Music Photographer Jack Oliver: From Local Gigs to Glastonbury

When Jack first picked up a camera it wasn't after years of training or a photography degree, it was at a gig in Bristol after meeting a musician at a party. Now he's gone on to cover some of the biggest names in the industry, the largest festival in the UK and developed his own recognisable editing style in the process. Here, Jack reflects on the reality of photographing live shows and the journey that took him from small local venues to finding his rhythm in the wider music scene.

Finding the First Shot

"In 2022, the first 4 concerts I ever shot were just from meeting Ssadcharlie at a party who happened to be integrated into the Bristol music scene. We got talking and they mentioned they had a concert coming up and I asked if they wanted me to shoot it. I can’t lie I said I had experience as a photographer but I had never touched a camera in my life. Then after that first concert I shot a couple more for Charlie as well as him recommending me to other people in the Bristol scene 'til I had a decent portfolio!"

Learning Under Bad Lights

"When you start off you’re working in, mostly, DIY venues, like the back of pubs, which are always hard to work in. The first one that comes to mind was Feng at Band On The Wall, the colours were fine but it was ridiculously dark. I try to avoid using my external flash when shooting as much as possible, it’s the only ever time when I've set the ISO to auto and just hoped Lightroom AI sorted it out in post. Which you should never do haha."

Hitting Milestones

"Growing up near Pilton in Somerset, my goal was always to shoot Glastonbury Festival and I achieved it this year, which was massive for me personally."

"Three artists that I photographed that were my favourites at the time were Jim Legxacy, Kaytranada earlier this year and Sainte back in 2023. I think the happiest I’ve ever been after shooting a gig was Sainte in 2023 at The Trinity Centre as it was only the 8th ever concert I shot and, to this day, I still know most of the words to all of his songs, so it was unreal. 

I’ll quickly say that in terms of actual quality progression, 2025 is where I have really upped the quality in terms of my grades and developing a style that people can recognise, which I tried to have since the start but realised it comes naturally."

How it Started vs How its Going

"The first ever concert I shot with an actual camera, that being a Canon 7D, was Ssadcharlie at The Fleece which I think was a scouting session thing that they used to do. The most recent one was Niko B at The O2 Ritz in Manchester. The difference is stark, when I shot my first concert I didn’t even know what the camera settings did and followed a google search I made 20 mins before the start. Now of course I know what settings to use but I have a good enough knowledge of venues that before going I can prep easily, packing the best lenses and getting an idea of what I want to shoot. 

Another weird change in general shooting is when I first started I always tried to shoot from low down, and would crouch and point my camera up for every shot, which didn’t always give flattering results. It’s a weird habit that I still see new photographers do now and I have no clue where I learnt that from in the first place."

 When Creativity Burns Out

"I feel like everyone hits creative blocks every now and again, I certainly do when I’m at Uni where life basically turns into thinking about photography 24/7. Everyone has their own ways of processing it as well. Personally I have to detach myself from photography for a while... ...I’ve recently started getting into just playing video games again which gives me a space to do something where I don’t have to think of photography for a period of time."

Advice For New Music Photographers

"It’s wayyyy easier said than done but just do what other people aren’t. For example: go to gigs which aren’t getting coverage, message as many acts as you can to get experience, visit concerts and chat to people. Of course quality and passion in your work comes above everything else but making yourself stand out is still massive in this industry. The more time I spend in the industry the more I realise how cliquey everything is and how much you need to do socially to survive, which you can either complain about or get out there and meet cool and interesting people."

Social Media and the Modern Photographer

"It’s so important, I need to take it more seriously myself to be honest. I know so many artists that have got brand opportunities and jobs just through posting reels and other forms of external content. The one thing I will say, people need to hit the medium between not being too corporate on your accounts and still keeping it professional. I view Instagram profiles as portfolios and I feel I can tell a lot about a person from what they post on stories and feeds, so always be careful with what and how much you post."

A Message to a Younger Self

"I try not to get too wrapped up in the past, I tend to believe everything happens for a reason and that you’re on your own path. But that’s a boring answer so I will say I would tell him to not let his anxiety get the better of him and push through that barrier so he can meet amazing people earlier. It’s always been a struggle to manage my anxiety and panic attacks whilst working with people so part of me wishes I dealt with it head on earlier."

Discover more from Jack Oliver: Jack-Oliver.com