iPhone and Instagram: a great duo for live events

I was hyperventilatingly excited last week at being invited to take some photos of one of my favourite bands, Cornershop, during an appearance on BBC 6Music’s Lauren Laverne show. I’m helping them manage their Instagram account by taking and finding photos that might spice up their feed a bit. It’s a different model to the one I discussed in a recent blog as I’m helping them improve the quality of their Instagram content under their own name, not mine.

The band were interviewed by Lauren Laverne and played three or four songs in a fairly small studio. Some of the songs were broadcast live and some were recorded for later broadcast. I helped the band set up and sat in the studio while they played and were interviewed. I got some quite good shots. Take a look at the @cornershophq feed to see some of them. And I’m sure part of the reason I got those shots was because the iPhone camera is so unobtrusive. I think Lauren and her team probably thought I was a roadie or part of their management. Wielding a big camera in such an intimate surrounding would have made quite a lot of people in the studio feel uncomfortable or would have prompted a cheesy grin.

From a social media perspective too, the iPhone camera (in conjunction with Instagram) is also great for capturing and broadcasting in-the-moment events. If Cornershop fans didn’t know about the appearance, I posted an early shot of the BBC to give them some notice and then I posted some shots as the band warmed up ahead of their appearance. So hopefully a few of their fans will not have missed their appearance. And they got to see a few pics of the band on the show. And I got to hang out with some of my rock ‘n roll heroes ; )

Cornershop’s Ben Ayres tunes up before the band’s appearance