Don’t Forget The Drummer
I love getting shots of drummers in action, but it’s not always easy as they are usually hiding out in the back of the stage, surrounded by a drum kit.
I’ve assembled a collection of photos I’ve taken of drummers over the years. They’ve all been shot live and in full swing.
Long hair isn’t always necessary when you’re a drummer but it makes for great photos. Alex (above) was giving it loads… hair was swishing up, down, left and right. I quickly switched the camera to shoot in burst mode and one of the frames caught his hair “mid-swish” giving me a clear view of him as he stared down the next beat.
The Many Faces of a Drummer
Sometimes you’re able to capture some remarkable facial expressions that show the passion behind every beat…
click to open the gallery 👆
Galway Drum Show
For the past number of years I’ve been the official photographer for the Galway Drum Show. There, the drummer is front and centre, so I get the opportunity to move in a little closer.
Mikey Sobello, Galway Drum Show
Anika Nilles, Galway Drum Show
Taking the Shot…
Sometimes you gotta get into some tight spaces to get the angle you want. Here I was contorting behind the speakers, cables and lights all while being careful not to accidentally pull a plug or knock the whole stack down.
It was even more difficult getting out of that position and not particularly graceful either 🤣
Thanks Dawn for capturing this “behind” the scenes shot.
…The Shot
Drummers in the “wild”
Jack Callan from SPRINTS shot during their show in the Button Factory.
Pictured at the Midlands Battle of the Bands
John Tierney from No Stairway, The Venue, Athlone
Wunderhorse was the first band I shot when they supported Fontaines D.C. in Galway.
Back then I was shooting with a Fujifilm X-T2 and an X100F (fun times). It was also my first time in the photo pit, and it was the gig where I found out if my camera was really water (beer) resistant 😬… fortunately it was 😅
Jamie Staples from Wunderhorse
Obstacles
Sometimes drummers are even more challenging to shoot. Fiachra Parslow from NewDad was one such drummer. Fiachra was positioned behind a screen of plexiglass during NewDad’s set in the Button Factory. A balcony shot was the only way to get a “clean” frame and even then I had to get more creative and “lean into” the reflections (shot three) on the glass to add another dimension to the photo.
click to open the gallery 👆
Eye Contact
It’s really cool when you manage to make eye contact, all the lights align, there’s no obstacles, no other band members jumping into frame and you press the shutter button at just the right time to land the shot.
Justin Lynch from IE/DC
Luke Niblock from Chalk
The photo above was my last shot of Chalk in the 3Olympia during my pit time. I managed to capture Luke looking in my direction through the kit, with the tom and the cymbal perfectly framing his face. Then it was time to leave the pit, but I got to hear them again for the next two nights as they supported IDLES for their three night sold out shows.
I hope you liked this collection of drummers. I really enjoyed looking back on these shots and re-living the moments when they were taken.
If you like the post or you have a question, comment or critique, you can leave them in the comments area below.
Thanks for reading and remember… don’t forget the drummer 🤘🏼
