Interview with Sinners in Transit Photography

First of all, where does the name 'Sinners in Transit' come from? 

When I started photography, I was always very focused on the journey and the transition between my position as a novice- with no experience- and where it would take me over the years. Obviously not always being the most well behaved kid ‘sinner’ kinda stuck; I wanted to make a brand that represented me as much as it could. I was playing around on Photoshop one day and the name kinda just came about, it fit for me and the direction in what I wanted to take this journey in. 

How did you first get into gig photography? What was it that drew you to it ?

I love music. Like even back when I was 4, I was rockin out to slayer and all that good stuff. Music always was a key part of my personality. School was never for me, the whole ‘9-5’ job never appealed to me either; I wanted a job that combined my love for live music and travel. My mates had a show at our local venue and at this point I didn’t even own a camera. I remember I borrowed one of my college at the time, went down to the Craufurd with it and fell in love. Since then everything’s just really fallen into place. 

What are you favourite kinds of shows to shoot and why? Do you have a particular favourite band that you like to shoot?

My favourite are fast paced, intimate, sweaty shows. I started photography thinking ‘yeah sick one day I could be photographing in arenas’ but the more shows I do, the more I understand that small packed shows are where it’s at. The energy and emotions captivated in that one room are next to none. I work closely with a band called ‘Sharkteeth Grinder’ and have been with them for the better part of a year now. They tour relentlessly and always have the craziest projects for me to work on; I love working with them so much as they are really energetic on stage. That’s my pet hate. A boring band. Ones who just stay glued to the microphone. As a photographer, I love working with bands that make my job easy, and when working with a band like Sharkteeth, you know no matter what they’ll put on a show which provides the best pictures/videos. 

What is your typical set up when you go to shoot gigs?

Honestly, I’m so bad with equipment and forgetting it. Turned up to shows before without this or that but I always seem to make do. I shoot on 2 cameras (both Nikon) either on a D5300 or a D750. I love my small prime lenses- 35,50 mm. For bigger veneues with a bit more space I’ll use a sigma zoom lens- maybe a 70mm? The style I shoot in is all over the place, I pride myself in being able to take like 20 different types of shots a show: low light shots, bright shots, long exposed shots and so on. I try not to use flash when I can as me and flash guns have always had a hate/hate relationship. 

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into shooting gigs? 

My advice would be pick up a camera, bug your local music venue and for the first few months/year just shoot what you can. It might not be your cup of tea, but experience is experience. So just shoot. Anything. Everything. Another good bit of advice I’ve found is don’t always chase the ‘golden ticket’, eg a bigger band. You’re less likely to get anywhere. Find a small, local band that you dig and start working closely with them. Develop your style into something that is you. Just keep working on it because photography is definitely loose money before you make money. But it’s worth it if you stick it out.

Are there any photographers you're admiring at the moment?

For real, I have so many friends who are smashing it at the moment and that’s what I love about the UK photo scene. Everyone’s so friendly and supportive of each other. But my personal favourites are:

Ollie Wood / @woodvisuals 

Amy Demidow / @demidowphotography 

Adam Chandler / @adam_chxndler

Matt Gabell / @matounx

Whats next for Sinners In Transit Photography? What is your ultimate goal for the future? 

What’s next? A lot! The next few months and the rest of the year are hectic for me. I just packed in my job to pursue this photo stuff full time. I move to London in three weeks to start a new chapter of my life and I’ll be visiting some real cool places with the Sharkteeth boys and I'll be at a few more festivals this year. My next real plan though is to start working with more businesses, eg magazines/blogs etc. I wanna start using what I’ve learnt already and push myself onto the next step and start pushing my work out to be seen by more !

You can find 'Sinners In Transit Photography' on social media here:

Facebook | Instagram

By Amy Demidow