Music is something that has always been a huge part of my life. I’ve gone through various stages of artists and bands that I have been head over heels for. Twenty One Pilots is one of the three bands that have stuck throughout my life. I am unashamed to admit that I have seen TOP eight times live and hope to see them many more.
These photos come from the most recent show that I went to in June of 2019. It was the first time that I was in the pit after three years, so I was incredibly excited. One major aspect of twenty one pilots culture is camping outside for shows. My day started with a two hour drive to Grand Rapids, followed by nine more hours outside in the summer heat. My amazing little brother agreed to go along with my shenanigans, so he was my buddy for the day/night. Knowing that I’d be in the pit, I knew that I wanted to get some cool photos, so I planned ahead and bought some disposable cameras since bringing my actual camera wasn’t an option.
First, I took the last four photos that are included in the gallery below. With these, I really wanted to capture the scenes outside. Twenty one pilots fans are truly passionate about this band. Remnants of the campers were everywhere. Slogans from the newest album saying “welcome to trench” were taped to the ground. The band’s logo was posted everywhere along with a sea of yellow plastering the crowd waiting to get in. I love these photos because they remind me of what it feels like to be a part of this inspiring community of fans – the clique.
Next, of course, came the show. If you have never seen even a snippet of a twenty one pilots show, I recommend that you look it up and watch. These guys go all out for their live performances. Despite becoming a worldwide sensation, they make a true effort to maintain the authenticity of a small band. They pull off stunts such as standing on top of the crowd and even drumming on top the crowd. It’s honestly hard to put into words how incredible this show is. With my disposable camera, I made the conscious decision to turn the flash off. I figured that there was enough light in the giant arena to make the photos turn out. Here is a YouTube video on the art of shooting with disposable cameras (https://youtu.be/pwjERPKUqec).
I had such an amazing time, as always, at the show and getting so many photos to turn out on film made it even better. Whenever I look back at these photos I feel like I’m being transported back to the show, which is something that I aim to capture with all of my photos. Great photography tells a story, and for me these photos tell the story of great music and passion for a band that changed my life.
35mm Ce 