Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Cornell.
Hi Scott, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Scott Cornell, a concert photographer, and reviewer, and I run TwinCitiesConcertPhotography.com. I was raised in southern Minnesota and attended the University of Wisconsin – Stout. I currently reside in South Minneapolis with my wife, Lara, our two daughters Havyn & Adaline, our son Brixton, and our two chihuahua mixes, Miss Petunia Jinglebottom and Master Neville Biscuitbottom.
Lara and I met at Edgefest IV, my first music festival. My endless love for Lara and live music blossomed that fateful weekend. My fondest concert memories include meeting the love of my life (obviously). Sneaking into Linkin Park’s first Minnesota show (Don’t worry, it was a free show). Hosting the second stage on the 2004 Projekt Revolution Tour in Somerset, WI, and pretty much every show I’ve attended with my wife, kids, or concert cohort, Scott. Yes, there are two of us! I enjoy making memories and sharing my love of live music with our kids.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have wanted to be part of the music scene for as long as I can remember. The excitement, the camaraderie, the community, and the fanfare are extraordinary. The overall experience does something for me that is nearly unmatchable. I’ve tried to capture the lightning of live music in a bottle, but access, cost, and permission to shoot or record were always issues. I started with disposable cameras. I was eventually moving to video, pre-high definition. But, the result always left me feeling desired for something more.
Lara and I got married in 2006, Havyn was born in 2007, then Adaline came along in 2008. Time was precious. Concerts were few and far between for many years for many reasons. Brixton came along in 2012, and I started working weekend overnights, severely limiting my access to concerts. Here and there I satiated my desire, but as an addict, I was always left wanting more.
Fast forward to 2019, the kids were older and much more independent and manageable. I had a regular 9-5, and Lara understood that getting back out into the music scene was important to me, but the cost was somewhat of a concern. I started looking into what I could do to attend shows without breaking the bank. I researched how I could contribute in exchange for a ticket and found some internet resources about concert photography. They made some equipment recommendations and how to begin to build a portfolio. I sold off a few things around the house to buy a camera and a lens. I borrowed other lenses from family and friends to get more professional-looking shots, knowing that would help elevate my work, making it more desirable. I still knew some local band members I reached out to via social media and asked permission to shoot their shows.
On Memorial Day 2019, I shot my first show. I continued to do so through 2019. Luckily, through some family connections, I got the opportunity to shoot a couple of national acts. Eventually, through a fellow concertgoer, I started contributing to a publication with enough clout to reach out to national acts and request photo credentials. Things were going great! I was building fantastic momentum and was excited about the future prospects. Then COVID hit.
Two LONG years later, in January 2022, I started working with the publication again to cover some tours I was excited about as they started coming through the Twin Cities again. The credential request process was different from what it once was, and I missed out on a few shows I had been looking forward to. It was at that point I decided to go out on my own. I already had my site, TwinCitiesConcertPhotography.com, up, and I put in a little work to spice it up. The rest is recent history.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
The photography aspect is my favorite. It’s challenging and inconsistent due to the limitations of the moment, but those parameters are also freeing! There can be 20 concert photographers in the pit, and no two images will turn out the same. Between limited time, intense stage lighting or lack thereof, multiple band members at varying places onstage, lens focal lengths, angles, and editing styles, so many variables influence each image. I love learning new ways to improve my images and workflow. Learning how other photographers captured their images is intriguing to me. The cost of acquiring some of the higher-end equipment is daunting, but it gives me something to work towards.
Some photographers edit their images to capture a specific moment in time, an exact representation of a single moment in the set, embracing the colors in the stage lighting. Others edit to correct the image to the musicians’ natural skin tone, which can completely shift the overall color palette of the stage lighting. Some compose and composite their final pieces, creating works of art. I’ve developed my editing style or look loosely based on what the performance gives me. It’s ever-evolving, and I’m always looking for ways to improve.
When research, planning, and preparing for a shot pay off, there’s no better feeling. Sometimes there are happy accidents. Both are exciting in their own right, in very different ways.
I don’t like being behind a camera for life’s moments when I should be wholly present. Sounds counterintuitive, right? Hear me out. As a concert photographer with photo credentials, I get closer to the action than even the people in the front row, but only for the first three songs. Then I get to hang with my friends, sing at the top of my lungs and live in the moment for the rest of the set from other vantage points within the venue. When the next band takes the stage, I jump right back in front for the next act, rinse, and repeat. It’s glorious! I capture my personal, custom souvenirs and share them with the world.
I would love it if my photography could give those concertgoers hell-bent on capturing every moment permission to put their phone away and live in the moment. If that improved just one person’s experience, I’d die a happy man. I’m working on how to get that accomplished.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Talk to people. Put yourself out there in the world. Push yourself to feel uncomfortable. Allow yourself to feel vulnerable. Network. Ask questions that may seem “dumb.” Do your research but don’t be a know-it-all. Be humble and embrace when you’re not the smartest in the room. Listen more than you talk. Answer questions with kindness and compassion. Embrace the feeling when someone looks to you for advice and appreciate them if they exceed your expectations
Contact Info:
- Website: twincitiesconcertphotography.com
- Instagram: @twincitiesconcertphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwinCitiesConcertPhotography/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/tcconcertpix
Image Credits
Scott Allen Cornell TwinCitiesConcertPhotography.com
