Ian Coulson is a seasoned tour photographer, having been on the road with the likes of As It Is, Thirty Seconds To Mars, and many more. We had the pleasure of sitting down with him to chat about tour life, photography, and his career thus far!
Hey Ian! Thanks so much for being on the site. Can you give a brief background on how you got started in concert photography? Was there a local music scene within your university or hometown that sparked your interest?
Hi, thanks for having me! So I grew up playing in bands and was so was pretty involved in the underground rock and metal scene from a fairly young age. I carried this on when I moved to Brighton to study English Literature and Language at University and quickly joined a band and went on to play in several over the years. Photography and making videos had been a big hobby of mine growing up but I never for one second considered it as a career. Bizarrely, I originally wanted to be a 3D animator but flunked my Art GCSE and then decided to be a Chiropractor but flunked the science qualifications I needed, so I ended up doing a degree in English purely because I got good grades and it was a way to kill 3 years and delay deciding what I wanted to! Studying at Brighton Uni meant that my course was partnered with the English and Media Studies course and so also meant that we had access to the same optional modules as them, including photography and Documentary making. As a respite from the endless reading, and because I knew I enjoyed it, i took these modules and completely re-discovered my love for creating. I was never any good at drawing or “traditional art” (hence the failed Art class!) but I’d always had a creative mind and loved that a camera allowed me to translate what was in my head in a way that I wasn’t phsyically able to with a paintbrush. The uni really liked my coursework and started using it to advertise the course as well as entering some of my work in Brighton film festival and it was then that In started to wonder whether maybe there was something in film-making, so after graduating, decided to give it a shot and 8 years and many late rent payments and 10p packs of noodles later, here we are!
You’ve been on both club tours and stadium tours; what would you say are the pros and cons to both? Do you prefer one over the other?
They’re definitely two very different worlds and I think both take an completely different approach. You get a very different kind of audience passion in the two environments, as well as artist performance, so you naturally have to translate that visually in very different ways. I wouldn’t say I prefer one or the other, simply that they’re entirely different entities. I’m almost 30 now so perhaps don’t enjoy elbowing my way through a sweaty crowd quite as much as I did a few years ago, but I still live for those intimate, sweaty moments you get doing club shows. But on the other hand, the space, expanse and especially the production you get doing big shows presents a whole different world of creative possibilities! But obviously you lose that sense of intimacy and that alone can be a challenge when trying to communicate a fan’s perspective visually.
What has been the most challenging part about being a touring music photographer? What has been the most rewarding?
There are definitely a huge number of challenges to being a touring creative that noone warns you about. First is always having to be creatively switched on, you never know when a moment is going to happen, so constantly being switched on and ready to shoot can be exhausting. Not to mention generally being the last to bed, staying up late editing! For me I’d say the biggest challenge is being away from home so much. I got married to the love of my life 3 and a half years ago and I’ve been away almost as much as I’ve been home in that time. Maintaining healthy relationships with people at home in general can be a real challenge, I’ve definitely lost touch with some really close friends simply through the fact that I can be completely absent for months at a time. And then the mental health aspect of not necessarily having a real base, as well as all of the other aspects of attachment, lack of normal routine, relational distance to name just a few, can really take it’s toll and it can be really difficult taking time for yourself when you’re effectively living with anything from 8 to 40/50 people for months at a time. Self-care becomes a real challenge in and of itself!
The videos that you create are incredibly unique; how did you come up with your editing style? Do you prefer one video type over another (for example: tour videos vs. music videos?)
I’ve said for a long time that there are innovators and there are creative plagiarists. That is to say that there are people who are able to come up with completely new, original ideas and there are people who are able to take other people’s original ideas and craft them into something else completely new and I definitely feel that I sit very strongly in the second category. Simply put, I watch a LOT of videos and am constantly trying to figure out how people have achieved a certain look or effect and then figuring out how I can work that into a style that works for me, often making it it’s own (semi) new thing! I think it’s so important to be constatly trying new things, seeing what feels right for you and what doesnt. Often I’ll try something new for a video and then never do it again because even if it looks good, it might not feel like “me”. I’m a huge believer in stroytelling and believe that should always be the first objective of any film-maker, ultimately everything else (fancy transitions, funky text, weird overlays) that’s all just icing, but if you don’t have a good story, you’re just polishing a turd. And I love anything that gets me excited, sometimes that’s tour videos, sometimes it’s narrative based music videos, sometimes it’s just a cool short film idea, it’s constantly changing. I get bored very easily so I’m always trying to find something new to spark my creative juices!
In the past couple of years you’ve been able to work with many of your dream artists (Thirty Seconds To Mars, Busted, etc.). What other “bucket list” artists are you dying to work with?
One of the main artists I said I wanted to work with when I first started, was Architects, who I actually got to briefly work with last year. I’d love to tour properly with them though. That being said, their photographer Ed Mason, is a friend of mine and also a phenomenal artist and I wouldn’t dream of trying to steal his job from him! Otherwise, I’d love to move more into the pop and hip-hop worlds, any artist with a strong brand or just generally who brings a lot of energy. Post Malone and Billie Eilish are definitely up there, but I’d equally like to work with someone like Ghostmane or Scarlxrd, purely from a branding and energy perspective, I find them both fascinating as artists. Poppy too, I think is going to do big things too in the next few years and would be super interesting to create for!
What’s your favorite photo you’ve ever taken? Is there a story behind it?
Oooh, this is a really tough one! Honestly, it seems to change every day. I’ve worked with the guys in As It Is for a long time and there’s two that stand out for me with them.. The first being this photo of Patty taken at their KOKO headline show a few years back. The previous few days had been hell, with Patty being admitted to A&E for a blood clot in his shoulder and being advised against performing, but being told that if he did, he had to take it easy and wear a sling otherwise he’d risk doing serious damage to himself. Having been there behind the scenes, this photo embodies the emotional rollercoaster that was those few days leading up to and including the show and is definitely one that will stay with me forever. The other doesn’t really have that kind of story behind it, I just really like it. I think it was taken in St Louis on a tour with them last year and was just one of those moments where Patty and I caught each others eye, knew what we were going to do and the stars just happened to align!
What advice would you give to your younger self in terms of your photography career?
Don’t worry so much. And start touring sooner haha. I’ve always wondered where I’d be if I hadn’t gone to Uni and had just started touring at 18 instead, without all the financial responsibilities of being an adult and moving away from home.
Any future plans you can share with us?
There’s definitely some really fun stuff in the pipeline. I’ve wanted for a long while to really start working on more long-form content, which is definitely happening. I’ve also recently starting working with Amazon Music, who are an amazing bunch of people who are super passionate about making great music content, so I have some really cool stuff in the works with them also!
Anything else you’d like to add?
Just thank you so much for having me, it’s been a pleasure!
To keep up with Ian, you can follow him on Twitter and Instagram. If you would like to purchase prints and see more of his work, head over to https://www.theicmedia.co.uk.