On February 2nd, I was lucky enough to receive a media pass to shoot Arkells as they came through Vancouver on their Rally Cry Tour. The opportunity to shoot photos of a band I’ve followed for close to five years was quite special to me, especially since it was the first media pass I’d ever received. I vividly remember the first time I saw the band perform, at a summer series put on by Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops, BC. Their music is classic summer rock. Feel-good music for the best kind of memories.
The experience of shooting from the photo pit is hard to describe. You’re closer than the front row, able to shoot images I’d only ever dreamed of. Since access to the pit is limited to the first three songs of a performance, all of the photographers work at hyper speed. It’s a jostling environment where you do your best not to disrupt the others working around you, but it does happen occasionally. In the ten minutes I had in the pit, I shot approximately 600 frames, roughly one per second. It’s a chaotic, but exhilarating experience. The band performs for the photographers in that short time, making eye contact and truly taking their performance to 110%. Because I’ve never shot concerts, it took a minute or two to adjust everything to where I needed to be. From there, it was gold. I had an absolute blast, and am so proud of the images I was able to capture during the event. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed capturing them. Below, I’ve attached a few of my favourites.
