From touring with Cat Burns and Maisie Peters to shooting for the BRITS: Meet Photography alumna Em Marcovecchio
30 May 2025
Since graduating in 2020, Em Marcovecchio has gone from photographing Maisie Peters on Ed Sheeran’s +–=÷× Tour to travelling Europe armed with a camera to capture Cat Burns. A day in the life can include waking up on a tour bus to shoot for an artist in Paris before editing footage in the early hours of the night, to running around the main stage of a British music festival, photographing artists such as Sam Fender and Lana Del Rey. Just earlier this year, Em got the chance to tick off another bucket-list item: doing a BRIT Awards pre-shoot for Ella Henderson.
We caught up with Em to discover just how she went from studying at Falmouth to becoming a full-time freelance music photographer for some of the UK’s biggest festivals and rising musicians.
When was it that you first realised you wanted to pursue photography as a career?
I always knew that I loved to make digital things, but the dream of becoming a music photographer began just before I started uni. It was when I went to Reading Festival and first saw the photographers being led into the press pit. It looked so exciting! It was there that I knew this was what I wanted to do.
You went on to study Documentary and Editorial Photography BA(Hons) at Falmouth. How did your time as a student prepare you for a career in music photography?
I don’t think I'd be where I am if it wasn’t for Falmouth because of the networking opportunities. On the course it’s really encouraged to meet people from different departments which was easy to do because it’s a small uni.
At Falmouth we were encouraged to go and take photos and meet people. Like with all creative subjects, you don't learn by listening to what you have to do – you learn by doing it. I got a part-time job at The Stannary, the campus bar, which hugely helped me to meet people. It was through this job that I met a music student working on their Final Major Project (FMP). They needed a photographer for the project, and this collaboration helped me to not only build a portfolio but meet others on the music course. It allowed me to build a pool of connections which was useful for once I left university.
How did you go from collaborating with fellow students to the likes of Kate Nash and Cat Burns?
It’s all about building your own unique style of photography and creating a portfolio of work that reflects your ambitions.
I began by working with lots of upcoming artists. I started working with Lauran Hibberd whilst I was still a student, and I found working with someone at the start of their journey a mutually beneficial process. I grew as a photographer and got to experiment while the artist I worked with did the same thing. As Lauran grew, every venue we played got bigger, which kept things exciting.
Like uni, it’s all about meeting people. Through working with upcoming artists, I got the chance to meet managers and friends. It led to being able to meet Kate Nash’s manager, who I now work with. Making friends in the industry is incredibly important; it’s where most of my work comes from.
What's your favourite thing about live photography and what challenges does it present?
It makes me happy to know an artist has entrusted me to capture a special moment for them – it makes you feel wanted in a space. I also love the thrill of being in the live music environment; it’s fun to run around the stage capturing the night’s highlights.
It does present its challenges too. If it’s a big gig there can be a lot of pressure to make sure you capture photos you’re proud of. But sometimes there might be an argument off-stage or too much haze... with a live show you can’t control the environment. It’s important to learn that it’s not your fault if these things happen; it's all part of capturing a live event.
What’s your proudest achievement so far?
I worked with Maisie Peters back when she supported Ed Sheeran in 2022, shooting six shows in several European cities. Being just two years out of uni, this was a big moment for me. On one of the last dates, I took some photos of Maisie and Ed together and I couldn’t believe I was in the same room as Ed Sheeran, having grown up listening to his music. He was so normal, and it was weird for me to comprehend that I was there for my job!
What advice would you give to prospective students who wish to enter the world of live event photography?
Make sure you take every opportunity you can and use your time as a student to spend three years working on your craft. If you go straight into the working world, there's a lot of pressure to be making money straight away, whereas at Falmouth you get three years to experiment, grow as a creative, and find the thing you want to be doing after you finish your degree.
Explore all the different possible avenues, work with different people, and take on as many creative jobs as possible. It's a lot easier to take risks at uni than it is once you graduate.
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