Northern Music Photography Spotlight

NMPS Exhibition at Future Yard ⭐️ Thank you so much to everyone who came along to see the very first NMPS exhibition. It was so lovely to see so many people showing their love and support for this year’s finalists and winners! Huge well done to everyone involved and all who entered the first ever NMPS — we all loved every second of the process and seeing all the fantastic photography across the North! NMPS will be back for another year so keep your eyes on our Instagram and website for more info about the next run! ⭐️ #nmpspotlight #concertphotography #northernmusic

INTRODUCING THIS YEARS WINNERS! 🏆 Well done everyone! We were absolutely stunned with the entries this year, there’s such a huge array of talent in music photography and it was an absolute delight to see all the brilliant entries! This year’s winners are: Artist/Band Portrait of the Year — Niamh McManus Best Live Music Photo — Cal Moores Defining Moment — Adam Edwards Festival Shot of the Year — Der Fotoautomat (Mat Coffey) Grassroots Venue Moment — Aaron Nikdast Rising Talent Award — Erin Williams Top Crowd Shot — Cal Moores Congratulations everyone! #nmpspotlight #musicphotography #livemusicphotography

This year I had the privelage of panelling for and sponsoring the very first @nmpspotlight competition, and it was a great experience! I sponsored the Rising Talent category.. and amongst some stiff competition we chose @ezthroughthelenz as our winner with her stunning photo of @nedswarbrick at @thewardrobeleeds ! Thank you everyone who took part, and it was great working with and meeting you all at the exhibition on Sunday 26! Heres to NMPS II! #music #photography #indie #ukmusic #magazine

NMPS Exhibition at Future Yard! ⭐️ We are super excited to announce that this years winning and finalist photos will be showcased at Future Yard, Birkenhead from 21st to 26th April 2026! Future Yard is an independent music venue with a perfect exhibition space for you to come and see this year’s photos! Be sure to come and check it out! ⭐️ Photos from top to bottom: @cal.moores @adamedwardsfoto @niamhcapture #nmpspotlight #futureyard #photographycompetition

Get to know this year’s Festival Shot of the Year winner — @der.fotoautomat TELL US ABOUT YOUR WINNING PHOTO… This shot was taken at The Ritz during Manchester Psych Fest last year, where I was shooting for the festival. It was an excellent but long day of dashing between venues in the Manchester rain, though I made a point of ensuring to catch DEADLETTER, who weren’t on my list of assigned artists to cover. Having seen them play an intense (and very sweaty) set at Psych Fest in 2023, I knew I wanted to catch them again, particularly with the hope of capturing the energy of the crowd and frontman Zac Lawrence’s interactions. Their show delivered, and I got what I wanted with a number of frenetic action shots, but this photo turned out to be one of my favourites; a sort of “calm before the storm” moment in which Zac had descended from the stage, jumped the barrier and made his way into the middle of the crowd, crouching down and prompting the room to do so with him (shortly before everything would erupt again). I’ve always felt that moments of stillness between or during songs can be as powerful or interesting as the more conventional gig photos that come to mind. Here, I was fortunate in that at this moment, the scene was unexpectedly brightly-lit, which is not common at all for in-crowd action at shows in my experience! To add, use of camera flash is mostly not permitted at larger venues, meaning in such situations it’s usually near-impossible to get worthwhile photos within the audience if the show lighting is only covering the stage. I love the calm intensity of the protagonist’s expression, and the contrast with the faces of those around him. For me, the photo has a strange sense of both tension and humour to it. It’s always great to capture people enjoying a show, reacting to whatever’s happening, and this one is a personal highlight from a memorable festival performance. Read the rest on our website at the link in bio! #northernmusicphotographyspotlight #livemusicphotography #concertphotographer

Get to know this year’s Rising Talent Award winner — Erin Williams! @ezthroughthelenz TELL US ABOUT YOUR WINNING PHOTO… I took this picture during my first time taking photographs at a gig and it made me want to continue this in the future because of how enjoyable it was. This picture demonstrates the start of my music photography journey which is why it means a lot to me. I started taking pictures at Ned’s gigs in February last year as I needed somewhere to start out and he was kind enough to let me. Since then, I’ve been to a few of his gigs and taken pictures and I feel I have been able to improve my own skill whilst also providing him with pictures for his website. I submitted this particular image to the competition because I really like how the spontaneity of it shows how in music photography you have to be in the right place at the right time to capture an image like this. TELL US ABOUT YOU JOURNEY AS A MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHER… Originally, I started photography as a hobby when I was 15 and I mainly focused on nature and architecture. I’ve now realised it has become a big part of my life and would like to continue it professionally in the future. As a big fan of music myself, I started to see other photographers taking pictures of my favourite artists on stage and realised I’d like to try this area of photography. I thought that being a young photographer would mean that I wouldn’t get taken as seriously as more experienced photographers in the industry, however, I’ve been lucky enough to have very supportive people around me who give me the confidence to continue my work. Read the rest on our website at the link in bio! #northernmusicphotographyspotlight #livemusicphotography #concertphotographer

Get to know this year’s Grassroots Venue Moment winner — Aaron Nikdast! @tookbyaaron TELL US ABOUT YOUR WINNING PHOTO… From walking into the venue, I knew a specific shot I wanted to take of all the artists was one from behind them to highlight the crowd and the venue. The ability to do this at grassroots venue is a personal favourite of mine and have gone on to do this with various other grassroot venues. Having seen Young Eman’s performances before I knew he was very energetic with his performances but also remained connected with his fans which is highlighted with him framed in the middle and the crowd surrounding him. With his energetic performances he typically moves quite wildly whereas in this photo it is the opposite. A decisive moment is highlighted where he stands still pointing out towards the crowd further showing that connection between himself and the fans. With my photos I love to bring the highlights out, and keep my shadows low to create contrast and show the phones held out by fans filming their favourite artist. Especially in grassroot venues, being able to see the fans’ true emotions highlights what music is all about. ⭐️ Read the rest on our website at the link in bio! #northernmusicphotographyspotlight #livemusicphotography #concertphotographer

Introducing this year’s Best Live Music Photo winner — Cal Moores! @cal.moores #northernmusicphotographyspotlight #livemusicphotography #concertphotographer

Get to know this year’s Defining Moment winner — Adam Edwards! @adamedwardsfoto TELL US ABOUT YOUR WINNING PHOTO… One thing I love about this photo that it was a joy to shoot Pulp, a band I’ve been a fan of for decades (who doesn’t like Pulp?!). The second is that it was a difficult shoot - photographers had to wait about 90 minutes in the loading bay before we were allowed to shoot 2 songs only. This photo was the very last shot I took, as we were being escorted back out from the pit and out of the building. Take every single shot you can! TELL US ABOUT YOU JOURNEY AS A MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHER… I started out in 2011, when I finished university, 100% as a way to get into gigs for free. Many, many gigs later that is still my inspiration haha! Along the way I’ve shot some of my favourite artists of all time, as well as unknown bands that have become some of my favourites too. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHY? There are loads of things I love about it - one is having a vision in my head for how the shots will look based on the venue, the lighting, the artist, and then making that come together in real time while I’m in the pit. Another is that every gig, every shot is unique - bands will play a thousand gigs but they’re all going to be slightly different, and unrepeatable. Another great thing about music photography is the photographers themselves - for the most part it’s an incredibly supportive scene. WHERE DO YOU USUALLY SHOOT LIVE MUSIC? I started in some iconic Liverpool venues like The Kazimier where there’s no photo pit and The Shipping Forecast (no photo pit, no stage and terrible lighting!) - excellent training to essentially shoot well in any conditions, after lots of practice. These days I’ve found myself often in Manchester Academy (all 3), and places like Yes and Gorilla. I definitely prefer getting stuck in to a gig and shooting from the crowd if it’s a band I like. #northernmusicphotographyspotlight #livemusicphotography #concertphotographer

Get to know this year’s Artist/Band Portrait Winner — Niamh McManus! @niamhcapture TELL US ABOUT YOUR WINNING PHOTO… I was taking photos of my mates here and leigh, the drummer, fell down and I managed to capture it perfectly! TELL US ABOUT YOU JOURNEY AS A MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHER… My grandad gave me a camera when I was young and ever since then I’ve always found the love for capturing specific colourful and fun moments! Throughout the years, the connections and friendships I’ve made have kept me strong and let me continue doing what I love. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHY? The differences in each venue and the action shots I get. When someone in the pit does a crazy move you don’t expect, I somehow manage to capture it! WHERE DO YOU USUALLY SHOOT LIVE MUSIC? Liverpool, Birkenhead, Manchester, Leeds. #northernmusicphotographyspotlight #livemusicphotography #concertphotographer

This years Defining Moment finalists are… Adam Edward’s (Pulp) @adamedwardsfoto Emma Gibbon (Coldplay) @emmgibbphoto Brent Jones (Iggy Pop) @musicphotographybrentjones Niamh McManus (Perp Walk) @niamhcapture Lana Williams (Soft Play) @lanatakesphotos Congratulations to all our finalists! Defining Moment is sponsored by @crankstudiosmorley and @mychickenisalive #musicphotography #nmpspotlight #livemusicphotography

This years finalists for Rising Talent Award are… Lottie Dawson (The K’s) @lottiespics__ Lucas Gummerson (Cherryholt) @lucasthroughthelens Heidi Jean (Steelers) @hj.images Amelie Mahoney (Inertia) @amelies_hq Arlo McCarthy (The Last Dinner Party) @arlo_onfilm Erin Williams (Ned Swarbrick) @ezthroughthelenz Congratulations to all our finalists! Rising Talent Award is sponsored by @britpopzine #musicphotography #nmpspotlight #youngphotographer