Today we’d like to introduce you to Claudia Page
Hi Claudia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
From as early as I can remember, I’ve always loved snapping random photos on a point-and-shoot camera and looking through family photos. Since high school, I knew I wanted to pursue photography for my career. Early on in my time as a student at Columbus College of Art & Design, I discovered my preference for people and event-based photography. Most of my free time in high school and college was spent listening to music and going to concerts, so it felt natural to combine these two passions. Towards the end of 2022, I reached out to a Columbus band and asked if I could take photos at one of their shows. Since then, I’ve found my place in the local music scene photographing for countless Columbus bands, as well as a few larger touring artists for an online music magazine. I’ve also had my work featured in gallery exhibitions.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I really struggled with initially putting myself out there. I remember at the end of my second year of college, I had this big sophomore review where I had to present my work and talk about my goals. I went off on this big tangent about how I want to get into music photography because I felt like it would be my true passion, and one of my professors just went, “Okay, so why can’t we see it? Why haven’t you done it yet?” Even after that, it still took more pushing from faculty to get me to finally reach out to local bands or just show up to shows with my camera and not be afraid of getting in someone’s way to get the perfect shot. I would consider myself an introvert, and I’ve found that the majority of opportunity comes from networking or meeting the right person at the right time. Getting comfortable with asking for feedback from other artists, or simply just introducing myself to new people is still something I work on every day.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am an event-based photographer who is most known for (and most enjoys) live music photography. I would say the shoot I’m most proud is when I got to photograph my favorite band Slaughter Beach, Dog at The Bluestone in November of 2023. It was the perfect venue for their style of music, and the band even posted my photos to their Instagram!
As rewarding as it is to photograph some of my favorite artists, I also really love getting to consistently work with local bands. I’ve been a photographer for the band Faucetmouth since they formed in the fall of 2023, and I’ve taken many of my favorite photos with them. I even used them as the subject for my BFA Thesis exhibition. Through working with them, I’ve found I’m just as passionate about capturing those candid off-stage moments with musicians. The more we all get comfortable around each other, the more authentic moments I’m able to capture, which benefits everyone. I find that those more intimate photos create a sense of personability and invite a close connection with the viewer and the band. For many local musicians, it’s important that they come across as genuine people, and I love that I am able to help convey that message through my work.
Consistently working with a band also means I become more in tune with their music and their goals. When I’m familiar with a band’s discography, I know which parts of specific songs I should photograph a certain member at, which makes moving around in that fast-paced environment a little easier. Even off-stage, I find that working with a band consistently makes things like branding and other promotional content more of an exciting collaboration, as I’m able to translate their sound to visual content more confidently.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Risk-taking is definitely my toughest battle, but it’s probably the most important one in this industry. Putting myself out there and getting into music photography was a risk itself. I didn’t have an in or know anyone in a band at the time. I’m also a pretty short and small-framed gal, so physically photographing and bringing my gear to a rowdier show in a small venue can be a risk I have to take sometimes! Introducing myself to people in the music industry, or submitting my work for exhibitions always feel like risks, too. While there’s no real negative consequence that could come of these things, and the worst that could happen is being told no, they can still be scary! They’re scary, but so necessary.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://claudiapagephoto.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claudiapagephoto/
