June 2020 Creator of the Month – FOR THE PUNKS (2024)

Kat Nijmeddin, concert photographer and creative director for Pure Noise Records gave us theinside scoop on how she got her start in photography, a few tips and tricks to battling concertlighting, and advice on becoming a kick butt photographer yourself. Read below to learn moreabout the fabulous Kat Nijmeddin.

Follow Kat on social media, and check out more of her work on the links listedbelow!

Instagram: @nijmeddin

Twitter: @whackkat

Website: https://katnij.darkroom.tech/

What is your background in photography?

I am a photographer/videographer/graphic designer/illustrator, essentially a little bit ofeverything. I am an artist based out of Los Angeles, currently.I’d say I’ve been a photographer since I was in high school, but I didn’t start taking photos of liveshows until about 3-4 years ago. I grew up always wanting to take pictures of people. Inhigh school I worked out a deal with my parents, if i got a 4.0 one semester, they’d get me aDSLR. Thankfully I got the 4.0, and started teaching myself about portraits and ended up takinga lot of the photos in my senior yearbook.

What inspired you to pursue photography?I’ve always loved documenting things. I love art history and reading about photographers whodocumented the immediate life around them, whether it was street photography in their homecountries, or documenting the struggles their community faced. I loved seeing photos that gaveinsight about a specific moment of time.

How did you get into this very specific field of music photography?

Growing up in Fresno, I wasn’t as active in show going as I am now (because my parents werestrict about shows). I always thought music photography would be out of reach, especially sinceI knew my parents would never let me tour, so I worked on portraits. I started shooting showsmy last year of college, mostly just my friends’ shows because I wanted to dip my toes intomusic photography. I instantly fell in love with it. You gotta be so in the moment when taking livephotos, it’s such a rush. I made the move to be a professional photographer when I startedinterning for Pure Noise because I needed to learn how to do video, so I started taking it waymore seriously.

Can you tell us a little bit about your position at Pure Noise Records?

I am the creative director at Pure Noise, and I’m in charge of content creation. I create all thepromotional assets, so if someone is announcing a single or releasing an album, I make thegraphics/teasers that pop up in your feed.I take care of the live photos and live videos as well, so when there are shows you’ll usually seeme running around grabbing content. It’s the absolute best, especially since I’m a genuine fan ofour roster. There are bands we work with that I’ve been listening to since I was in high school, soI get some cool full circle moments.

How would you describe your photography style? Editing style?

My style has changed quite a bit over the years, and because I loved taking portraits, I startedtreating live shows as photo sessions instead of being completely shutter happy, and hoping I’dget some good live shots. I wanted more live portraits.I’d say my editing style is to be as pastel and dreamy as possible. I shoot a lot of hardcoreshows, and I love taking chaotic photos that are incredibly soft, because i think it’s just a wildcontrast to what’s actually in the photos.

What kind of gear do you use? What lenses, cameras, editing programs, etc.

I almost exclusively just use a Sony A7iii, and a sigma art 35mm lens. I think it does everything Ineed it to do, from shooting shows in a tight space to creating live music videos. I’ll usually carryaround my film camera at shows too, because I love the look of film and I think those photos aremore spontaneous than digital. When I moved, I found my old power shot point and shoot fromwhen I was in high school, and sometimes I’ll even shoot on that because everything looksinsanely dated. And, I edit everything in Lightroom.

After shooting so many shows, how do you manage to still find fresh ideas and new angles to capture?

With the volume of shows I shoot, it IS difficult to find new ideas, but sometimes I’ll just seesomething and think “oh, this would look really cool.”A lot of times I shoot with a light prism, so I can play with lights further. One time I forgot myprism, but had just gotten my nails done, and one of my nails was transparent with little jewelson it, so I just started putting my fingernails in front of my lens to give me some light leaks. DIYor die baby.

Any tips you can offer to anyone who is battling with concert lighting?

My biggest advice when coming to battling concert lighting is to stop battling it and embrace it.You can spend hours trying to constantly color correct photos so they look normal. I used tohate red lighting with a burning passion, but I got to the point where I stopped throwing away allmy red photos and started working with what I had. I softened them so they weren’t as harsh,and honestly? Some of my best photos are completely red. Every set is different, so there’s no“perfect spot” to be positioned. You’ll move around a lot, so just work with where you’restanding.

What is the best part about being a concert photographer?

The best part about being a photographer is shooting bands I’m fans of mostly because if I don’thave my camera at a show I simply don’t know what to do with my hands.

What advice do you have for photographers looking to follow in your footsteps?

Shoot as many shows as you possibly can. I’m not talking about shooting arena shows everynight, but shoot those little DIY shows that have 20 attendees. Be comfortable shooting andhaving to get through people.There were so many shows where I didn’t get as many photos as I wanted because I was toonervous to move around (most times I was the only one shooting, so it was extra stressful.)I’ll also say work on your own editing styles. It’s easy to see someone else’s work and say,‘wow i love their colors, I’m gonna do the exact same thing,’ and then you’ll get upset that itdidn’t come out exactly like theirs. Sometimes it can take years to get photos to look exactlyhow you pictured them in your mind. Practice truly makes perfect.I think the biggest challenge is that there’s SO many photographers at most shows, it’s hard toget the exact shots you want, and sometimes you have to work harder to make your photosstand out from everyone else’s.

What is the one photo you’re most proud of creating?

I think the photo I’m most proud of is the photo of Franz, the bassist of Turnstile mid flip into thecrowd. It was a chaotic moment when the crowd accidentally unplugged his bass, so he kindashrugged and put it down, and I caught him mid flip into the crowd while someone plugged hisbass back in.

Kat’s picture of Turnstile:

What artists would you most like to photograph, that you haven’t already?

I would LOVE to shoot Rage Against the Machine. I’m incredibly bummed that shows arecancelled right now because I would’ve LOVED to capture their shows. I could only imagine theenergy they would’ve brought into 2020.And also Paramore. Hayley if you see this please hit me up.

Do you have any pre-show rituals, or any superstitions that you follow when you’regetting ready to shoot a show?

I’m not a superstitious person. Maybe just a little stitious. Sometimes if I’m shooting a showwhere I’m either the only photographer, or I’m nervous to shoot (because I do get shysometimes) I gotta give myself a little pep talk before I start shooting.

Besides music, what makes you, you?

I’ve recently been making pastel movie posters to occupy my time. Since there are no showshappening I’ve got extra free time so I’m just creating in different ways. (Or I’m playing Call ofDuty.)

Don’t forget to follow Kat on social media, and check out more of her work on the links listedbelow!

Instagram: @nijmeddin

Twitter: @whackkat

Website: https://katnij.darkroom.tech/