How I Shot Photos Backstage at Outside Lands Music Festival
Pictured: Sheck Wes Shot by: Ryan Yee Location: Twin Peaks Stage
Overview
Media coverage of Leven Kali's set at OSL 2019. Used access to capture behind the scenes content of-one-of the most prolific music festivals in the industry.
Roles
Photographer
Videographer
Team
Artist
Leven Kali
Band
Sol W., Cam J., Trey M.
Palm Studios Team
Matt W. (Tour Manager), Drake H., Kailah K. B. Smith)
Timeline
August 9-11, 2019
BACKGROUND
I sent a DM.
During a brainstorming session for a commercial I was working on for Guayakí Yerba Mate, my co-director played Thursday by Leven Kali. My head popped up after hearing how groovy the track was, and I followed Leven on Instagram before getting back to working on the creative brief.
The next day, I woke up to a post from Leven in my feed. He was promoting a show at the The UC Theatre in Berkeley, CA, which happens to be close to where I live. As a result, I shot Leven a message explaining who I was, and how I wanted to shoot photos of the show.
Leven replied within the hour explaining that his photographer was out of town, and how it was perfect that I was reaching out! I shot photos of Leven’s show, had a blast, and ultimately got to know Leven and his team.
PROCESS
Let's keep in touch!
After a successful concert, I packed up my equipment and said good-bye. I was headed off to college, and it wouldn't be until 6 months later we would cross paths again. During that time, I stayed up to date on Leven's latest projects, and provided remote support to his team.
I reconnected with one of this team members while interning in LA at Paradigm Talent Agency in their Live Music Department. After a lunch in Beverly Hills, I mentioned that I would be at Outside Lands, and that I'd love to link up with him and the team. The rest is history.
DAY OF SHOW
Sunday, August 11th 2019
It's show time. The day started meeting by the back entrance to Twin Peaks Stage. Leven's trailer was located behind the stage, and there were other artist trailers grouped together with a space in the middle to hang out. Leven's trailer was accompanied by Denzel Curry, Sheck Wes, and Bebe Rexha's trailers. After sound check and stage prep, we went backstage to hang out until showtime.
Leven absolutely killed it. The show and experience was one that I will never forget. I'm incredibly grateful for Leven and his family for welcoming me into the team with open arms.
In order to get backstage and shoot the show, I was given a Bison Pass. A Bison Pass is an artist pass that is given to artists and their teams. This pass gives access to most of Outside Lands – virtually everywhere was on-limits: artists lounge, backstage, front-of-house, VIP, etc. After Leven's set, I spend some time hanging out in the artist lounge and editing my selects from the shoot. After transferring the photos to Leven's team, I roamed the park, met up with friends, and decided to take photos side-stage for rapper Sheck Wes.
RESULTS
Everything good must come to an end.
Outside Lands 2019 was one I will never forget for many reasons. An amazing line-up, unforgettable experiences, and the best vibes. I ended the night by hanging out in the artist lounge and chatting with a veteran concert/festival photographer named Andrew Jorgensen. Andrew was kind enough to entertain my questions as a novel festival photographer and told me about all the highs and lows of the job. After chatting for a while, I grabbed his contact info, packed up all my gear, and headed out.
Special thanks to Leven Kali, Matt W., Drake H., and Van W.
If you are interested in connecting, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram or email me at ryanyee00@gmail.com