Ms. Chadili, Professional Photographer

When she isn’t performing Shakespearean sonnets with her English class or reading student essays, Ms. Chadili expresses her passion for the arts through photography. Her interest began in high school. After receiving her first DSLR camera for her eighteenth birthday, her hobby became more serious, allowing her to develop both her creative eye and technical skills.

“While I initially photographed my friends and everyday moments, everything changed when I signed with an online magazine,” Ms. Chadili explained. “That opportunity gave me access to photograph concerts professionally, which had been a goal of mine since high school.” This marked a turning point, transforming photography from a hobby into a potential career.

One of Ms. Chadili's concert photos

Ms. Chadili’s passion for concert photography began as a teen, when she discovered that people could make a living capturing live music. She had already been going to lots of concerts before going professional with the hobby, and she was typically the one that took photos when she went to those concerts with friends. According to Ms. Chadili, “the two hobbies just came together harmoniously”, and she began doing some professional work at seventeen or eighteen.

However, she admits that freelance photography comes with challenges. “My feelings about professional photography are complicated. The industry is extremely competitive, and without being part of a well-known organization, it can be difficult to receive fair pay or access the concerts you want to photograph. I used to compare myself to my peers and feel discouraged, but over time I learned to understand the reality of the field and give myself grace,” she said.

Photography serves as more of a hobby and less of a side hustle for her, and while she isn’t paid for her work, and her work isn't in traditional print magazines, her photographs can be found in photo archives on various online magazines, including Highlight Magazine and Beyond the Stage.

One of Ms. Chadili's concert photos

Doing some professional photography work means that Ms. Chadili has been able to gain close access to the stage at concerts and festivals, and has gotten the opportunity to photograph artists such as Walk the Moon, Twenty One Pilots, State Champs, and Hozier. Ms. Chadili’s favorite moment from her time doing concert photography was when she was photographing Emo Nite, which gave her the chance to take pictures of Kellin Quinn of Sleeping with Sirens, many of which she ended up feeling very proud of. 

“It’s an amazing feeling, when you know you got a good photo. During shooting, you can’t really go back and look through the photos,” she said, “It’s always on the go, but there are times when you know the lightening just worked in your favor, and you saw a glimpse of the photo, and you know you are going to have a great time post editing.” 

One of Ms. Chadili's concert photos

But, while concert photography is her main passion, and concerts are what initially sparked her interest, Ms. Chadili has recently spent more time doing portraits and travel photography. She explained that, “concert photography has become increasingly rare as concerts themselves have shifted from a common weekend activity to a luxury many people can’t afford”, leading to there being less opportunities for her to pursue it.

Even with fewer chances to take photos of concerts, Ms. Chadili hasn’t abandoned her original inspiration and hopes to return to concert photography in the near future.