When I flip through my photobooks (I have too many), crowd work is my favorite! Photographing a crowd has always been super interesting to me. It’s not just about the number of people—it’s about the energy, the movement, and the stories that come with it. At Radio City Music Hall last January, during a Black Pumas concert, I turned my camera away from the stage. I wanted to capture the audience, the other half of the performance. Crowds have this amazing power to radiate emotion—joy, anticipation, excitement—and I wanted to freeze that energy in a single frame.

This is what I tried to do. The motion blur, the blurry focus, the grain—it’s all on purpose. To me, these elements show the chaotic beauty of the moment. You can almost feel the applause rising through the image, the collective excitement of hundreds of strangers sharing a single experience.

These quick shots can be tricky because they feel so short. How can you find that perfect moment, especially when you only have 15 seconds to make a lasting impression? It might sound silly, but this short time teaches me to embrace my imperfections and let my work speak for itself. This is exactly what I saw in this shot.

The Technical Choices Behind the Shot

For this image, I used my Leica M11 paired with a Summilux-M 1:1.4/28 ASPH lens. Here’s the breakdown of how I made it work in a dark concert hall:

• ISO 5000: I cranked the ISO to embrace the M11’s incredible low-light performance. The resulting grain was a deliberate choice to evoke the texture of film.

• Aperture: f/16: I closed the aperture down to maximize depth of field, capturing as much of the crowd as possible in focus.

• Shutter Speed: 1/4s: This slow speed introduced motion blur, emphasizing the movement and energy of the crowd.

• Intentional Imperfection: I leaned into the limitations of the scene—low light, motion, and dynamic energy—using them as tools to tell the story rather than fighting them.

What Joel Meyerowitz Teaches About Crowds

When I think about photographers who understand the energy of a crowd, Joel Meyerowitz immediately comes to mind. Meyerowitz is a master at turning chaos into visual harmony. His street photography, particularly in New York City in the 60s and 70s, captures the pulse of urban life with an unparalleled sense of rhythm. His work taught me that every element in a crowded scene—every gesture, every glance, every blur—matters.

Meyerowitz once said, “A photograph is about an open consciousness.” That idea resonates deeply with me, especially when I think about where I sit in my crowd photography. A crowd isn’t just a collection of people—it’s a living organism. Seriously, take a second to ewatch it. The interplay between individuals creates a larger narrative. Meyerowitz’s ability to see the poetry in busy, chaotic scenes inspired me to approach this image differently. Instead of fighting the blur or the noise, I embraced them as part of the story.

In this shot, I wanted to lean into that philosophy. The motion blur becomes a visual representation of the crowd’s energy, the grain evokes a nostalgic, film-like quality, and the layering of faces adds depth to the scene. Meyerowitz’s work reminds me to look beyond the obvious, to find the story in the details.

Capturing Crowds: Lessons Learned

Crowds are challenging to photograph because they’re constantly in flux. But that’s also what makes them so compelling. Here’s what I’ve learned:

1. Embrace Motion: Motion blur isn’t always a flaw. It can convey energy, movement, and excitement, especially in a crowd setting.

2. Look for Layers: Like Meyerowitz, focus on the layers within the scene—foreground, middle ground, background. These layers add depth and complexity.

3. Use Imperfections: Grain, blur, and noise can all enhance the mood of an image when used intentionally. Embrace perfections, which is prob the hardest thing for a photographer to do. (at least for me)

4. Find the Narrative: In a crowd, every face tells a story. Look for connections—people sharing a glance, reacting to the same moment, or moving together in rhythm.

Why This Image Matters

This photo is more than a memory of a great concert. It’s an exploration of collective emotion, of what it means to share a moving experience with strangers. It’s about energy and movement, about finding harmony in chaos. Joel Meyerowitz’s work taught me to see these moments differently—to treat crowds not as overwhelming masses but as opportunities to capture something alive and dynamic.

What About You?

Have you ever tried to photograph a crowd? What did you learn from the experience? Share your thoughts in the comments or tag me in your work—I’d love to see how you bring collective moments to life.

-M