Introducing Megan Wales-Harding! A talented music and lifestyle photographer.
In this interview I wanted to highlight her work and dedication as well as offering advice to anyone considering taking on photography. You can see for yourself her work and the volume it speaks.
Megan talks about how she got to where she is now and her next step. She explains how she prepares for a show and explains her favourite photos she has taken. There is some great advice and experiences to hear from her.
Hi! Please could you introduce yourself, where you are from and what kind of work you have done within the music industry?
I’m Megan Wales-Harding, a 22 year old music and lifestyle photographer based in Essex. I have photographed gigs for both artists directly and publications, currently I am of the UK based photographers for Melodic Magazine. Photography is not something I can make a living off full time at the moment so I work a full time marketing job as well.
How did you get into photography? What made you choose to narrow it down to music/concert photography?
I’ve always been very creative and the idea of professional photography intrigued me, I used to borrow my dads bridge camera when I was younger and would take hundreds of photos on it. Most of them were awful but it was fun for me to play around with. Back in 2014/2015 my Uncle decided to sell his Canon 7D and because I was studying Art at the time, my parents decided to buy it from him. I used the camera throughout my GCSE’s and incorporated photography into my projects, baring in mind I was pretty much self taught at this time. I then went on to study Photography and Graphic Design as A-Levels, which definitely helped me understand photography and editing to a more technical level. It wasn’t until I left college that I really thought about music photography, as I was attending lots of gigs with my friend and had treated myself to a little canon mirrorless camera, which I started taking it to gigs with me.
I got lots of photos of The Vamps and Shawn Mendes in 2019 with it, and that was the moment I realised I loved this. After that I researched like mad, I’ve probably read every article there is about music photography online. I got my first press pass a few months later through a Instagram blog (which is no longer active), for a grime artist called Yizzy. After that I had so much motivation, I emailed artists management like mad and got to photograph a few more shows that year. The beginning of 2020 was when it really kicked off, I had my first paid gigs and got to photograph some much bigger artists like Lennon Stella and Tori Kelly. Now in 2021, I know this is what I want to do for a living, I’m so passionate about it and missed it so much over the 18 months it was out of action
What photos of your own do you feel represent you and your style as a photographer?
This photo of Lennon Stella at O2 Shepherds Bush Empire back in March 2020 is a favourite of mine. This was the biggest show I had ever had a photo pass for and I was incredibly nervous. I did so much research on Lennon before the show to find out what kind of photos she likes and I come to the conclusion she loves red lighting. This shot wasn’t planned at all but the colouring I chose for it while editing was planned. Lennon Stella actually posted this photo on her socials after the gig, which is another reason why this is a favourite of mine.
"I did so much research on Lennon before the show to find out what kind of photos she likes"
Sam Fender and his saxophone player Johnny on stage at O2 Academy Brixton from September 2021. I absolutely love how this photo turned out, I think it was very good timing. This photo was not planned at all, Johnny appeared from nowhere and I rushed to snap some photos of him and Sam interacting. The lighting was pretty dark at this moment but it worked quite well for the shot.
This photo of Milkie Way from Wargasm UK is also a favourite of mine. It was taken at ALT+LDN festival in London at the end of August, which was actually the first ever festival I’ve photographed. I had seen a bunch of photos of Wargasm at Reading and Leeds and knew that they would be so fun to photograph. From my research I had a rough idea what photos I wanted to take of Milkie and her band member Sam, so I guess you could say this was planned. One thing that I didn’t account for was how the edit would be, as I’m not used to shooting in such great lighting conditions. I love the colouring within this photo the vivid blue background is a nice contrast against Milkie.
Follow us on Instagram @themusicfromme Do you go to a concert with an idea of what you’d like to shoot? Or do you like to keep your ideas open?
I usually do a some research on the artists before a gig to get an idea of what they like but asides from that I keep my ideas pretty open. One thing I try to get in the habit of is photographing the crowd and band as well as the artist themselves, it’s so easy to forget when you’re limited to just 3 songs in the photo pit.
What is your dream in terms of photography? Is there an artist or experience you want to shoot for?
At this stage of my photography career I don’t make much money at all, so still have to work a full time job. I would love to get to a stage where I don’t have to do that anymore and go full time freelance. I still think it’s a long way off but a girl can dream. I’d also love to experience what it’s like going on tour with an artist or band, I can imagine it’s completely different to what I’m doing at the moment and would really challenge my creativity.
If someone wanted to follow in your footsteps, would you be able to explain how you get to a concert as a photographer? Who do you contact?
I’d recommend reaching out to a bunch of artists, artist managers and music publicists expressing your interest in photographing shows. Ideally you’ll need to have some form of photography portfolio before hand, having previous low light experience will definitely be beneficial. You may be met with a lot of rejection or lack of responses at first but eventually the right opportunity will come your way.
Check Out More Of Meghan's work on her Website - https://meganwalesharding.co.uk/music
Who is a photographer you look up to? Who inspires you?
There are so many incredibly talented photographers out there who I love and feel inspired by, in particular is Phoebe Fox. She is beyond talented and has worked with so many huge twists including Anne Marie, The Amazons, Holly Humberstone and most recently renforshort. I love to see female photographers smashing it in such a heavily male dominated industry.
Since this is a music blog, can you recommend three songs you think people should listen to?
Do you feel any social pressures from the industry? Do you feel you need to promote yourself in a certain way?
There are definitely social pressures associated with this industry, especially in the early stages of your career. I feel like as you gain more experience the pressure will become easier to manage. The industry is really populated so there is a constant need to promote yourself, I use multiple social media platforms to share my images and build my audience. You never know who your work will cross paths with and if they could help you develop your skills further. I also have to promote myself a lot to artist managers/PR reps in order to get approved for shows to begin with. They receive so many emails so you have to make yourself stand out, it can be tough.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone aspiring to be a music/lifestyle photographer?
Don’t give up. If you are really passionate about becoming a music photographer and put in the time and effort you will get there. The right opportunity will come your way.
Keep up with Megan Wales-Harding here:
Website - https://meganwalesharding.co.uk/music
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/megxnphotography/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/megwalesharding?s=20
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/megxnphotography/