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My First Gig Shoot: The Zangwills at Chester Live Rooms
I’d never shot a live gig before, but when The Zangwills announced a show at the Chester Live Rooms, I figured it was time to give it a go. I knew the band, so I reached out, asked if I could bring my camera along – and they were up for it. Just like that, I had my first gig shoot lined up. No plan, no real idea what I was doing, but I was in.
Gear, Advice, and Getting Started
I brought my Fujifilm X100V along, using both the TCL and WCL converters, plus a flash. Not exactly the typical gig setup, but I wanted to work with what I had. Even with the TCL, zooming in was still limited, so I had to adapt my style to suit the gear. It restricted some shots – getting a clear photo of the drummer, for example, was tough – but it also pushed me to be more intentional with framing and timing. I’d had some really helpful advice through my TikTok post beforehand, which gave me a bit of confidence going in. I also made sure the band and venue were okay with flash before the night, just to keep things smooth.
The venue was packed, hot, sweaty, and full of energy – exactly the kind of atmosphere you’d hope for. I was unsure of what to do or where to go at first. I got down early so I could warm up by shooting the support act, which helped ease some of the nerves. Eventually, I just took the plunge and started shooting. Walking in with a camera, trying to find space and not get in anyone’s way – it was a bit overwhelming. But once I got a few frames in, things started to click and I found a rhythm.
Shooting Style & Struggles
I experimented quite a bit that night – mainly shooting with flash and playing around with shutter drag to bring out the energy and movement in the room. It gave the photos this raw, slightly chaotic vibe that I actually ended up liking. Not polished, but honest.
Editing & Takeaways
Post-processing was tough. I couldn’t get the colours where I wanted them – easily one of the trickiest parts of my first gig shoot. But a lot of the black and white shots came straight out of camera, and I was actually really pleased with them. I used the Tri-X film recipe, which gives a contrasty, gritty look that works well for live music. Like most shoots, I ended up with a mix: one or two favourites, a few that I could improve with some editing, and a bunch that didn’t work. But that’s all part of experimenting and learning what sticks.
My favourite shot of the night was Ed, the bassist, framed through a rack of guitars. After taking loads of straight performance shots, I started thinking about how I could add something extra to the composition. That moment felt different – more layered. Using shutter drag helped too. It brought movement and atmosphere, and made the images feel a bit less flat.
What I Learned
Gigs are shot fast. There isn’t much time to overthink – decisions have to be made quickly, and adjustments are done on the fly. Some mistakes were made at my first gig shoot, but a real sense of direction was found. The experience left me wanting to keep going with it. I even shot another event the very next night – check it out over on the blog.
You can also see the full Instagram post below for a few of my favourite shots from the night.
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