As a collective, Off the Record covered over 170 different events in 2025, from sprawling festivals to sold-out venues. Thousands of photos were taken, countless songs were sung, and more than a few late nights were spent hunched over laptops, creating the perfect edit. Our photographers were hard at work all year, capturing the moments that structure the live music scene.

These are some of their favorite snapshots from the year and the stories behind them — the reasons that make it all worth it.

Nico Beauchamp, Senior Photographer

My favorite experience with Off the Record this year has to have been the incredible opportunity I was given to cover Salt Lake City’s Kilby Block Party back in May. This was my first time ever covering a festival, and I learned so much about photography, time management, and networking, among other things. Arguably most importantly, I learned the value of packing a good pair of boots, because I was running back and forth across the festival grounds, through dirt, asphalt, mud and grass all weekend. I had the privilege of covering artists like Yo La Tengo, Wishy, Momma, Peter McPoland, Slowdive, Beach House, Friko, George Clanton, Wisp, BCNR, Wallows, Weezer, Suki Waterhouse, Geese, and Justice, to name a few! It was truly such a formative experience for me, and I am so grateful to have contributed photos of such incredible performers for our OTR Kilby coverage.

Pictured here (left to right): Cameron Winter (Geese), Dylan Minnette (Wallows), Peter McPoland, Suki Waterhouse.

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Alex Stefan, Live Coverage Editor

From the moment they step out on stage, The Home Team is absolutely magnetic to watch. Impossible to keep up with, and managing to draw you in completely, they feed off of the energy in the audience and multiply it back ten fold. Running, dancing, and jumping across the stage, their music exceeds genre. Pop hits combined with heavy rockers create the perfect anthems to scream and dance to, something the audience commits to unrelentingly throughout their sets. An unstoppable growing force, The Home Team repeatedly prove they’re one of the best live acts in the game right now, and if you’re fast enough to catch them in focus and snap a picture, it’s well worth the wait.

Pictured below (left to right): Brian Butcher (The Home Team), Mercedes Arn-Horn (Softcult), Rebecca and Megan Lovell (Larkin Poe), Isabella Lovestory.

Sloane Johnson, Co-Editor-In-Chief

I love the portrait session I did with Remi Wolf. This was the first time I felt that I was able to translate an image I had in my head to real life. I wanted to honor Remi’s style, which is bright, neon, and unapologetically saturated, and combine it with my style, which is usually grainy and super textured. I pushed the saturation and played with the angles, and it truly felt like the photos could be an album cover.

I was both excited and nervous to try something new. When I’m editing, I’m typically thinking about whether my photos will look cohesive together or if they will match my Instagram feed, but this time around, I ignored that voice. I think it’s important to showcase my range and all the different types of work I can do. I’m really proud of these because the photographers I admire and look to for inspiration have taken photos like them. I felt like I finally cracked the code, like I stepped in line with the photographers who shaped me and my work.

Pictured below: Remi Wolf.

Natalia Pfeiffer, Senior Photographer

There’s always such a thrill and excitement for me surrounding any show I may be covering. But beyond this, there is another layer of anticipation at play. On nights when I get to walk into the venues where my favorite bands are playing, the work becomes more than just getting the shots I knew I was going to get. It becomes a love affair between what I already know I can achieve and the ways I want to push myself to grow and learn from every shot I take.

My favorite artists inspire me and push me to be a better artist myself. Getting to photograph bands like Movements, Citizen, and Scowl all in one night is a prime example for me of just how electric the energy in the air can be when artists bring their best work to the table.

Pictured below: Movements, Kat Moss (Scowl).

Tori McGraw, Senior Photographer

My main goal in photographing an artist is capturing their energy. If I can replicate the energy of a show in a photograph, to the extent that you can imagine what it was like to be there, I feel like I’ve succeeded in my job. I really love when an artist goes all in because I can too.

Pictured below: Sombr, Beauty School Dropout, Zia McCabe (The Dandy Warhols), Thesaurus Rex, ALEXSUCKS!

AK Soares, Senior Photographer

There is no other rush than being in the photo pit when the light begins to dim, the sound of the fans screaming, and the energy continues to rise. To capture that feeling in photo form truly makes me grateful to share that feeling for others to see. I love editing the photos to match the nature of the artist and how their sound expresses.

Pictured below: Sweet93.

Claire Cole, Contributor

Concert photography has always felt like a partner dance – a push and pull between myself and the band on stage. There is nothing more satisfying than finding the rhythm that flows from the artist back to me and my camera and then into the world, immortalized in pixels or print. This Mini Trees show felt like hitting every beat, all of us perfectly in sync with the music. I arrive at every show, a bundle of nervous energy, but finding the dance with Mini Trees felt like stepping into a new confidence in my work. Every time I photograph a show, I want to infuse the music into the photo and give everyone a chance to relive the feeling of swaying to the music or singing back the lyrics to their favorite songs. This show’s synths sparkled around the room, creating a bright but soft sound I wanted to be evident in the photographs which meant time well spent honing curves and blending layers in Lightroom and Photoshop.

Pictured below: Mini Trees.

Makenna Cordiano, Senior Photographer

I love to capture shows in a way to make the lighting director's choices illuminate the artists on stage. Whether it’s with a simple spot light on keys to give them a highlight, or fogging out the stage set, leaving the illusion it’s just the artist and you. I love to add a bit more fuzzy glow to my photos in the highlights or even add a few sparking moments. This year I had the opportunity to cover my first festival in my home city, and I got the chance to shoot some of my favorite artists I never thought I would like Doja Cat, Wallows, Hozier, and Tyler the Creator.

Pictured Below: Coverage from Outside Lands 2025.

Regan Jones, Senior Photographer

Shooting for Off the Record this year has been a dream. I’ve been able to expand my skillset, knowledge, and what I thought I was capable of in the pit. Especially with my Amyl and the Sniffers coverage, it reminded me why I love to do this — the energy of the band and entire venue was infectious. It made me want to work that much harder to do the show justice through my photography. It taught me so much, both at the show and in editing, and I can’t wait to carry that with me into my work for 2026.

Pictured Below: Freak Slugg, Amyl and the Sniffers, Water From Your Eyes, Hippocampus.