MPB Meets: Music Photographer Nicolita Bradley

Music and portrait photographer Nicolita Bradley knows her way around a crowded festival music pit, a camera and a colour palette to create texture-rich action portraits of her favourite stars. Let’s hear from Nicolita about how she manages to remain cool and create masterful compositions in the middle of all the madness. Over to you, Nicolita.

MPB: Let’s talk first about your start to photography. What got you introduced to it, and what made you focus specifically on live music?

NB: I bought a camera in January 2017. I had seen some photos from acquaintances, very Pacific Northwest-style portrait work, and wanted to make photos that were different. I started taking portraits and my first attempt at taking photos got reposted by VSCO @vsco. Eventually, I started a summer internship with an editorial photographer. They really taught me a lot about the backend of beautiful, elaborate editorial work. I realized that my level of photography wasn’t fulfilling me as I expected it to.

While scrolling through Instagram, I saw several people posting live music shots. I asked a long-time mutual @austinwho about the process of getting to shoot a live show. That quickly sent me down a rabbit hole, watching YouTube videos, following people in the industry, and reading what very little information was available online about the topic.

I ended up shooting for four different artists four nights in a row—Billie Eilish, RL Grime, Bad Suns, and Léon. I was hooked after that first show with Billie, back when she was selling out 250-capacity venues. The energy was magic and I hadn’t felt that while taking photos in a long time. That’s when I knew that I finally found the industry I wanted to be all in with.

MPB: Your work is crisp, clean and, at times, minimal—but is also bursting with personality. How do you maintain such a cool style? How did you land on this unique way of shooting?

NB: It’s funny to hear my work being described as bursting with personality. I used to get critiqued on my work and people would tell me that it was boring. There wasn’t really a process for me to land on this style. I wanted to create something that was timeless. If you look at work from my very first shows, it’s always been these very still, defining moments of each performance. It’s hard to explain, but I’ll look at a photo and know it’s the one. Like with my most recent Billie photo. I messed around with it a bit, made it into a motion piece (and hated it), came back a few days later and landed on the final edit. 

If you pay close enough attention, you’ll see there are soft moments during every performance. Sometimes I’ll just look through the viewfinder and wait. I try to take portrait-esque photos while they’re on stage. Artists radiate best when they’re feeding off the energy from a crowd. Being in the middle of that exchange is… beautiful.

MPB: What kit do you shoot with? What’s your favourite piece of equipment?

NB: I’m currently shooting with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III, a 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM and a 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM L. The camera I have right now is the same one I bought in 2017 when I first started shooting. It’s definitely on its last legs and I’ll be upgrading to the Canon EOS R5 very soon. I asked for recommendations on Twitter and so many photographers I adore and respect told me the R5 was the wave. Sometimes I get anxious when I’m in the pit, so playing with different lens filters always feels like a win to me. When I’m able to recognize the barrier between my mind and my flow of creativity and push past it, that opens up a lot for me.

MPB: The R5 will be an amazing upgrade. What’s the perfect scenario for the perfect shots? Is there a certain vibe you thrive in, or the best positioning in the pit?

NB: Not to sound spoiled, but any opportunity I receive to be in the pit for the whole set is the greatest way to create. It feels like there’s no pressure and there aren’t any limitations—you’re bound to get the shot when you’re not constrained to the first three songs. Festival lighting is usually the best to work with, but I love shooting at golden hour during festivals. Nothing beats the natural light at that time. I took photos of Kehlani during that time frame and they are so beautiful to me. I find I’m able to make my best work when I’m standing away from a crowd of photographers. 

You’ll see people in the pit moving back and forth, following the artist, desperately trying to nail the shot. But I think the perfect shot comes from recognizing the artist’s patterns and not flailing around in the pit. 

I recently shot MGK down in Oregon and got this beautiful photo of him interacting with the crowd. I realized he favoured stage left more than the right, so I moved during the beginning of the third song. At first, he went over to the left and I thought to myself, “damn, I really messed my timing up” but eventually he came back, got down literally right in front of me and posted up on the barricade. There was nobody to the right of me so I was the only photographer to get that shot without somebody else in it.

MPB: What are your top three tips for great composition?

NB: I think the value of a good crop is under-discussed. I try not to focus on shooting the perfect composition because I know I can fix it in the post, since I already have to crop for socials. 

Please play around with your framing! I’m more of a visual learner, so most of the time I don’t know what I like until I see it. That means moving around, playing with different focal lengths and experimenting when possible. 

Generally, I follow the rule of thirds or position the subject’s eyes to the top line. My best advice would be to watch movies and study the framing. They’re the best at composition and I tend to focus on the shots over the plotline.

MPB: How do you like to show a performer’s movement in the composition of your photos? What do you look for when picking selects?

NB: Each performer is different, which is one of the reasons I love photographing artists so much. Pulling from recent shows I’ve worked: MGK is aggressive and passionate, Billie loves to contort and connect with the audience, and A$AP is full of energy but pauses a lot to take in the crowd. The work I show is in response to their personalities. I think that’s why it’s pretty well received. When I’m editing I look for photos that make me excited or remind me of the performance. It’s not enough for me to post a photo just because it’s of a famous person. I need to feel hyped about the photo and the moment. It usually sticks out in my mind.

MPB: How do you like to incorporate negative space? In your recent Billie Eilish pictures, there’s something about the wide space above her.

NB: I like using negative space to draw eyes on the subject. This can also assist in feeling movement within the work. For the Billie photo, it felt like she could float up in the air at any moment. I really wanted to convey that feeling. On my Twitter, there’s a before-and-after, where you can see I actually moved her down to elongate that negative space even more. I love super-clean photos, so working with negative space is a treat when the moment is right. That was a moment I wanted to figure out how to make iconic because it very much felt like that when she performed.

MPB: What’s your favourite crowd picture?

NB: My favourite crowd shot is actually not mine, it was done by a friend, Simon Chasalow @simonchasalow. He took this photo and I’m obsessed with it. Finding those moments in crowds is something I try to be intentional about when I’m shooting festivals. It can be hard to tear away from performances but the experience is more important to capture. A lot of those moments are highly dependent on luck, timing and lighting.

MPB: Do you have any tips on getting a range of composition options in such a short amount of time?

NB: Move around! Most artists are very aware you only get the first three songs and try to do cool stuff during that time. I shoot with a zoom lens now and it’s easy to change the composition of a shot with that. Even though your time in the pit is limited, don’t be afraid to try new things. I shoot with a range of lens filters depending on the overall vibe. That helps me feel more comfortable moving around in the pit and trying fresh angles. 

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