Mayhem Festival 2015 Experienced Through A Lens

Hellyeah Chad Gray

HELLYEAH lead singer, Chad Gray getting messy at Mayhem 2015 photo: Lauren Ratkowski

As a concert photographer, I know every show I capture is going to be different. From performances to audiences, no two shows are alike.

Photographing Rockstar Energy Drink’s Mayhem Festival in San Bernardino was no different.

My day began early in the afternoon at the Victory Records stage with Shattered Sun. Covering outdoor festivals gives us photographers certain advantages we don’t get in your typical indoor concert venue.

First, natural lighting is the best you can get. It’s predictable and allows us to use faster shutter speeds, which is essential when photographing high energy acts such as Shattered Sun. The Texas based six-piece band set the crowd’s mood for the festivals following acts.

Another great advantage to outdoor festival type settings is that the band on stage is not my only subject worth photographing- the fans interactions with the music are also photo worthy.

While Shattered Sun’s audience brought large circle pits, Swedish band Sister Sin encouraged fans to sing along. Lead singer Liv Jagrell, the festival’s only female band leader, had an energy that fans reacted to, allowing for more dynamic photos. Some may think that it’s easier to photograph still subjects, but the secret to great concert photos is being able to capture the movement and unique energy of each artist.

The Devil Wears Prada opened the festivals main stage in the evening. I have shot festivals before, but I have never shot bands on a large, amphitheater style stage before. I was a little hesitant at first- there were more photographers, we had a larger amount of people behind us, and I was shooting in a new setting.

Despite there being about twenty of us in the photo pit, we each had more than enough space to move around. A key to being a concert photographer is finding new and unique angles to capture artists. Finding these angles is what set us apart from each other- obviously, no two photographers are the same.

Hellyeah was the last band I photographed. I wasn’t sure what to expect at first, but I knew their set was going to be good after the second song began. A crew member came out and sprayed fake blood all over lead singer Chad Gray’s face. The only thing better than finding angles is when bands get theatrical.

The fake blood was extreme, but it made my photos feel much more interesting. Instead of seeing a guy screaming into a microphone, there was now a guy covered in fake blood screaming into a microphone. These images were some of my favorite from the festival- they were attention grabbing and made viewers wonder what was actually happening when I shot them.

The day was long, but it was a great experience. It also reinforced that shooting in a festival setting is not for the faint hearted.

Lugging photo equipment up and down hills all day in the summer heat can be exhausting. However at the end of the day, going home and viewing photographs from the day is what makes it all worth it.