ENTRY DESCRIPTION
In early 2022 I discovered Albany's underground music scene, and began shooting shows at a number basements. I eventually made my way to The Byrdhouse, which existed from 2018 to 2022 and spanned three different basements. I was fortunate enough to experience and document the final five shows of the underground venue.

The bands were incredible, the fans were energetic, and the line between the two parties were completely blurred, which made for an incredibly rich environment for shooting. Over the course of these five shows I managed to capture an unexpectedly high number of photos that I absolutely love. My submission to the Monochrome Awards features an image I made at my very first Byrdhouse show during the set of a band called Punt. The two man D.C. band had the crowd jumping, headbanging, and bouncing from wall to wall and I shifted my focus to capture the chaos behind me. My submitted photo features Matt (left) shouting as his curls fly every which way and Mehr (right) who is so elegantly frozen on the right side of the frame.

Shooting in these hectic settings has been a wild challenge, as there is a great deal of luck when timing the release of your shutter. Moments are fleeting, and a split second difference can make or break an image. I remember hooting and hollering when I got home and began browsing through the night's shots, I couldn't believe what I had captured. I simply love this photo. It embodies the essence of The Byrdhouse and puts the crowd's pure enjoyment of music on display. I hope you love this photo too.

AUTHOR
Hey I'm Pete and I'm a photographer from Albany, New York. I enjoy shooting in a documentary style, and focus a lot on live music.

back to gallery