Hannah Sender Interview

Conducted by Abigail P

Who or what inspired you to start pursuing photography?

I would say it was a mix of different things. I initially started out with just the journalism aspect of what I'm doing or what I've been doing. I started a bunch of newspapers at various schools when I was a kid. I've just always really loved writing and that aspect of it. And then I would say in middle school-ish was around when I started getting into photography, and also music specifically. So, it kind of just sort of came together in high school when I decided, you know, journalism is something I really love, and so is photography. And I found out that photojournalism was a thing, and so is live music photography, and music photojournalism. So, that was kind of when all those passions came together.

What is/has been your favorite part about working in the industry?

This is going to sound corny, but the people I've met are definitely one of my favorite parts. Not just artists or anything like that, but also I've just met some really creative people. I definitely feel like before I started working with a couple publications, I was in sort of a creative rut, but being around creative people all the time certainly brings you out of that. I'm really grateful for the people I've met for sure. It's also just super rewarding as somebody who considered myself a fangirl. It's so rewarding to be able to take something that you're so passionate about and pair it with something that you want to do as a career and kind of watch that kind of come to life. It's a lot of work and a lot of time that I don't necessarily have in my day. I always say there's not enough hours in the day for the amount of things that I'm trying to do, especially within this industry. But I would say the people I've met and also just sort of just all the different rewarding aspects of being able to take my passion into my skills.

What is your artistic process when shooting and editing photos?

I'm not a very patient person. So when I'm at a show, I'm the type of person who is still in the venue when I'm connecting my USB to my phone and my computer and trying to get edits done as soon as possible. I don't really know where that sense of urgency comes from. Maybe it's that I've always lived in a city where things move very quickly, so I personally move very quickly. I think it's good to be able to get that content out as soon as possible. Something that's really valued in this industry is a quick turnaround, because usually you are sending your work to an agency, a PR agency, or sometimes an artist themselves. Right after I get home from a show, usually I sit down with the photos and I personally use Lightroom to edit. I'd say it's pretty easy to work with once you get into it. Depending on the artist, I edit differently. I try to make the visuals kind of reminiscent of the artist's style and genre. If it's like a more if it's like a funkier artist, somebody with more experimental production, then I'll try to make it a little bit more funky in terms of coloring. Sometimes I'll use a lens filter that kind of alters the vibe of the photo.

Have you faced any challenges in the industry and if so, how did you overcome them?

Hmm, I don't know if this is considered a challenge, but being a young person in the industry right now is intimidating. I am somebody who kind of just jumps into things when, you know, there's something that I want to do. Like I said, I'm sort of impatient. So when I realized that photojournalism was something that was accessible to me in Boston, it was something that I immediately wanted to jump into. But sometimes I have to keep my age or my experience level on the DL because a lot of the people that I work with are much, much older than me. It's certainly been a challenge to kind of establish myself as somebody to be taken seriously. And that's not to say that like the people that I'm working with, are consciously doing that. It's just a competitive industry. Being a young person, I want to establish myself as somebody to be taken seriously, and so I think it just takes like a little bit of extra work for people my age who are in the industry right now to be able to establish ourselves.

What has been your favorite concert to shoot and why?

Ooh, that's such a good question. I think one of my favorite shows that I've shot was Conan Gray. I had a really, really fun time shooting that show. I loved his opener, Maisie Peters, and I've been a big fan of his music for a long time. That was like the first time that I was shooting somebody who I had been a fan of for a long time. And obviously from a professional aspect, like I said before, I try to keep the fangirl on the low when I'm at a show to do a job. But it definitely was sort of like an I made it moment at that time. So being able to shoot that show was really special. Also I was really proud of how those photos came out. But each show is so different. And like there's so many highlights of every single one.

If you could photograph any artist who would it be?

If I could photograph any artist, it would probably be Billie Eilish. She's just an incredible performer on a level that is just like, she's completely untouchable. I've seen her tour photographer, I admire his work so much from this past tour specifically. She's so versatile. You know, there's really intimate moments in those shows. But then there's also moments where she's jumping around like crazy. She has amazing production, her lighting, her stage setup, and also just the fans. Those fans are so dedicated. I think it's really important to get both the content of the artists and then also the fans enjoying their time, especially as a fan myself, like it makes me so happy to be able to capture those moments for them as well. I feel like that like all around would be a very rewarding show to be able to capture. I've been a huge fan of hers since like 2017. So that would also definitely be like a really full circle moment if I was ever able to do that.

If you had one piece of advice for your younger self, what would it be?

I have so many things. Maybe just recognizing that sacrifices are gonna have to be made. You're going to have to work for free sometimes, a lot of the time, actually. You know, you're going to have to sacrifice a little bit. Not necessarily, sacrifice passion, but be passionate, and also be respectful. You know, when you're on the job, that's what you're doing. So you need to keep that in mind at all times. But yeah, I would say those couple of things have been kind of the things that I've learned and would tell, maybe not necessarily my younger self, but I would tell anybody starting out in the industry.