. Elara has recently interned for Adam Elmakias who shoots for Alternative Press and Rolling Stone magazines and she is keen to build up her portfolio. Both Adam and Gig-Photographer magazine have described her as a natural and they’re so right!

On to Glasgow and another venue with a cool interior perfect for sponsor shots. Here I shot Dan for his cymbal endorsement with Diril. Ever the professional, Dan turned a rather heavy hangover around with a fine display of brief enthusiasm for the camera, the only concession to the hangover was leaving his sunglasses on. I used a yellow gel on a flash just behind Dan to highlight the wall with a small softbox lighting Dan from the front. As I was travelling light I couldn’t bring light-stands so I utilised a voice-activated model known as Chas (i.e. “Chas, hold it higher, to the left. Great – hold it there!). Ha ha, thanks Chas!

He's sponsored by Diril, don't you know!

Natal also used a live shot on their Social Media platforms.

Reflecting back on my third tour I think that I have achieved a good balance of what gear to bring. I spent a lot of time packing and unpacking and always have the fear of leaving something crucial out of my bag or, just as bad, packing items I won’t use! My current set-up is a DSLR, three lenses (Wide zoom, Medium telephoto and a long zoom, all @f2.8), three flashes with radio triggers and a GoPro camera with mounts. A Peli Case is an absolute must as you can’t always be the person who unpacks your own gear (and seeing this case bounce out of a hastily opened van door yet keep all of its contents good as new was worth the investment alone).

Travelling light - another camera body and laptop would have came in useful.

I leave you with the downside of being a tour photographer: over-familiarity from the lead singer! You have been warned.

"May I have one bottle of water, Steven?"

Tour Photographer...

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