Twenty One Pilots at Jones Beach Theater (Wantagh, NY)
Twenty One Pilots, shot for Juice Box Press.
Almost 10 years ago, I stood in front of my high school photography class and gave a presentation on photographer Brad Heaton’s work from when he was on tour with Twenty One Pilots. Brad’s and Reel Bear Media’s work sparked my love for live music photography. It pushed me to think outside the box and create from a place that's uniquely mine, no one else’s.
I remember borrowing my family’s little point-and-shoot camera and bringing it to my first-ever Twenty One Pilots concert in 2016. At that point, I could only dream of photographing them up close, but creating photographs of them to any extent left me ecstatic. Every single time I had tickets to see them live, I’d bring that camera. My devotion to photography in general stemmed from the desire to translate experiences and feelings into visual art, and I felt the exact same way about documenting live music. Fast forward to today, and I can only imagine little me's face if I could tell them I was finally approved for a photo pass to shoot my favorite band!
I feel immensely grateful for everyone and everything that has helped me get to this point in my creative career. On my train ride home the next day, I was hit with the sweetest sensations of gratitude and security. I was finally processing the adrenaline rush of the night prior, and it felt like a great big hug from the universe, reminding me that I was meant to do this. I also thought about how, though this accomplishment feels like it happened out of nowhere, none of it happened overnight. It’s been years of late nights, learning from my successes and mistakes, and creating simply because my soul loves it. Standing in that photo pit last weekend, photographing a band that once reminded me to keep going, felt like every ounce of that persistence led me right where I was meant to be ❤️
