Louis Kwok: Meet the Best Music Photographers in St. Louis

By Kiernan Maletsky Tue., Dec. 11 2012 at 5:46 AM

Categories: Best Of

Continued from page 1

Photo by Louis Kwok

What makes a professional photographer as opposed to an amateur?

A paycheck? Having fancier equipment? Number of shows shot? Honestly, I don't know where to draw that line and haven't really thought of myself in either of those terms. To me, concert photography has always been more of a hobby.

Photo by Louis Kwok

Pick one of the photos you've submitted and tell us a little about it: Where was it shot, who is featured and (most importantly) how did you capture it? We'd love to hear logistical description or technical breakdowns or whatever else you want to tell us.

Being at the right place at the right time is huge in concert photography, and your ability to control that is limited at smaller venue shows without the luxury of a photo pit. Knowing that Japandroids and the crowd were going provide some killer shot opportunities, I camped out at the front of the stage as soon as doors opened with my wide-angle lens to ensure I'd be in an ideal position. Once there, the band and front row did everything else.