2015-05-27


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Music Photographers, Best Friends, Brothers: The Work of @toddowyoung and @chrisowyoung

To see more of Todd and Chris’ concert photos follow @toddowyoung and @chrisowyoung on Instagram. For more music stories, check out @music on Instagram.

Concert photography tends to be a one-man job. But for Todd Owyoung (@toddowyoung) and his brother Chris (@chrisowyoung), working in tandem was a no brainer.

“We’re pretty much best friends despite being actually related,” says Todd, who, at 34, is the younger of the two siblings.

“I think we have a similar shooting style,” adds Chris, 36. “At the same time it’s different enough and there’s enough overlap to make it common, but a wide enough spread that there’s value to having both of us shoot at the same time.”

Chris and Todd have been taking photos together for almost a decade. Growing up in St. Louis, the two were music fans from an early age, with tastes ranging from classic rock staples like the Beatles and Donovan, to ‘90s heyday groups including Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots. The duo would go on to attend Washington University, but never considered music photography as a means of stability until Todd received an invite to a concert in 2006 for the relatively unknown Avett Brothers.

“I went on a whim, and I brought my camera along,” he says. “I figured if I didn’t enjoy the music I could always entertain myself by shooting photos.”

Surprise: He ended up loving both. He was soon applying for credentials to concerts he already planned on going to. Todd eventually followed suit. After work for some local papers, they began shooting concerts for Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and Q Magazine, before turning to more corporate- and band-related gigs for the likes of Red Bull Music Academy and country star Jason Aldean.

“There is just this addictive quality to being right up front, closer than the fans are, right up at the stage and having the best access –– and ringing eardrums in the morning,” says Todd.

Of course, convincing publications or other organizations to take on two photographers instead of one can be risky –– there’s the increase in cost, logistics, etc. But having two also means the ability to cover a wider area of ground.

“One person can get safe shots and the other one can be more free to do the risky shots,” says Todd.

Adds Chris, “It might be a stadium of 70,000. To go to the very top and wait for the shot and then hike back 20 minutes –– half the show is over by the time you get back into position to get the normal stuff.”

Not every “risky shot” is worth the climb, but they sometimes pay off: In 2008, a photo Todd took at dusk of a Dave Matthews Band show in St. Louis ended up as the black-and-white cover art for the group’s live record.

The Dave Matthews record is the type of thing the brothers strive for. In an era of endless cell phone images, Todd and Chris are just looking to capture memories –– both on stage and off –– of the musicians and the crowd that live long past the actual event.

“I think there’s something nostalgic documenting rock and roll history,” says Chris. “If I can even create a couple pictures that are remembered in that way, that will be really special for me.”

As usual, Todd agrees with his older brother.

“If there’s a fan that has a photo of mine on their wall or is the desktop or screensaver on their phone, that’s success for me. Making those kinds of images is the kind of thing we strive to do.”

–– Instagram @music

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