After Hours has been my journey as a concert photographer, as part of the media, as a concert goer, as a fan, as a music lover. The photographs in this series and exhibition at first glance are obvious in what they are. Concert photos. However, with further knowledge, these photographs are about the determination of striving to be a better photographer. They are about the process of achieving your goal and the process it takes to get there. They are about the artist and the fans I photographed. They are also about me.

I cannot pinpoint exactly when I began this project. If it sparked when I first went to a concert with a Nikon COOLPIX camera or when I got my first ‘yes’ to go and photograph a band in Santa Cruz. The first part of this process was making sense of why I had been drawn to photography in the first place. One of the most gratifying aspects of being a concert photographer is witnessing up close the connection that forms between the artist and audience. The exchange of emotions and energy between the performers and fans is visible and I am honored to witness and capture it.

As a concert photographer, I am moved by a constant passion for music and the emotions that it evokes from people. With my camera not only being a tool to capture stunning images, but being an extension of myself, helping me capture and translate the soul of live music into visual stories.