MPB Meets: Music Photographer Marcus McDonald

Experimental artist and music photographer Marcus McDonald has taken portraits of musicians including Travis Scott, Kid Cudi and Swae Lee. We hear from Marcus about his camera gear, style of photography and navigating the industry as an artist, as well as his advice for anyone looking to get started in music photography.

MPB: Can you tell us about your background in photography?

MM: Well, I started when I got out of high school. I was gifted a Nikon D5200 for graduation. Then I started shooting my car, as I was—and still very much am—in the automotive tuning culture. I went from my own car to my homies' cars, and then I got bored and wanted to try out portraits for a little. I enjoyed that the most, because with people you can capture so much emotion in just one photo. But I did that for a while and saw a really good friend of mine, Sebastian shoot a hip-hop show. It looked intriguing, so I wanted to try that too. The issue, as we all know, is getting access. So I looked up how to sneak into a concert! My research told me, “Don’t look suspicious, act like you know where you’re going and just be busy.” 

My first concert was Joey Bada, with Logic headlining, in an arena. Yeah, super scary, given I had no clue what I was doing. But I pulled up to the arena, told security I was covering the event for a local magazine, showed them the fake laminated pass I made and then I was pointed to the back where the tour buses were. So that worked. Step two was to get in. I walked up to the back door of the arena and told a group of people “Hey, I’m Joey’s photographer, how do I get in? I left something in my car”, or something along those lines. They pointed me to the door. Got in, saw a ton of photographers waiting at stage right, and just got in line with them. So, while I was shooting the show, I saw the same guy I asked for directions in the photo pit with a camera and a laminate that had Joey on it. So, I basically told Joey’s photog that I was his photog! But yeah, long story short, “fake it ‘til you make it” isn’t always a bad option. And that’s how I built up my portfolio enough to get noticed.

MPB: What type of photographer do you consider yourself?

MM: I’d say I’m an experimental artist. We’ve seen people take the same photos way too many times. I don’t know when the first camera was invented, but it’s long enough for things to be reinvented, upgraded and just feel new. I like creating things you’ve never seen. Most of my work is me just trying things. Different photo editing programs, lenses, filters, etc. I’ll try anything to see something I haven’t seen before.

MPB: Can you tell us more about how you approach your work? How do you achieve what you’re looking for within an image?

MM: I approach it as if it’s the first time I’m shooting. Like the first time you started photography, you tried new things. Because there isn’t a baseline. You create that. If you follow that logic, you produce a multitude of different-style images. Gives you a lot to get creative with in-post, and that’s what I enjoy the most.

MPB: What is your favorite image you’ve created? How did you go about creating it? 

MM: My favorite has to be my swirling Travis Scott photo. It’s what I’m most proud of because I had probably the worst hand dealt to me shooting that set. I wasn’t let into the pit, and nearly got kicked from front-of-house. So I was super bummed; I wasn’t able to get photos of my favorite artist up close. Got my 70-200mm out and just started firing off, because I had no clue if any would be cool at all. One did, and I went to edit it and thought I could add more—since it’s of such a rage-heavy artist, I wanted to depict that in the image. I edited it about thirty times before I was happy. And even then, once it got to my phone, I put a VSCO filter on it. Made it perfect for me.

MPB: Who are your biggest influences?

MM: I’d have to say Sebastian Rodriguez and Beth Saravo. They both started in the automotive scene and seeing Sebastian’s colors, and Beth's tones and texture, I tried to mimic that in my own style. But honestly, I love them. I probably wouldn’t be where I am without them. Shout out, y’all.

MPB: Do you have any advice for anyone starting their own journey? What camera gear would you recommend?

MM: Keep creating! We all get down, for what feels like forever, but we always bounce back. Life happens to everyone. My advice really isn’t for photography, it's just for anything really. Mental health is super important. If you aren’t yourself, you’re not going to create your best work. This industry is stressful at times, so take the time you need to be the best you can be. Just keep pushing. I use a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L II USM, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II USM and Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM EF. Just the basics. Most of my work has been on a busted Canon EOS 5D Mark II though, so it really has nothing to do with what you use. I’d just recommend a full-frame camera, at the least.

My only advice is to keep going. No one can stop you if you don’t stop. Reach out to anyone associated with an event, because even a sponsor needs coverage of them at the event. I reached out to Chipotle to shoot a festival. They said no, but they appreciated the reach out and gave me free entree gift cards. Everything happens for a reason, just don’t quit!

Looking for more music photography content?

This article is part of the MPB Guide to Concert and Music Photography, our comprehensive look at how to get started in music photography, with camera recommendations, tips, and interviews with experts.

Learn more about music festival photography, see our interview with music photographer Jill Furmanovsky, our interview with lifestyle and music photographer Lindsey Byrnes, and plenty more interviews on the MPB Content Hub.