Meet Ron Valle

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ron Valle.

Hi Ron, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself

I always enjoyed photography and attending concerts with my wife. Around 2005 I started bringing a compact digital camera into concerts, mostly for Bruce Springsteen and Dave Matthews concerts, along with outdoor festivals and I envied the photographers that got to shoot upfront in the photo pit using professional gear.

By 2016, I build up a nice concert portfolio and decided to make professional concert photography my goal for my second career. I convinced one website (CincyMusic.com) to let me shoot for them which gave me access to a photo pit and allowed me to use a professional gear. As I got more proficient and bought a better gear, I reached out to other clients. Now I shoot freelance for four venues, two radio stations, and 3-4 websites.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The biggest obstacle, as with all new concert photographers, was getting outlets and artists to reply to my requests to photograph a show.

This has gotten easier as I’ve gained more experience and clients with more clout. The other challenges are shooting poorly lit shows and maneuvering through crowded photo pits. Since COVID, it seems more acts are requiring photographers to shoot from back at the soundboard which requires bringing a step ladder and a very large and expensive lens if you want close-up and clear images. And there is always the possibility of showing up and they don’t have your name on the photo pass list or they tell you the shooting location changed from the pit to the soundboard.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I capture the excitement and beauty of live music for publications, venues, bands, and radio stations. I want people to re-live the special moments of their show or wish they had been there. I look for the expressions between the artist and the audience and between the band members themselves. My latest generation of cameras are ideal for dark clubs xwhile my 400mm/F2.8 lens will provide crisp, clear close-ups from the soundboard of an arena. I also shoot sporting events and portraits.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Find a group on Facebook that deals with your area of interest. Or reach out to someone on Instagram whose work you admire. People have reached out to me on Instagram, although I suspect some won’t reply. Once I started getting passes I would learn from fellow photographers that I befriended in the photo pit. I also took online photography and photo editing training from a notable concert photographer (Igor Vidyashev) and various photography classes.

Contact Info:

• Email: ronvallephoto@gmail.com
• Website: www.RonVallePhotography.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/ronvallephoto
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RonVallePhotography 

Image Credits
Ron Valle