Women’s History Month Spotlight: Amanda Laferriere

Amanda’s Instagram post from her first show.

Having worked in the music industry for 10 years now, Amanda Laferriere is good at making you look cool, to say the least. Off The Record Press wanted to highlight women working in the industry, and a concert photographer I have admired for years is Amanda. She has cemented herself in the industry, working with Del Water Gap, Flipturn, Dayglow, and more. In 2024, she had her first photo featured in Rolling Stone, went on her first international tour, and her first arena tour. This year is already off to a great start for the photographer, with her first photo featured on a billboard.

Amanda began concert photography at 15, shooting shows in backyards in Florida. Her stepbrother was in a band at the time and she shot for them for around a year. When they disbanded, she thought that was the end of her music career. Nevertheless, she got hired by a local band called Glass House Point and worked with them for a few years which kickstarted her network in the industry. “I mean I really owe everything to my local scene. I learned how to interact with others in the industry, how to shoot in a shitty bar venue, how to tour in a van, how to create with what I had available to me, and so so so much more.”

She was a senior in high school when she went on her first tour. It was a 2-week tour on the East Coast and she had to ask her parents to get her absence excused. Early on Amanda noted she would ask anyone and everyone how to get started in the industry. Throughout college she worked for music publications, going to shows in Central Florida, and was persistent about her desire to tour. Through her work with Glass House Point, Amanda met Flipturn, Rohna, and many other artists from whom she was able to learn and work.

Amanda’s photo featured on a Billboard in Nashville.

After graduating college, she planned to give 100% to touring but it being 2020, she had to shift plans. She was working a 9-5 job when she began working with Flipturn in 2021. She quit when she was getting more offers to tour. I got to chat with her while she’s currently on tour with them again. “It feels very full circle,” she told me. “I’ve been sounding like a broken record on this tour talking with all of them about it. That first tour that we did together was really such a special experience. Getting to do our first full US tour together and doing shows to 100-500 people and we were all so stoked about it then. It really felt like my first ‘real’ tour.” Having sort of grown up with the band Amanda has got “to go back to those cities now and have the shows be to thousands of people vs hundreds is really just so insane.”

Flipturn for Playground Music + Arts Festival.

Earlier this year, Amanda had one of her photographs of Flipturn on a billboard in Nashville. “I flew to Nashville for about 8 hours just to see that. I went with some other gals from the Flipturn team and we were just standing on the side of the highway jumping around looking at it and yelling - felt like a kid on Christmas.” 

Flipturn also has an annual festival called Playground Music + Arts Festival. Amanda said, “It’s held at Heartwood, which is where my first show working with Flipturn was, so it’s always fun to be back there with them. I’ve been Director of Media for Playground all three years that it’s happened, and I love it so much.” The festival has grown over time, and Amanda noted this past year was the first year they had an actual media team, and she wasn’t fronting all the work. “It was so much fun. I had an awesome all-woman team that absolutely crushed. We had Josie on short-form video, Szonia on experience/crowd photos, Kendall on long-form video, Gillian on socials, and then I was focusing on show photos. It was amazing to be able to delegate to them and know that we were getting all the bases covered.” 

Amanda’s work for Flipturn.

Amanda’s photograph featured in Rolling Stone Magazine.

Last summer, Amanda went on her first arena/amphitheater run doing photos for Del Water Gap while on tour with Niall Horan. “I had done a few bus tours before, but the Niall tour was actually my first time doing a tour with support and not the headliner,” Amanda reminisced. “The whole thing felt like summer camp. Niall and his entire team were the most welcoming group of people I’ve ever met.” I got to see Del Water Gap and Niall Horan while on their last year with my mom. I told her when Del Water Gap was on, “Mom, look for his photographer on stage, she’s my favorite photographer and has inspired me so much!” I loved seeing Amanda do her craft in person. “That will always be one of my favorite tours I think it was really special and just so fun. The amphitheaters had a ton of activities backstage, and we even had puppies to play with at a few shows! A huge difference from a van tour where you’re getting 4-5 hours of sleep max and spending literally all of your time driving around.” A photo of Holden (Del Water Gap) was featured in Rolling Stone back in August, being Amanda’s first feature in the magazine. 

While touring was always Amanda’s dream it is not an easy task. On tour, she has always taken on multiple roles having done photo, video, socials management, merch management, tour management, assistant tour management, and VIP coordination. She told me, “It’s a lot of work! My day starts at 11 am and doesn’t end until 2-3 am. I’ve figured out a system that works for me though so sort of have it down at this point.” I asked her how balancing managing merch and photos is and she said, “Merch usually has to take priority but I always have a little camera on me for quick shots and then I’m able to focus on photos more during the actual set. It’s really just all about being able to prioritize effectively.”

Her routine also depends on the tour. She gave me some insight on what it’s like on Flipturn’s US Tour right now. “On this current run, I wake up around 10 am to get ready, start counting my boxes for the day around 11a-12p, get merch inside, set up and counted in, and then get VIP prepped, take a few breaks here and there to eat or get some coffee, sell merch when doors open, shoot the set when Flipturn goes on, back to merch to finish selling, pack up, then head to the bus to edit photos!”

Amanda’s work for Del Water Gap.

In 2023 and 2024 combined, Amanda worked 236 shows. With that, touring professionals have a lot of time away from home, friends, and family and can lack a sense of normalcy. I asked how Amanda prioritizes her mental health. “As far as taking care of myself mentally, I try to take time for myself on off days - walk to get a coffee, call my parents and friends, journal, find a cute shop, whatever really.” While her job can be taxing and unconventional, Amanda has noted she wouldn’t want it any other way. “I get to play a really small part in being a part of something people look forward to. Getting to document it is so special to me. I did 124 shows [last] year. And it’s so easy to get lost in that it’s the same thing night in and night out. But it’s a very privileged position to be in.”

Before every show, Amanda takes a photo in the venue bathroom and posts it on her Instagram story.

I asked Amanda what advice she has for other women wanting to break into the industry. Amanda said, “Please do not be afraid to speak up for yourself and others if you see or experience something unfair. I’m such a people pleaser, and I’ve really been working on it for a while. I wish I had started when I was younger. Standing up for yourself is like anything, it gets easier with practice. There is space for you here, make sure to take it!” Regarding navigating working in such a male-dominated industry, she told me, “I’ve been fortunate enough to surround myself with a ton of other women in the industry. I think I’ve only done one, maybe two tours where I’m the only woman on the team. But overall, just choosing to work with teams who don’t see gender as any sort of inhibiting factor is really important to me.” 

I’m an avid listener of her new podcast she has alongside Emily Pereira and Austin Roa called “Pls Tag Me.” They delve into what it’s like being photographers, life on the road, sharing stories, advice, and their career start. Amanda mentioned that she loved putting together cute all-black outfits while shooting. I asked if she enjoyed maintaining her femininity or sense of style while working. “Yes! Absolutely. I really think that, at least for me personally, looking good will always make me feel better. I think it provides a little bit of normalcy for me, too, taking a second to actually get ready for the day pick out a cute outfit, and doing my makeup just puts me in a better headspace. It’s not for anyone other than myself. I just enjoy taking time to put myself together.”

Amanda has incredibly unique work and is always changing the game with photography and mixed media. I asked her where she gets her inspiration. “Describing my style is so tough, and I try to not box myself into one look. I try to pull inspiration from a lot of different sources and not just other photographers. I think that we’re probably at a point where there are no real original ideas in art, and things are just sort of reworked in different ways. I try to pull visuals that I see from other mediums and bring that into my photography. Sort of a way to give a new life to an idea that somewhat already exists, if that makes sense.”

“For example, I recently discovered Robert Frank’s work and was so inspired by all of it. Not necessarily just the photos themselves but the way that he presents them. I’ve been referring back to a lot of photos I took of his exhibit at MoMA recently. I also just love making things with my hands and I’m really not great at any other mediums of art so mixed-media photography is a happy middle ground for me. Sometimes I can see something in my head and it’s just easier to make with my hands than it is to make it on a computer.”

Amanda’s mixed media.

From shooting shows in backyards in Florida to the O2 Arena, Amanda has built her career through her passion, hard work, character, and undeniable talent for capturing the nature of live music. As she continues to tour and document the industry, you’ll for sure be seeing her name more and more. Amanda is a badass photographer, and I cannot wait to see what she continues to do.

Check out her work on her website or Instagram, and tune into her podcast!

Amanda and her photographs celebrating working 10 years in concert photography.