A Full-Circle Moment
On April 18, I photographed the outdoor Snail Mail concert at Union Collective in Baltimore.
Years before photographing this show, I had seen Snail Mail perform in Baltimore at a seated, theater-style venue during the Lush era. I still remember how quiet and immersive the room felt compared with most of the concerts I had attended at the time. Seeing the project grow from those intimate early performances into one of the most recognizable names in modern indie rock—and then getting to photograph a live set years later—felt surreal.
Snail Mail’s story has always felt especially close to home for me. Lindsey Jordan grew up in the same area, attended high school in the same school district as I did, and graduated the same year. Watching someone from a familiar place build such a lasting musical legacy made the project feel more personal from the beginning. Photographing her in Baltimore years after first hearing “Thinning” felt like several parts of my life coming together at once: the music I connected with as a teenager, my own memories of growing up in Maryland, and the concert photography career I am now beginning to build.
Stepping Into the Pit
Walking into the Union Collective parking lot where the show was held that night, I definitely felt nervous. It was the first time I had been hired specifically to photograph a concert, and I kept thinking about how much trust comes with documenting something live and unrepeatable.
One of the moments that stuck with me most was getting my photo pass wristband and walking into the pit in front of the stage for the first time. I remember feeling genuinely excited and honestly a little shocked that I was actually there doing it. It was one of those moments where something you’ve wanted for a long time suddenly becomes real in front of you.
Photographing the Show
I approached photographing the night the same way I approach most of my work: paying attention to atmosphere, movement, and the quieter moments happening between everything else. The shifting lights, crowd reactions, moments between songs, and the feeling of the room all became just as important to document as the performance itself.
I also tried to spend time photographing the other band members instead of focusing only on Lindsey the entire night. I’m sure they probably don’t get photographed nearly as much, and honestly they were all absolutely rocking it. Some of my favorite moments from the set came from watching the energy and chemistry between everyone on stage rather than just focusing on one person the whole time.
On film, I shot a mix of CineStill 800T pushed to 1600, Reflx Lab 800T pushed to 1600, and P3200 black and white film. The lighting throughout the set worked especially well with the tungsten-balanced stocks, and some of the Reflx Lab frames ended up with unexpected light leaks that honestly fit the atmosphere of the night perfectly.
The combination of grain, motion, stage lighting, and imperfections gave the images a feeling that felt true to the experience of being there.
Saying Goodbye with Thinning
The show was coming to an end, with the crowd tiring,. All of the sudden, Jordan started strumming the intro chords to Thinning and the crowd, including me, went nuts. Thinning was the song that got me hooked to Snail Mail. The song captures the strange comfort of leaning into your own exhaustion—taking all of the messy, anxious feelings that come with growing up and turning them into something beautiful, meaningful, and monumental. It became one of those songs tied to certain memories and periods of my life I had felt when I was 19, first hearing the song, and felt stuck between who I had been and who I was becoming, unsure of what came next but finding comfort in the fact that someone else seemed to understand that uncertainty too.
Thinning ended up being the last song of the night, which honestly made it hit even harder. After following Snail Mail since first hearing that song years ago and then standing in the pit photographing the show while hearing it live at the end of the set felt surreal in a way that’s difficult to fully describe. It felt like one of those moments where time folds together a little bit — remembering earlier versions of yourself while still being fully present in where you are now.
Looking back, the night feels important to me not only because it was my first paid concert gig, but because it felt like a step toward the kind of work I want to continue creating work centered around documenting experiences honestly and preserving the feeling of being present inside them.
I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity and excited to continue exploring live music photography moving forward.
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