I Photographed Chris Stapleton At The Schottenstein Center 2024

Getting To Photograph Chris Stapleton

In July 2024, I photographed Chris Stapleton at Columbus Ohio’s Schottenstein Center.  Cincinnati CityBeat was the publication I was shooting for that night.  He has been on my must-photograph list for a long time, so I was excited to get approved.  I was hoping for a pit shoot, but I was prepared for a soundboard shoot.  Shooting super zoom lenses and wide-angle lenses is important in case my assignment changes.  I never want to be unprepared for any photography assignment.

Why It Was Difficult

As always, I was grateful to be photographing a world-class musician. Additionally, I was very happy to be shooting from the pit, less than 10 feet away from Chris Stapleton.  The only downside was the photo release.  It was one of the strictest I’ve seen in my 10 years of being a professional concert photographer.  We were limited to two songs, but thankfully his songs are fairly long.  My disappointment with the contract was not being able to use the photos on my own Instagram and website.  Many artists now put clauses in contracts that permit photographers to use images on their own websites and social media.  As a workaround for Chris Stapleton, I waited for CityBeat to publish the photos.  Then, I took screenshots with white borders to prove that I wasn’t posting the original.  So below, you will see lower-resolution screenshots from the Columbus tour stop.