010: People First in Music Photography with Andy Barron

Episodes The Bearded Tog

January 13, 2017

This is a story of hustle, befriending people, and having the talent to do the job, and geting known for it. Andy is a music and celebrity photographer whose website is littered with images from artists like U2, Alabama Shakes, Kendrick Lamar, The Civil Wars and more. Because of this, he tours with Switchfoot, Foster the People, and country musician Chris Stapleton. In turn, on this episode of the Bearded Tog, Andy shares his story of how he got started in music photography, and the unique clients he’s been able to work with over the years

Even though he’s been constantly surrounded by famous and talented people, Andy keeps coming back to this piece of wisdom: No matter what or who you photograph, be a good person first, and photographer second. Because his first goal is to love people and form relationships, he continues to grow a successful business. After all, he’s seen many other photographers put getting their pictures ahead of caring about the person, and musicians often feel slighted by that. Because being a real person and caring for the people around you not only makes you an enjoyable member of projects, it also creates better images in the long run.

Putting People First

Be a good person first, and photographer second. You must care about the people in your pictures.
Be a fly on the wall. Don’t make a great moment awkward because you make them aware a photographer is there.
Andy’s never gone and bought a bunch of gear. Doing concert photography gives you boundaries on what you can do and he likes working with those parameters.
Be a person people actually want to hang out with. In other words, be a friend, not a jerk.

Connect with Andy

Website: http://www.andybarron.com/

Instagram: @andybarron