This article was written by Natalie White, a senior in Integrated Media and Strategic Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations and member of the Blue House Agency at Boise State.
Boise State University alum, Lia Crumpton, took her passion for music and photography and created her own personal empire in music photography. Crumpton started her music photography journey in 2018 at a Lauv and Jeremy Zucker concert where she brought her own camera. To her surprise, Zucker posted a photo she made at the concert on his Instagram account and the rest is history.
Since that first concert, Crumpton has captured photographs of over 40 world-renowned artists including Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Post Malone and Tyler, The Creator. She has also captured photos for a variety of prestigious music festivals such as Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Warped Tour.
For students who want to pursue music photography, Crumpton suggests starting small.
“Reach out to local bands and make connections,” she said. “My first couple artists were Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler and now they’re huge artists. I would definitely say put yourself out there and also put your ego aside, there are tons of talented photographers. Focus on making genuine connections and having fun.”
Crumpton’s degree in media arts with a public relations emphasis taught her the value of creating meaningful connections with musicians and their management teams.
“As a music photographer, I work with artist managers and publicists a lot,” she said. “It’s really important to establish a connection with them before asking any favors or expecting anything in return. It’s also important to complete tasks by your deadline efficiently to maintain the relationship and your reputation.”
Crumpton also works at a tech startup based out of Austin, Texas. As far as her photography career, she said she dreams of shooting at an international music festival and mastering videography and that she loves how she can still have fun with her clients as a music photography professional.
For more information on Crumpton, visit her online portfolio.