2016 Twin Cities Music Photographer Favorite Images – Day 1

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Many music fans cannot wait for 2016 to be over. To many talented musicians have left us and the passing of Prince forever changed the Twin Cities music scene. But at the same time the past year brought us many great performances, a new king-sized venue, some legends stopping in the Twin Cities, the death of one popular music venue – and its upcoming rebirth (Mill City Night / Music House). And everywhere we went, we found photographers dedicated to their craft. Looking at the images of a photographer who stood next to you in the pit and being amazed at how different they capture the same moment.

We asked Twin Cities Music Photographers to share their favorite images with our readers and tell you a bit about themselves and their work. And the response has been great. This is not a completion, there are not trophies to be earned (not even for participation). We have a wide range of genres, publications and styles but we all share one thing: Our love for music photography. We asked for their favorite pictures. That’s not always their most flawless image, the biggest star, or the coolest concert. It’s images that one looks back at the end of a year and bring a smile to one’s face. So, think of this as our celebration of music in the Twin Cities in 2016. Thank you to all photographer who have contributed to this. The links below will go live as we publish more photographers over the course of the week

Day 2  –  Day 3  –  Day 4  –  Day 5

Andy Witchger

Andy started out taking pictures of birds and other wildlife, but soon realized it’s much easier to photograph someone who’s standing still on a stage. When not at concerts, he’s usually begging his students to do their homework or wandering the North woods. You can find his work in CityPages, at First-Avenue.com or on Instagram at @andywitchger.

I chose these images because they’re representative of the wide variety of options we’re fortunate to have for live music in the Twin Cities. In any given week, you can find great live music in a small club, ornate theater, large festival, or local block party.

Connor Siedow

Connor Siedow is a Minneapolis based concert photographer who is a member and contributor of The Show Last Night. He is a full-time wedding and lifestyle photographer, and he just happens to be a big music junkie who loves to photograph concerts in his spare time.

Reason why I chose these photos: I selected these images for 2 reasons. I’m either a huge fan of the artist, and photographing them was a dream of mine for quite some time (Switchfoot, Chance The Rapper) or it was one of the shows this past year that has broke the mold of a standard concert, caught me off guard, and exceeded my expectations (Tory Lanez, Newsboys, and Chris Tomlin).

Devin Smith

Devin freelance music photographer based out of the Midwest.  I tend to focus on black and white photography because I find it truly beautiful.  I’ve always loved the ability of a black and white photograph to capture the raw emotions of its subject in a way that feels timeless and how the absence of color draws out an almost sensual aesthetic.   

Bewildlivefree.com  Instagram

I have selected these shots because I feel they truly capture the feeling of what it means to be at a live show.   You can’t pause or rewind live music.  No show is the same and no moment can be duplicated the next night.  As a fan, you are sharing a moment with the artist but you are also sharing a moment with other fans from all different walks of life, but who are all there for the love of the same music.  The artists are there to perform for fans who love what they have created, so at a great show, the artist and their fans will really feed off each other’s energy which draws out a very unique emotion.  Both the fans and the artists become part of something far larger then themselves and that feeling becomes a beautiful moment to be part of.  I believe it is my job as a music photographer to capture that moment within a photograph in such a way that it causes its observers to not only say to themselves “I wish I was there”, but more importantly for them to now want to peruse a moment like that for themselves.  For me, these photos do just that and I hope they do that for your readers as well.  So yea, live music is rad (lol)!

Jon Behm

Jon Behm is a self-taught photographer who has been shooting music in the Twin Cities for the past 10 years for himself as well as local and national media.  He typically gravitates towards smaller venues where performances are intimate but lighting is challenging. His work can be found on Reviler.org

The images I selected were amongst my favorites for their lighting, composition, or unique quality.  Typically, the stature of the musician being photographed isn’t something I care about – I would take an interesting photo of an unknown artist over a boring photo of a famous musician any day.

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