What to wear for a concert photoshoot

By Mariya Harley · London · updated August 2026

What works for a concert shoot specifically

Colour. For the photographer: black, head to toe. You are standing in front of stage lighting and beside other people's cameras, and anything pale reflects into both.

Fabric. Nothing that rustles. In quiet passages a noisy jacket is more disruptive than a shutter.

Footwear. Closed, sturdy, comfortable for hours standing in a pit that is wet by the second song.

The thing that ruins frames. A lanyard or a strap swinging into the lens. Tape it down before the first song rather than discovering it in the edit.

Pockets matter more than usual. Three songs is not long enough to open a bag. A spare card and a spare battery go in a jacket pocket you can reach one-handed in the dark, and everything else stays outside the pit.

Two rules that hold everywhere

• Steam it the night before — creases are the most expensive thing in any retouching bill and the cheapest to prevent.
• Bring options and decide on set, where you can see the light and the background rather than guessing at home.