The People You Meet

Photography By KC Hazeltine

Photographer KC Hazeltine talks about backyard shows, the community within the San Diego music scene, and importance of having confidence.

San Diego, USA

How did you begin your journey as a photographer?

My mom is also a photographer, so growing up I got the chance to use her camera occasionally. It wasn’t until sophomore year at SDSU that I was given a used camera and started using it to take pictures for my friends band. From there I didn’t wanna stop!

What have you learned along the way?

Something I’ve learned along the way, is that a major quality you must have is confidence. Confidence in your abilities and your work. You may not know how to do something yet, or haven’t worked in a certain venue, but you still have to enter that situation with your head up high. That is how you grow your skills and your client base. If you ever see me shoot at a show, I am all over the place. Really getting up in the artist's faces (if they’re okay with it) and moving around the stage. I had to gain the confidence to be able to comfortably do that. Doing this has given some of my all time favorite pictures and has grown my overall personal confidence so much.

Describe your work in three words.

Electric, raw, and passionate.

Your work mainly focuses on documenting San Diego's underground music scene. Why does this subject matter inspire you?

I think what inspires me most about the underground music scene is the community and environment it creates. It could be in a dirt lot or a backyard the size of a closet, and no matter what people show up for the music. The energy it brings is amazing, because everyone is there for the same thing.

Tell the story behind one of your photographs.

This is a picture of Faux Fur at a house show this past semester. The entire backyard was PACKED for this one, and I could barely move at all. I was practically stepping on the band members just to get around. With that, there was a problem with too many people getting on the roof of the host's house, causing them to turn off the power for about 30 minutes. The band unfortunately only played a handful of songs because of it, but these turned out to be some of my favorite pictures. Plus, the band still killed it, getting the crowd to crowd surf and sing along with them.

What do you love about the San Diego music scene? What do you think needs to change?

The thing I love most about the San Diego music scene is that there’s a constant stream of shows going on. There are times when I don’t have any gigs and I am always able to find some to attend any day of the week. One thing I think needs to change, however, is the constant shut downs of the shows. It’s been especially bad this past year, where a show will be early in the night, or has maybe even been going on for hours, and it will still get rolled. It has been difficult to deal with, for everyone involved. We just wanna play music!

What are some of your favorite venues to shoot at?

One of my top favorite venues to shoot at is the Che Cafe, there are practically no rules when it comes to shooting the bands so I am able to really bring my creative vision to life. Plus, the energy in there is fantastic. Another favorite is The Casbah, simply because I love the history it has and that old dive bar aesthetic looks really cool in the pictures.

Who are some San Diego bands we should check out?

There’s so many I love and recommend but top 3 would be Girls Got Nerve, Blue Park Suites, and Faux Fur.

What are the highs and lows of being a music photographer?

One of my favorite parts of being a music photographer is getting that “backstage” experience. I love being behind the scenes and getting to know the bands personally. Getting the chance to be a part of the whole setup feels amazing. Another high would definitely be the people you meet. I have met so many talented and amazing people through this job and it can get you some pretty good connections as well. Some lows to this job would be the money. One part being that starting out or even being in the underground scene, not everyone is made of money, so it’s definitely not something you do if you want to be rich. The other part is the equipment. Obviously, the better equipment you want, the more expensive it is. And camera equipment can be VERY pricey.

Is there a band or artist that you want to photograph one day?

I’ve always been someone who surrounds myself with music and I love so many bands, so that’s a very tricky question to answer. I think in terms of my photography style, it would be fun to shoot South Arcade. But a dream band that I just love, would have to be 5 Seconds of Summer.

What's next for you?

Well, I just graduated college with a Music degree, and am headed back home to Wisconsin for the summer to reset. After that however, the goal is to head down south to Nashville, where I can continue Music photography and grow my client base in a larger music oriented city.