My Favorite Music Photos Of 2025

This was the year where I finally got to do my music photograph up close and personal. In the past I have always just had a point and shoot camera far from the stage. This year I finally got to get my gear into concerts. It was amazing. I still had my moments with my point and shoots, but it was nice to be able to be able to use my gear to make the photos that I had in my head. Below are some of my favorites from this past year. I bought gear to photograph plays, but then I stopped being asked to photograph plays. It was nice to put that gear to use for concerts.

Seeing Billy Joel Again

My first concert of 2025 was Billy Joel and Sting at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. I have seen Billy a few times now, and he always puts on a big show. It was also cool to see Sting live for the first time. I had my trusty Sony point and shoot here doing the photo work for me.

Portra 800 Wins Again

I brought my Minolta point and shoot film camera to the concert as well. I had this grand plan for the roll of film, but we ended up getting there a little later than I thought that we might have. Portra 800 in a point and shoot just makes for good photos.

Back At The Fiddler’s Gathering

We went to the Fiddler’s Gathering for a couple of bands this year. It was our first time out there in a couple of years. It is always fun to go out and hear some good music and enjoy some food that is bad for me. The photos are pretty cool too.

Seeing Phosphorescent Live

This was a concert that was amazing to be at. I found Phosphorescent a few years ago when they had some songs on a Grateful Dead tribute album. I really liked the chill nature of the music. They were playing the Hi-Fi in Indy. We would have the chance to see them up close and personal. I had my trusty Sony point and shoot with me, but it was really struggling in the low light of the venue. It made me realize that I needed to find a way to get my gear into more shows.

Photographing Gary Allan With Good Gear

That Phosphorescent show made me want to find ways to get my gear into venues. This is one of my favorite photos of the year for a few reasons. The first is that it was from my first credentialed concert. The second is that it was made because of the unique nature of the venue. I could only be in the pit for the first three songs, but after that I could roam. It was at Loeb Stadium which I have made many photos at over the years. I could hang out in a VIP section and make photos. It almost seemed like Gary spotted me and did a little something extra for this photo. I love the colors and how everything turned out here.

Seeing Buddy Guy

It didn’t take long for me to photograph my second concert. Buddy Guy played at Loeb the night after Gary Allan. I had seen Buddy at his restaurant in Chicago before, but I got to meet him before the show and photograph him. That was a really cool moment that I will not forget.

Buddy On The Move

During his show Buddy will leave the stage and walk around the stadium. I was in left field when he started to leave the stage. I rushed back down to field level to try and make some photos. I was left out of the scrum for a while, but I realized that I do post game scrums for a living. I went to a good spot and waited for Buddy to come to me to make this photo.

Shakey Graves

This was a fun show. I was not originally supposed to go to this concert but at the last minute I joined the trip. I joined too last minute to apply for a media credential so I just had my point and shoot with me. For just a little camera it did a great job with this moment of the show. I spent some of the show mad that I didn’t have my good gear with me, but here it did just what it had to do.

Up Close With The Lumineers

We went to Noblesville to see the Lumineers this summer. I knew going into the show that Wesley would be in the crowd for part of the show. I guessed where he would go, and I was wrong. I had to scramble to make a photo. Here I got through to get to him, but the light was really bad. I was at 1/20th of a second. My sports panning paid off here as I was able to pan with him as he walked. The Sony point and shoot came through again.

More With Portra 800

I took my Minolta point and shoot film camera to the Gary Allan concert loaded with Portra 800. I wanted to have some fun during the night. Here it did a great job giving me a retro looking photo from my first credentialed show.

A Show At Fox Park

I was back in LaPorte this year for a week or so helping my mother out this past August. I broke away for a while to make a photo of the moon rising by the courthouse. On my way back to the lake house I saw that there was a concert going on in Fox Park. I made a quick photo, and then decided to head out. When I realized that I pulled right into a traffic jam I parked again to make some more photos. I am glad that I did because I ran into Bob Wellinski. Bob was the longtime photographer for the LaPorte Herald Argus, and still does a great job documenting everything that happens in LaPorte. I don’t know that this is the best photo, but I made it next to one of my photography inspirations so it makes this list.

Another Film Photo From A Concert

I made this photo with my Minolta point and shoot loaded with Portra 800. I love this little film camera. It does so much for such a little and old thing. After getting these pictures back I bought another one just in case my first one broke. It was only about $30, but it works so well. This was from the end of the Shakey Graves show.

Star City Nights

This festival was something that I wanted to photograph since I saw that it was going to happen. I had a football game that night so unfortunately I got downtown a little late. I was still able to see Vacation Manor though. They put on a great show, and from what I could tell so did everyone else that was involved. I really enjoyed playing with the lights late in the show as they just kept getting better and better.

Firehouse Live

I am a child of the 80’s. I love monster ballads. Firehouse was a band that could do a monster ballad. I got the chance to photograph them this past September as part of a cool show. This was my favorite photo from the Firehouse portion of the show.

Seeing Lita Ford

As a child of the 80’s Lita Ford was a bucket list item to photograph. My first kiss was to Kiss Me Deadly. It almost seemed like we took the song as a dare. Seeing Lita sing it live was pretty amazing.

Warrant Closes Out The Night

The third act in the show at Loeb in September was Warrant. I will admit that Lita was the reason that I went to this show. I knew that I liked some Warrant songs, but as the show kept going I realized just how many that I liked. They put on a good show.

hey, nothing

I was back at the Hi-Fi in Indy to see hey, nothing perform. I had my gear with me for this show for the first three songs. I loved this moment as Harlow pumps up the crowd.

Seeing Ben Folds

I have seen Ben Folds play live before. This was my first show credentialed. I had three songs to make photos of him before I could just sit and enjoy the show. It was really awesome to get to photograph Ben.

The Long Center

I love the Long Center. This is a venue that I always enjoy bringing my camera into. Here during my three songs for Ben Folds I made this wide of the him on stage with as much of the venue as I could fit into the frame. Over time I would love to get to photograph this historic venue. It started as a vaudeville venue which makes it amazing.

The Oak Ridge Boys Close Out The Year

My last show of the year was the Oak Ridge Boys back at the Long Center. I was originally not sure if this was something to cover, but I am glad that I did. It was fun to see them perform live, and a little bit of Christmas cheer as well. Next year I need to get to more Christmas shows.

Years ago my friend Charles who used to photograph shows told me that once you start photographing concerts it ruins them for you. Being a photographer with good gear who can usually get close to things I think that they were already kind of ruined for me. I love the lights and the moments during a show. I have always tried to use my point and shoot cameras to document those moments. This year I could finally use my good gear to photograph shows. I often found that once I made my photos during the first three songs I could relax and enjoy the show. That is a cool feeling. In 2026 I hope that I can add to the amount of shows that I photograph.