Meet The Staff: Katie Frost

Katie Frost has been one of our longest running and most dedicated staff members. Hailing from London, UK, she specializes in metal and rock photography, capturing the emotions and energy of the bands live performance. Taking on photography on family vacations 2 decades ago, it wasn’t until 2015 when Katie first dabbled with music photography. Since then, Katie has photographed all over Europe, adding hundreds of world famous bands to her portfolio. Just in the last year, Katie has won Photographer of the Year at the Women in Live Music Awards as well as the winner in the Music Events: Amateur category at the Event Photography Awards. We are stoked to feature Katie as our first Meet the Staff profiles!

Rob Zombie

When did you join Stitched Sound?

May 2016

Ice Nine Kills

When did you start getting in photography?

I always used to take photos on family holidays with a film camera, and when I first started going to gigs around 1999 I took photos with a little point-and-shoot digital camera, trying to capture the action. It wasn’t until 2015 when I got my first DSLR camera that my passion for music photography really kicked in, and I managed to get a couple of photo passes to shoot gigs around London. I photographed in-store band signing events at PULP on Oxford Street and was part of the old House Photography team at MAMA & Co venues (including The Barfly and The Borderline).

In June 2015 I traveled to Norway to photograph Tons of Rock festival as part of a photography workshop, which was when my passion for documenting live music really kicked in. I have returned to photograph the festival every year since and have been lucky enough to photograph some big international acts there including Slayer, KISS, Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper.

Back home in London I shoot at music venues of various sizes – including The Black Heart, Brixton Academy, Kentish Town Forum, and Wembley Arena. I am part of the photography team at both The Moshville Times and Stitched Sound, as well as writing live music reviews and other articles for both publications. In 2018 I became the Photo Editor at The Moshville Times. I have had my work published in Kerrang! Magazine and Revolver Magazine as well as on a variety of online music blogs.

CHVRCHES

What has been your favorite show to photograph so far and what made it so memorable?
There have been lots of shows that I have loved photographing, but one of my favourites this year was Amon Amarth at Brixton Academy. They are one of my favourite bands, so I was excited from the start, but there was also great production, including lots of fire!

Amon Amarth

Is there a particular photo in your portfolio that you are especially proud of? Which is it and why is it one of your favorites?
In 2018 I won my first photography award with a shot I took of Blessthefall at one of the trickiest venues to shoot at in London – The Underworld. That one will always have a special place in my heart. It isn’t necessarily one of my best or even favourite shots, but it is one that means a lot to me.

blessthefall

In your opinion, what makes for a good live shot?
A photograph that that really captures the vibe of the show by freezing a moment. The photo doesn’t have to be clean and crisp (although that is my preferred style) but if someone who knows nothing about the band can look at the shot and get a sense of exactly what the band’s  live show is about, then that is great in my opinion!

KISS

What gear do you typically shoot with?
I shoot with a Nikon D750 and a Nikon 24-70mm lens, plus occasionally a Tokina 11-16mm for wide-angle shots.

Alice Cooper

Have you become a fan of any bands after photographing them? If so, who and why?
At Tons of Rock festival in Norway this year I shot The Dogs for the first time. They were incredibly fun to shoot and we got to shoot their whole set (not just the first three songs). They were so full of energy and great fun to shoot that I ended up checking them out on a popular music streaming site and listening to their music.

The Dogs

Who is your dream artist to shoot and why?

Rammstein! Their stage show is like nothing else on earth, and I am also a huge fan of the band musically.

Dragonforce

What are you top five favorite albums of all time?

Marmozets – ‘The Weird & Wonderful Marmozets’

PVRIS – ‘All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell’

Lights – ‘Midnight Machines’

Rammstein – ‘Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da’

Insomnium – ‘Shadows Of The Dying Sun’

Heilung

Is there a specific song that changed your life?

Not really – different songs have meant different things to me at different times of my life.

Baroness

If you could only listen to one artist forever, who would it be and why?
An impossible question! I guess I would have to pick Lights as her music is quite diverse – from more rock-edged pop stuff to gorgeous acoustic tracks.

Lights

What advice do you have for the younger generation who might be reading this and wanting to join a publication staff?
Research small publications in your country / local area and get in touch with them to see if they need any photographers on their team. Be prepared to work hard (on top of your full-time job / studies) for no money, but you will get the opportunity to shoot some of your favourite bands, create relationships with PRs, and get your work visible to people all over the world! You will need to work your way up from shooting unsigned bands in tiny venues with no photopit and poor lighting before you get the chance to shoot world-famous bands in stadiums and arenas.

The Fever 333

 

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