Tell us about your winning photo…

One thing I love about this photo that it was a joy to shoot Pulp, a band I've been a fan of for decades (who doesn't like Pulp?!). The second is that it was a difficult shoot - photographers had to wait about 90 minutes in the loading bay before we were allowed to shoot 2 songs only. This photo was the very last shot I took, as we were being escorted back out from the pit and out of the building. Take every single shot you can!

Tell us about you journey as a music photographer…

I started out in 2011, when I finished university, 100% as a way to get into gigs for free. Many, many gigs later that is still my inspiration haha! Along the way I've shot some of my favourite artists of all time, as well as unknown bands that have become some of my favourites too.

What do you love about music photography?

There are loads of things I love about it - one is having a vision in my head for how the shots will look based on the venue, the lighting, the artist, and then making that come together in real time while I'm in the pit. Another is that every gig, every shot is unique - bands will play a thousand gigs but they're all going to be slightly different, and unrepeatable. Another great thing about music photography is the photographers themselves - for the most part it's an incredibly supportive scene.

Where do you usually shoot live music?

I started in some iconic Liverpool venues like The Kazimier where there’s no photo pit and The Shipping Forecast (no photo pit, no stage and terrible lighting!) - excellent training to essentially shoot well in any conditions, after lots of practice. These days I've found myself often in Manchester Academy (all 3), and places like Yes and Gorilla. I definitely prefer getting stuck in to a gig and shooting from the crowd if it's a band I like.