The SoundMaster

You don’t usually see them—not really. They’re always there, but never in the spotlight. Still, without them, there wouldn’t be a show.

I was at a concert recently, camera in hand, doing what I normally do—trying to catch something a little off-stage, something that tells the rest of the story. That’s when I spotted him: back to the crowd, eyes on the board, headphones hanging loose around his neck. Focused, steady. Doing the kind of work that only gets noticed when something goes wrong.

I framed the shot from behind. The lights of the soundboard, all blinking and glowing, lit up the edges of his shirt—a simple icon of a microphone on the back. In the distance, the band was already playing, slightly out of focus, wrapped in stage lights and smoke. But this—this felt like the real performance.

Photographing moments like this is a reminder of how much happens off-stage. The quiet intensity of someone making sure everything sounds right, every cue lands, every mic works. There’s a rhythm to it, just as much as there is in the music. And as a photographer, it’s these unnoticed moments that often say the most.

I didn’t speak to him. Didn’t need to. But for a few minutes, I watched him shape the entire sound of the room—without ever asking for attention.

That’s what I wanted to capture. Not just the music, but the people behind it who make it feel effortless.