Meet Jess Drews | LADIES WITH LANYARDS



Ladies with Lanyards 
is a blog post I published a while ago that put a spotlight on some of the most talented music photographers in Australia. That blog post had such a good response so I decided I wanted to dive deeper into this and interview these creatives! So, I'd like you to meet Jess Drews...


My name is: 
Jess Drews 

I am based in: 
Melbourne as of July 2018







A post shared by Jess Drews (@jessdrews) on

I started shooting live music because: 
Music has always been a massive part of my life & I was thrown into the deep end of learning photography for a day job so decided use the skills I had learnt from being a photographer and apply them to a lifestyle where I could photograph Musicians as a career. 

My favourite gig I’ve ever photographed was:
I travelled to the UK in 2016 & crossed paths with some old friends in Sleeping with Sirens & photographed an acoustic show they played in an old church. Was a pretty surreal & special night. 







A post shared by Jess Drews (@jessdrews) on


The hardest/worst gig I’ve ever photographed was:
 I've been pretty lucky with my gigs but the hardest shows to shoot, for me, are the ones without a barrier because personal space is definitely needed if I'm shooting an artist. 

My photography style can be described in the following 3 words: 
Clean, Colourful & Opportunistic. 

My advice to young women looking to join the music industry as a live music photographer is: 
Ask questions! Even the ones you feel stupid asking because of how straight-forward the answer seems, you'll be surprised with the answers you get. Team up with a local photographer & band to observe how they work, take your camera to local shows and make friends with the promoters, crowd members, bar staff, everyone; it's more than likely that you'll cross paths with these people a lot over the course of your career. Also, watch out for crowd surfers lol. If I could tell my younger self anything it would be: keep doing what you're doing 




The best advice I’ve ever been given is: 
Be better, not bitter. 

The hardest thing about being a live music photographer is: 
Meeting people on the road & only crossing paths with them every year or two. 

The biggest lesson I’ve learnt as a music photographer is:
At the end of the day, everyone is always going to only look out for themselves. 

My favourite live music photographers are: 
  • Ashley Osborn
  • Matty Vogel
  • Jake Chamseddine
  • Tom Pullen
  • Ryan Watanabe
  • Jordan Kelsey
  • Brandon Lung



My goals as a live music photographer are: 
First & foremost, to create an image that artist wants to portray to their audience. and also travel the world with an artist 'cause that's the ultimate goal, right? 

I also:
Studied entertainment industries management to learn how to be a band / tour manager! 

Excluding camera equipment, in my camera bag you will also find: 
Not a lot, I only carry the necessities. 





I shoot with: Nikon D810 + 24-70 f/2.8 

You can find Jess here:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/jessdrews 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jessdrewsphotography 
Website/Folio: www.jessdrews.com 
Twitter: www.twitter.com/simpledrews 
Email: jessdrews@hotmail.com


Until next time,
Chels x


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Instagram- @littlek
Twitter- @littleksnap
Portfolio- www.littleksnap.com
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ALL OPINIONS AND IMAGES REMAIN MY OWN UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE

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