This summer I had the chance to start photographing concerts for the brilliant new music editor, Flor Frances of The Miami New Times. It felt like stepping into a dream that teenage Pati would have lost her mind over. I grew up obsessed with music, live shows, and the magic of being in a crowd while a band took the stage. Concerts were the glue that held my high school crew together, and back then I always imagined myself with a camera capturing those moments. Now, years later, I found myself in the pit and at the soundboard, working on assignment for one of Miami’s biggest publications.
This post is for photographers who have always wondered what it is really like to shoot concerts in large Miami venues. I am sharing the rules, what I learned about gear, and some behind-the-scenes stories from my first two shows, Ghost at the Kaseya Center and Coldplay at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Rules of Concert Photography
The first surprise I learned is that access is not controlled by the publication or the venue itself. The artist’s representatives approve press passes and decide where photographers can stand and shoot. They also set the well-known industry rule that you can only shoot the first three songs. That typically works out to less than twenty minutes, which means you need to be fast, decisive, and ready the second the lights go down.
Flash is not allowed. Phones and iPads are not allowed either. You can’t wander around the venue or sneak into other sections. Once you’re escorted to your assigned area, you stay there until the first three songs are over. At that point you are escorted out, sometimes directly out of the building, by the venue representative who is always there, making sure the rules are being followed.
Most venues give photographers two options. You can shoot from the press pit, which is the small barricaded area directly in front of the stage. Or you can shoot from the FOH, which stands for front of house, located by the soundboard toward the back of the floor. The artist reps decide where you can shoot from (not the venue), and only the band photographer, traveling with the band, with her own special press pass, is allowed to roam around and shoot throughout the entire show. They’re the ones that get the great shots from all the different vantage points. My first two shows placed me at FOH.
Shooting Ghost at Kaseya Center
Ghost was my first concert assignment. I showed up stoked, carrying my Canon EOS 6D, a Canon RF 70–200mm lens, and a 24-70mm lens in my bag. At the Kaseya Center, FOH is extremely far from the stage. While the 70–200mm lens gave me something to work with, I quickly realized the RF 100–500mm lens would have been a much better choice. I never even took out my 24–70mm lens during the show because it was useless from that distance.
One tip I learned from another photographer that night, Gleb Barabanov from the South Florida Insider, was to bring a small step ladder. The Kaseya Center allows them, and it makes a huge difference when you’re stuck behind a sea of people with arms in the air. I didn’t have one that night, but I will definitely use one the next time I shoot there. Gleb says he keeps his step ladder in the trunk of his car at all times, just in case, and different venues have different rules for whether they allow the step ladders in.
What was slightly disappointing was that the most theatrical parts of the Ghost show happened after the first three songs. The lighting and stage design did not come alive until later in the show, so I had to make the best of the dark conditions during my limited time window. Even with those challenges, it felt amazing to be one of only two photographers approved for that night. The crowd outside the arena was just as fun to shoot. Ghost fans treat their concerts like Rocky Horror Picture Show screenings, showing up in full goth makeup and elaborate outfits so that’s when my 24–70mm lens came in handy to capture the fan scene.
Shooting Coldplay at Hard Rock Stadium
The second assignment was Coldplay at the Hard Rock Stadium, which brought a whole new level of challenges. This stadium is massive, and security is extremely strict. Look up what happened at the Copa America final last year, the summer of 2024. Total shit show. They’ve more than made up for that mess since then by stepping up their security game. So getting inside with a press pass meant going through several checkpoints where even staff members sometimes questioned if I belonged there. Luckily, I had a very kind stadium contact named Stephanie who made sure I was taken care of and who sat with us to chat a bit in the press holding room before the show while we waited for the opening acts to finish and Coldplay to come on. OMG side note; the press holding room at the Hard Rock Stadium was air-conditioned, had an accessible bathroom, comfortable seats and tables, and it was close to the stadium floor entrance. It looked like a legit lounge. We didn’t get a waiting area at the Kaseya Center and were made to wait outside the side gate, in the Miami heat melting, until the contact came to get us a few minutes before Ghost went on stage.
This time, I rented the Canon RF 100–500mm lens to test it out from Andrew over at One Source Studios in the Upper East Side, Miami area. It was worth every penny. From the FOH at Hard Rock Stadium, even a 500mm lens feels like you are still super far from the stage. The 100–500mm was the only lens I touched that night, and it proved that for large stadium shows, you need serious reach if you want usable images.
What made the night even more special was the group of photographers I was with. Almost everyone who received a pass for that show were women. We quickly formed a little team while setting up behind the barricades near the soundboard. Instead of fighting for position, we organized ourselves from shortest to tallest on the steps of the metal concert barricades surrounding the soundboard area we were shooting from, so everyone could get a clean shot. The one male house photographer present was shocked. He told us that usually photographers push and shove each other for space, but this time it was cooperative and calm. That moment reminded me how rare and refreshing it is to be surrounded by other women in what is still a very male-dominated industry of photography.
Despite all the planning, things can still go sideways. After we were escorted out of the FOH, stadium security would not let us through to the exits. Even though Stephanie worked at the venue, her credentials did not match the color codes required by the external security team. For a while, we were stuck on the floor holding our cameras, unable to move. That gave us the unexpected treat of watching several extra songs, although none of us dared raise our cameras. Breaking the three song rule can cost you future access, and no photo is worth losing your press pass privileges.
Reflections on Shooting Concerts in My 40s
Shooting concerts now, feels completely different from how I imagined it as a teenager. Back then, the idea of being forced to leave after three songs would have felt like torture. Today, I'm totally ok with shooting for the first twenty minutes, avoiding traffic, and being home before 10:00 pm. I do not miss spending hours trapped in a parking lot after the show, waiting for cars to move an inch.
On a personal note, having my name published in The Miami New Times reminded me of my early career. While I was in college, I spent five years shooting for the Miami Herald. Seeing my byline again awoke something in me. It reminded me of how much I enjoy contributing to publications, telling visual stories, and being part of the local press. I even reached out to the Herald to see if I can shoot for them again, which feels like coming full circle. Hope I hear back cuz this has been so much fun.
Final Thoughts
Concert photography is not as glamorous as it looks from the outside. The rules are strict, the time is short, and the gear requirements are demanding and EXPENSIVE (that Canon RF 100-500mm lens is $2900 new & $95/day to rent). But even with the challenges, it’s an incredible experience. You get a front row seat to document live music history and to contribute to the visual storytelling of the Miami music scene, even if only for a few minutes at the beginning of a show.
If you are a photographer interested in concerts, start with smaller publications or local outlets and learn the rules of each venue. Be prepared with the right lenses, make friends with the other photographers and venue reps, and stay professional at all times.
And if you are a creative or entrepreneur in Miami looking for visuals that capture this kind of energy and storytelling, I would love to collaborate. Concert photography may have reawakened my teenage dreams, but my heart is still in helping people and brands tell their stories through images.
Let’s create something that feels like you. Confident, compelling, and totally unforgettable!
