Sweat drips from bodies as they’re pressed together, jumping to the rhythm that will leave them deafened by the end of the set. Smoke from the fog machine pours into the crowd as the lights blind everyone in the venue. The sound coming from the overly huge amps reverberates off every surface it can causing the ground to shake to the beat of the drums. Cellphone flashlights light the darkness of the pit like a galaxy of people. From the roaring crowd of a concert venue to the football stadium, and everything in between, there’s no shortage of opportunities for picture perfect memories to capture and senior Bridget Craig has positioned herself to be part of those moments.

“The Summer Set inspired me,” Bridget said, “I used to, and still do, go to concerts a lot and I’d see people in the pit taking photos. I thought it was really cool and decided I wanted to get into it.”

Music has inspired much of Bridget’s photography and bridged the two artforms in a new way.

“I really like music, and I guess concert photography is a way to connect music and photography, that makes it really unique,” Bridget said. “Not everyone does it, or knows how to do it, and capturing those moments is fun.”

Bridget draws much of her inspiration from the music photography scene which is full of talented photographers who work with different bands.

“Quite a few music photographers inspire me, like Ashley Osborne and Adam Elmakias,” Bridget said. “My friends also inspire me, that always helps.”
Many people recognize Bridget’s talent, but none as much as the school’s photography teacher John Burrows.

“Bridget’s concert work is what her passion is, so that’s always going to produce her strongest pieces,” Burrows said. “She’s also a great landscape photographer; she takes really cool shots when it comes to that. Anything she does is good, but her concert photography is the best.”

Bridget makes sure to get things done efficiently, striving for her work to be as perfect as it can without compromising creativity.

“Her work ethic is her strong suit along with her desire for perfection,” Burrows said. “She wants it to be perfect, so she’s going to work her butt off to make sure it is. She’s also really creative when it comes to her photography.”

Her knack for capturing the right moment is a product of her determination to be a better photographer with every shutter release.

“She’s a brilliant photographer,” Burrows said. “She works harder than most students have. She’s dedicated and knows exactly what she wants to do. She’s a hard worker, and doesn’t take anything for granted.”

Bridget has been praised for her hard work in and out of the classroom when it comes to photography, receiving awards from several outside sources.

“I was photo student of the month at the end of last year,” Bridget. “I made first in ATPI (Association of Texas Photography Instructors), and I placed in the Golden Hour Category for my Prada in Marta picture.”

Bridget’s work in the photography world has gained her recognition in the online blog community as well as Jam and Half & Half. She hopes that her hard work and dedication continue to pay off as she continues to pursue photography after high school.

“I’m hoping to go to Austin to get more into the music scene,” Bridget said. “I want to start working with more publications, hopefully work with some bands, and just do it more often than I have.”

Photography captures moments that touch people’s emotions. It is a medium that connects strangers by finding common ground and Bridget enjoys being part of that.

“I enjoy being able to make other people happy with my photos,” Bridget said. “If I take a picture of a band, and then I see it all over Twitter or something, it makes me happy that people are happy because of me.”

Although Bridget’s main focus and passion is concert photography, she also does sports photography for the school, and her work is often featured in the school’s yearbook and newspaper

“I like sports photography, and I like that I was introduced to it, but I don’t see myself pursuing it,” Bridget said. “If the opportunity arises I would definitely be up for it, because I know I’m good at it and I know how to do it.”
Over the years of Bridget doing photography, she has improved on her skills with being able to control the things around her to her advantage of the perfect moment.

“She went from someone who had an idea of what she wanted to do, to someone who loved photography and loved everything about it from old school film to digital and,” Burrows said. “She’s definitely improved tenfold.”