The call that kickstarted my music photography career and photographing my first stadium performances


When I got asked by a local publication in Nashville to cover the renowned CMA Music Festival, to say I was over the moon with excitement would be an understatement! This would be a huge achievement in my photography career, and a massive step forward with my music photography. To have the opportunity to photograph such legendary names in music like Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Avril Lavigne, Lainey Wilson, Jason Aldean, Leon Bridges, Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, Tanya Tucker, Reba McEntire, Eric Church and more?! During a televised event? And did I mention these performances were taking place in a stadium?! To make the jump from photographing my (amazingly talented) music friends and singer songwriters at writers rounds or showcases in smaller intimate venues such as hotels and dive bar corner stages to a full blown stadium was huge. And I was up for the challenge! But. I knew one thing had to happen first... I needed to upgrade my gear!

Making the jump and updating my camera gear


Yes - I was a Canon girly. I had been shooting with my Canon 5D Mark II for a decade at this point. And it got the job done throughout college, and with various portrait shoots, newborn sessions, and a few weddings. However the lowlight capabilities with this model just couldn't keep up with shooting in dim venues, and I was already running into a lot of challenges when I photographed events with dim and yellow lighting, or songwriting rounds in darker venues. So I knew that with this huge project I was about to undertake shooting three days of big name country music artists, I had to update my camera gear. I had already been researching the pros and cons of the Canon R6 vs. the Sony a7 III for about a year at this point, and this was the push I needed to finally make a decision and bite the bullet. After lots of back and forth, I finally landed on the decision to switch to Sony due to its immaculate low light capabilities and it being the premier choice for tour photographers. This camera could not only keep up with lowlight and constant changes with stage lighting, but it was also the top choice for video and social media content which I wanted to be able to branch into. Now admittedly, I did not have a lot of extra cash lying around, and so I was able to find a barely used Sony a7 III body and a 28 - 70 mm lens included for $1200 on Facebook marketplace - it was meant to be!

Sony DSLR camera body and lens arranged on a wooden surface.

One thing you will notice here with my specific setup is that, yes, that is a Canon lens on a Sony body! Like I mentioned, I didn't have a lot of spare change at this time, so I took notes from a wedding photographer I had worked with second shooting a couple years previously who used a lens adaptor on her Canon R6. I had been shooting Canon for a decade so all of my glass was Canon lenses. And I was not about to replace all of those lenses when I could just invest in an adaptor and still use all of them! Now I will say that occasionally I do run into slight issues with focus, but because I shoot so much I am generally able to get the shot and this setup has worked pretty well for me. Soon though, my next business investment will be updating my lens inventory. But if you are in a similar situation and need a more affordable fix, a lens adaptor can really save you a lot of money!

Entering CMA Fest weekend and photographing one of the first artists I saw in concert on an arena tour as a little girl


Getting my photo pass and heading over to Fan Fair is when things started to feel real. This is where fans get the opportunity to have an up close and personal experience with some of their favorite artists. After that first time I was let behind the rope (to photograph Jelly Roll during a live interview), camera in hand and photo pass around my neck, I realized how addicting this feeling was going to be. Later I headed over the pedestrian bridge to Nissan Stadium to go through security, get my bag checked, and get in place for the main acts. And it was hot. So, so hot! But the moment I walked through the tunnel for the first time to the main floor in the stadium, none of that mattered.

Concert crowd enjoying a nighttime performance with colorful yellow lighting and raised phones recording the show.

I joined the other photographers in the pit, and it was go time! The pit for this festival was right up to the floor of the stage, which is quite different for other stadium shows. Typically, the floor of the stage is at or above your head. So while this was a massive stage and production, it felt like those intimate sets I was used to photographing. Just, you know, this time it was with country music superstars, most of whom I had grown up listening to. The lineup for the first night I photographed included Tanya Tucker, Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, Cody Johnson, Hardy, and surprise guests Avril Lavigne, Jelly Roll, Leon Bridges, Lauren Alaina, Elle King, and Reba McEntire. And it was surreal!

Concert performance with dramatic stage lighting and musicians silhouetted against dark background.
Performer in white sparkly outfit singing on stage with blue lighting effects.
Country music performance on stage with cowboy hats and guitars.
Performer in pink and white outfit dancing energetically on illuminated stage.
Musicians performing with guitars on dark stage with red lighting effects.
A performer in silver outfit and black hat performs on stage with blue lighting.
A performer in black with pink fringe sleeves sings passionately on stage with red lighting.
A performer in sparkly flared pants plays acoustic guitar on stage with dramatic lighting.
A performer in black outfit strikes a dramatic pose on stage with red lighting effects.
A country music performer in a cowboy hat plays acoustic guitar under blue stage lights.
A performer in a burgundy jacket and backwards cap sits relaxed on stage during a show.

Getting to photograph these artists in their prime only a couple feet away from me and close enough that we caught eye contact was wild. The energy was electric, and in those hours I spent looking through my lens, nothing else mattered or even existed. Just me, the music, and my camera. I had found my happy place.

Full Circle Moment


One of the highlights of the night for me personally was getting to photograph Keith Urban. He was one of, if not the first, artists I saw live in concert. He was on an arena tour in 2006 called "Still Alive in '06" and performed at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, back when it was called the Sommet Center. The next day when I was looking at my photos from the night before, when I got to my photos of Keith Urban it all hit me. It felt like a full circle moment for me as a music lover and as someone who grew up listening to his music. But not only did I get to photograph him, my photos were also objectively good. Really good. And I started crying right there in my chair in front of my laptop. It finally felt like I was where I'm supposed to be, with the right gear that could best help me utilize my skill, and finally getting to show my talent on a really big stage.

A musician in black t-shirt plays electric guitar during concert with dramatic lighting.
A musician plays red electric guitar while singing during a darkly lit performance.
A performer in black t-shirt plays guitar and poses dramatically in black and white concert photo.
A musician plays electric guitar under dramatic blue stage lighting during a concert performance.

The next two days


The rest of the weekend went by in a blur! Two more full days of fighting crowds in the heat, shooting late into the night, Uber and Lyft surging their event fees and pricing. Oh - and music! Lots more music. The next two nights, in spite of a thunderstorm warning/potential delay and losing power at the house, I photographed Jason Aldean, Eric Church, Tracy Lawrence, Little Big Town, Jon Pardi, Old Dominion, Alabama, Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, Ashley McBryde, and Dierks Bentley.

Dark concert stage with dramatic spotlighting illuminating performers.
Country musician performs on stage with sunburst guitar under bright concert lighting.
Concert performance with warm orange stage lighting and performers in casual attire.
Musicians performing on dimly lit stage with yellow overhead lighting.
Musicians in cowboy hats performing with guitars and accordion on dark stage.
Concert performers lined up on stage with dramatic blue vertical lighting effects.
Performer in metallic pink outfit on stage with blue lighting effects.
Concert stage with dramatic purple and blue lighting featuring guitarist in denim.
Musicians performing on darkened stage with orange circular lighting effects.
Stage performer in dark attire singing passionately during a dramatic concert performance.
Concert performers on dark stage with geometric yellow lighting patterns.
Concert performer in a blue denim jacket energetically singing on stage with dramatic purple lighting effects.
Country music performance on stage with moody blue lighting and acoustic guitar.
Stage performer in dark clothing and cowboy hat silhouetted against blue concert lighting.
Concert stage with yellow spotlights illuminating performers during an energetic live show.
Concert performer in vest gesturing dramatically on dimly lit stage.
Concert performer in black cowboy hat singing on darkened stage with purple spotlights.

And what a ride it was! I made friends in the pit, lived in the moment, and took 30,000 photos over a span of three days. Thankfully I had the next day off work which I spent culling, and then editing late into the night. I finally submitted my work around 2 AM before getting some sleep for work the next day. And I would gladly do it all again!

Concert crowd holding up phones to capture performance in blue lighting.
Large concert audience illuminated by yellow stage lights during nighttime outdoor performance.
Row of professional photographers with cameras at crowded stadium event.

To see my published work from the 50th CMA Fest, checkout the links below!