7 Questions with Chloe Dunscombe

 

Meet Chloe Dunscombe who is a music photographer based in the North East. I interviewed her earlier this year for The Indie Files to discuss her journey into photographer and this is what she said...

1.What made you want to be a music photographer? I was brought up around music growing up and we always had an album playing in the house. My dad was interested in photography, so when I was 8 I began to learn the basics from him. As I got older and tried to learn to play music myself but I realised I wasn’t exactly musically gifted, nor did I have the patience needed. Instead of trying to be a musician, I thought to merge my love of photography and music and I began to document live shows locally. 2. Have you been treat differently as a female photographer? Compared to a lot of my peers, I count myself lucky, which is crazy in itself. I’ve heard horror stories from friends about the experiences they have been through. Because of this I feel I can’t really complain, however I have had people take me less seriously for sure and question my professionalism. I have had many people try to belittle me and tell me how I should do my job, in a way that was not constructive at all. I do believe it has taken a lot longer to get where I am as a female than it would have as a male and I know I am not the only woman who feels this way. 3. What it's a day in your life of when you are covering a gig? Honestly, no two days are the same and that’s part of why I love doing this job. Some days I could be shooting a show locally or sometimes I will be flying out of the country to cover a show. It takes a lot of organisation. I get a batch of shots edited up as soon as possible that night so the bands can get them out asap. This means sometimes I may not be getting to bed till the early hours of the morning but it’s all worth it. 4. What's been your favourite gig you have covered? This is tough. There’s been so many I’ve loved over the years. Through 2023 I worked with The Heavy on a few of their shows around the UK and the energy their frontman Kelvin brings to the stage is incredible. Another highlight for me was getting to shoot in the pit of a stadium show for the first time last year when Sam Fender did his two sold out shows here at St. James’ Park. Geordies makes for a passionate crowd at the best of times but when you have 55,000 together, getting to document that was magical. On the subject of local artists, I met Jango Flash while they were out on the road in 2021 and as soon as they took to the stage I very quickly knew they were going to give a great performance, not musically but also with their stage presence. I have been lucky enough to work closely with them since then. We have worked on lots, from live shows to press shots, to video work that will be coming out in the first part of this year. We went out on a UK tour back in November and it was by far the best tour I had done so far in my career. 5. Do you think that the North East music industry lacks opportunities for photographers? It’s tough anywhere in the world trying to get your foot in the door to the music industry, but we are so lucky as a country to be so musically rich and diverse. I have spent a lot of time in most of the major cities and from what I have witnessed I truly believe that the North East, especially Newcastle in particular, is thriving most for opportunities right now. The scene among not only the bands themselves, but also every other type of creative is like nothing else. The support and community here isn’t something you get in other cities. People are supportive of work and actually willing to pass on work and opportunities to help others out. We are lucky enough to have the amazing people at Generator and their CEO Mick Ross, who have been achieving great things for the North. Mick and his team have been working so hard to give us many more opportunities, across all sections of the music industry, that before wouldn’t have been possible living outside of London. On a more personal level, I want to mention Jenn Foster, who has always been the most kind and supportive person, to not only myself but many others here in Newcastle. She is one of the most hardworking people I have met during my time in this industry and respected by many of our local photographers. 6. Do you think more females need to work in the NE music industry? Of course there still is a long way to go with being a much more equal industry. I know for a fact there are very few female engineers in Newcastle. It does seem there is a much better mix of genders when it comes to photographers in the North East which is so lovely to see! 7. What would be your advice for those that want to be a music photographer? Get out and shoot everything you can. Start at pubs and clubs. Build a portfolio. Network with other creatives. As time goes on the shows you shoot will get bigger and there will be more of them too!

Here's a link to the interview for The Indie Files: https://theindiefiless.wordpress.com/2024/05/01/what-its-like-to-be-a-female-photographer-in-the-north-east/