In a City like Bangalore, where concerts are popular and international acts like Carlos Santana, 'Lamb of God' and Enrique Iglesias are brought down so often, a method of documentation is bound to come into play.
That is where the gig/concert photographer (commonly perceived as a person with a DSLR camera, a good lens and a still hand) comes in. Metrolife talks to some people who have taken to this so called 'profession', to understand whether or not it is legitimate to give it such a title.
Abhimanyu Ghoshal is one of India's most well-known photographers and is presently based in Bangalore. He admits that concert photography does not pay the bills alone but that money should not be the main motive in this sort of field. "If you're not in this for the love of it, there's no point doing it. I love the music scene right now, especially with the number of Indian and international acts coming here. Getting to see them live and shooting them is itself a win-win situation for me," says Abhimanyu, who feels that getting exposure for one's work is what should matter now, regardless of whether it is bought or not. "It's still a nascent scene in India. Abroad, bands have record labels that pay for photo shoots. Here, most bands can't even afford to hire props and locations. If you stick with it long enough, things will improve," he adds, with optimism.
There are many who share his sentiments. Udayshanker Acharya, who works for 'What's The Scene', an online music portal, also feels that it is too early to say that the profession is widely accepted, as only a few concert photographers in India are known for their work. "The scene is starting to pick up. But the demand for gig photographers has fallen because every second person has a camera now. You really need the right kind of exposure and focus to sustain this as a full-time job," shares Uday.
"There are times when band managers call you and buy your photographs of a particular gig. In fact, all my snaps of a French band called Cauchemar were purchased by the band. But that's not always the case. In the local scene, bands themselves don't get paid enough. How would they pay us?" he questions.
For others, shooting live concerts is a means of merging a passion for music and the hobby of photography. "In a group of 10 photographers at a concert, maybe three would be doing that regularly at other concerts as well. The rest are just there because they have a good enough camera," notes Siddhartha Paul, who has been pursuing this for two years.
But he is also aware that while a passion needs a fire, not getting paid for your work does not work in the long run. "Initially, I would do band profiles and shoot gigs for free. I've become a little choosy now and unless the band approaches me, I don't do it," he concludes.
That is where the gig/concert photographer (commonly perceived as a person with a DSLR camera, a good lens and a still hand) comes in. Metrolife talks to some people who have taken to this so called 'profession', to understand whether or not it is legitimate to give it such a title.
Abhimanyu Ghoshal is one of India's most well-known photographers and is presently based in Bangalore. He admits that concert photography does not pay the bills alone but that money should not be the main motive in this sort of field. "If you're not in this for the love of it, there's no point doing it. I love the music scene right now, especially with the number of Indian and international acts coming here. Getting to see them live and shooting them is itself a win-win situation for me," says Abhimanyu, who feels that getting exposure for one's work is what should matter now, regardless of whether it is bought or not. "It's still a nascent scene in India. Abroad, bands have record labels that pay for photo shoots. Here, most bands can't even afford to hire props and locations. If you stick with it long enough, things will improve," he adds, with optimism.
There are many who share his sentiments. Udayshanker Acharya, who works for 'What's The Scene', an online music portal, also feels that it is too early to say that the profession is widely accepted, as only a few concert photographers in India are known for their work. "The scene is starting to pick up. But the demand for gig photographers has fallen because every second person has a camera now. You really need the right kind of exposure and focus to sustain this as a full-time job," shares Uday.
"There are times when band managers call you and buy your photographs of a particular gig. In fact, all my snaps of a French band called Cauchemar were purchased by the band. But that's not always the case. In the local scene, bands themselves don't get paid enough. How would they pay us?" he questions.
For others, shooting live concerts is a means of merging a passion for music and the hobby of photography. "In a group of 10 photographers at a concert, maybe three would be doing that regularly at other concerts as well. The rest are just there because they have a good enough camera," notes Siddhartha Paul, who has been pursuing this for two years.
But he is also aware that while a passion needs a fire, not getting paid for your work does not work in the long run. "Initially, I would do band profiles and shoot gigs for free. I've become a little choosy now and unless the band approaches me, I don't do it," he concludes.