Behind The shot With Neil Silk

One photographer. One image. The story behind the shot.

I'll start by taking you back to Christmas 2023. My wife surprised me with tickets to see blues and rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Fast forward to May 2024 and we are in London getting ready to see the show. Now you can take photos at the concert but no professional type gear is allowed so my only choice is an old Canon digital compact bought from a secondhand shop at home. I know for sure my phone will not get good images so here we go. Having worked for newspapers in my early career I got used to being right at the front of a concert with pro grade equipment so I knew this was going to be a challenge. Would I get anything usable from a tiny camera with no manual controls.

Security were amused by my little camera and asked why I did not have my phone with me. I said my phone was rubbish and they laughed and wished me good luck. When we got seated we had a clearish view of the stage but were seated quite a way back. The concert started and all around me phones were out taking pictures and videos. I was the only one around me with a camera. I just wanted a couple of shots to show I had been to see Joe and as a personal memory.

I watched for the first few songs to see where Joe would tend to go on the stage. Eventually he wound up on our side and I knew this might be my only chance. The little Canon had a secret weapon in a 30x zoom but keeping it steady in the semi darkness would be hard. I managed to get off maybe half a dozen shots before Joe moved off again. Not knowing what I had the camera went back in my pocket and I enjoyed the rest of the show.

Back at the hotel I had a chance to look at the results and began to realise the limitations of the camera. The photos were smudged, blurry and out of focus. My heart began to sink. Then this photo appeared on the back screen. I was thrilled. Joe lost in the middle of a guitar solo, lit beautifully by a spotlight.

This has become one of my favourite photos not because it is perfect but because I managed to get one at all. It proves the old saying that the best camera is the one you have with you at the time. My little £50 compact camera has proved its worth and now I know its limitations it has been with me to several concerts and produces some great results. I hope this has given you hope that old cheap cameras can still prove worthwhile if you give them a chance.

You can follow Neils work on foto @neil_35ish or on Instagram here.