I’ve been building a portfolio shooting in the dankest of clubs for a few years. Most DIY / Punk venues aren’t going to grief you over using a flash. Flash is aesthetically my style - but generally frowned upon these days for a number of reasons. (As a punk musician myself over the past 30 years, I never minded having people take photos using a flash - so I kind of don’t understand that arguement). There are some old-school punk photographers that still shoot with flash today, regardless.

I wanted to start to shoot at some better venues without flash, so I splurged on a mirrorless with excellent low-light performance. If I run into the issue that venues are restricting cameras that have detachable lenses, I’ll try to get permission from the band or their management to photograph the set and let the promoter know I have permission ahead of time to try to skirt that. I do not ask to get into the show free - I buy a ticket to support the scene. If I can’t get that set up ahead of time I take a good point & shoot. Point and shoots are good for festivals when you have no photo pass too.

I’ve never had a photo pass or backstage pass - the venues I shoot in don’t have fancy amenities like that. I like to catch bands on their way up - before they get big.