NOVA DREAM
Finding the Flow with Nova Dream at Workman’s
A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to shoot Nova Dream at The Workman’s Club, my first time ever shooting in that venue. I’ll admit, I was a little nervous heading in. I didn’t know the layout, the lighting setup, or how tight the space would be. But as soon as I stepped into the room, I got the vibe straight away and ended up having an amazing night behind the lens. I brought along my now go-to kit, the Sony A7RV paired with my three perfect lenses. The Sigma 16mm for wide, atmospheric shots, the Tamron 28-75mm for flexibility and close-ups, and of course, my wildcard HELIOS 44-2 for that dreamy, vintage character. Each lens brought something different to the table, but the real fun came from a new technique I decided to experiment with during the show. I started playing around with motion blur by taking shots while actively zooming in or out to create wild, almost psychedelic streaks of color and motion. It was a challenge to time everything right with the lighting and movement, but when it landed, it looked incredible. It gave a real sense of energy and chaos. Like the image was breathing with the music. But the biggest evolution in my style came after the gig. Back home, I spent hours in Photoshop, trying out a new editing process to give my shots a dreamy, film-inspired finish. Think soft grain, muted tones, and cinematic warmth. It’s a look I’ve been chasing for a while, and this shoot was the first time I feel like I really nailed it. The edits feel like an extension of how the night felt, moody, nostalgic, and full of raw emotion. I’m buzzing with how the gallery turned out. Nova Dream were the perfect band for this kind of shoot. They’ve got this alt-rock sound that hits somewhere between grit and melody. You can feel the influences, but they’ve got their own edge. The crowd was loving it, and they ended the night on a cover of R.E.M’s ‘It’s the End of the World as We Know It’—a chaotic, cathartic closer that had the whole room singing along. A huge part of why I love music photography is simply being immersed in the sound. There’s nothing quite like standing in a sea of people, camera in hand, while a great band fills the room—and Nova Dream didn’t disappoint.
