Freddy Ayala
Few photographers capture the airy, dreamlike quality of California music festivals quite like Freddy Ayala.
Although he cut his teeth shooting car shows around the greater SoCal area, the San Bernardino-native amassed an impressive photography portfolio over the last few years working with open-air events like Power 106’s The Liftoff, Smokin’ Grooves, Tropicalia, and Day N Vegas, to name just a few. Spanning the rap, R&B, indie, and even regional Mexican genres, his photos are the kind of snapshots that get down to the purest elements of concerts: the sheer scale & grandeur of massive music festivals, the raw energy of performers onstage, and a certain unmistakable euphoria in all those smiling faces in the crowd. These are shots that’ll make you miss that thrill of live music.
Follow him on Instagram here, and check out the conversation below for some quality banter on California car shows, the insanity of the Rolling Loud festival at the peak of the Soundcloud rap era, and why the best way to get started in photography might just be to say “fuck it.” Dive in.
Your IG post juxtaposing the first photo you ever took, of the GTR, with the most recent concert photo from the Kali Uchis show, is amazing. How did you get started shooting at car meets?
I was a big fan of the whole process of modifying cars. And honestly, it was the easiest thing to get access to – I could go to any car meets and just shoot. Plus, I wouldn’t have to direct anyone or wait for anyone else. The car just sits there – it's not moving anywhere so I could spend as much time as I wanted on one car. If I didn't like an angle, it was like, “Okay, let me go around and try a new perspective.” I could just take all the time I wanted. I was very into cars like that back then so I think that's what really sparked my interest in car meets. I shot those for maybe a year or two, just practicing, honestly. That whole experience really helped me learn about my camera, in regards to composition and stuff.
I'm sure the culture at car meets is pretty unique. Bet you met some interesting people.
The funny thing is, sometimes you see these dudes who have these tricked-out, modified cars and you wouldn't ever think they're the ones who own them, you know? There'd be nerdy-looking dudes and they would be driving super sick cars. They’re not rich-looking – they just look like regular people. I’d be like, “Well, that doesn’t match up.” [Laughs]
If I’m being honest, I was a little more introverted back when I was shooting those car meetups, so I’d hardly ever talk to anyone. I didn't know how to introduce myself, even to fellow photographers. I was just like okay, “Let me go shoot,” and that’s it.
“I always wanted to shoot concerts. Always.”
How did you transition from car meetups to live shows? What was your motivation for that?
I always wanted to shoot concerts. Always.
I really love music and I just really wanted to shoot the artists I was into. Also, I prefer shooting things that happen naturally. I'm not really a big fan of posing people. Live music photography feels more like capturing things that happen in the moment – everything is more organic.
As for how I started, I remember going through Instagram, and I looked up “#LAblog.” I came across this blog based out of LA called Pass the Aux, so I said, “Fuck it, let me reach out to these guys.” And I don't know how the heck it happened, but they responded and asked me for examples of my work.
The first show I shot was called Shatter Cup, here in Victorville. It was a super small concert, but it had Lil Pump, O.T. Genasis, and Famous Dex. They didn’t have any info about media passes on their website so one day when they were promoting, I commented on their IG post, and I was like, “Hey, are we allowed to bring cameras in?” And they're like, “Yeah, but you just have to shoot from the barrier.” So I was like, “Fuck it, let’s go!” I hit up one of my friends and we went super early so we could get right in front of the barrier. And that’s how I shot my first show. The photos are very shitty. [Laughs] But those are the photos I used when I sent my little portfolio thing to Pass the Aux, and they got me in!
At first I wasn't able to like pick and choose which shows I shot – they gave me a test run. They had me shoot this rapper named Pell, in LA, and the photos came out really good, so from then on they were like, “Let us know of any shows you want to shoot and we’ll try to get you in.” That’s actually the same blog I shot Rolling Loud for when I met you back in 2017.
“I had my mom drop me off [to shoot Rolling Loud].”
That was a crazy festival. What was your favorite memory from that?
That was the first festival I ever shot, so it was super overwhelming for me, but also especially cool because it was here in my hometown. Usually I would have to drive up to LA to shoot a show, but it was here, literally like 15 minutes away for me. Dude, I had my mom drop me off!
It was so cool just being around all those people. I remember running from stage to stage right next to all the artists, and the crowd going nuts.
I remember when Trippie Redd was performing, the energy was crazy. I'm not into his music so much these days, but that performance was amazing. When Jaden Smith came out and we saw him moonwalking, that was so cool. Oh, and when Migos were performing, I remember walking into the photo pit, and there was this kid in the crowd shouting, like, “Oh that’s ScHoolboy Q!” And I was like, “What are you talking about? Where?” And right then I noticed that ScHoolboy Q was literally right next to me, shoulder to shoulder. I remember I tapped him on his shoulder, which was so fucking stupid — I'm not this homie, you know? I can’t be doing that. I was like, “ScHoolboy Q!” And he looked at me and just gave me a death stare, so I was like, “Oh shit, let me mind my own business.” [Laughs]
But that was also the first time I ever connected with like other photographers, or networked. I met you there! All the other photographers there were really cool, just chill, so that made it a really fun experience as well.
I feel like that festival was the apex of the SoundCloud rap scene, and then after those last few months of 2017 it all started going downhill. xxxtentacion went to prison that night and didn’t show up. Lil Peep was set to perform but instead they had planes spelling out RIP Lil Peep up in the clouds at sunset. [Lil] Pump had a prime spot and they were handing him 3-foot-long joints onstage. Post Malone hadn’t put out Beerbongs & Bentleys yet and was still kind of a niche artist, before he became the biggest artist in the world. Wild times.
It’s funny because I remember jumping up on stage to take photos of the crowd during Famous Dex’s set and in that exact moment my pants ripped, all the way from the bottom, all the way around, to the other leg. I was wearing these cheap, like $20 joggers from Amazon, and they just ripped all at once. I had to like, leap up to catch a T-shirt that [Dex] threw into the crowd, and I wrapped it around my leg. Any similar crazy memories from music festivals?
At Day N Vegas last year, when ScHoolboy Q was performing, I remember walking into the photo pit, and almost immediately shit got so crazy in the crowd. The security guards were pulling people out of the crowd left & right. There's people screaming, girls crying because they were getting squished and couldn't handle it. And they're getting pulled over the barrier and just lying on the floor. I remember seeing like, four people just lying there on the ground in the pit. It was a straight-up battlefield, super crazy. Those are the times I'm just like, “Damn, I’m so grateful to be here and not in there,” cause I remember when I was an attendee at these festivals and I was the one gasping, trying to get fresh air.
There have definitely been times when I’ve had to pull people out. I would want someone to help me if I were in that position.
What’s the best concert or festival you’ve ever shot, and why?
Concert would have to be Vince Staples last year. It was my first time seeing him perform live, and the energy was crazy. Also, the visuals were so dope. Originally he was set to perform in a bigger venue, but I guess they didn't sell enough tickets, so they moved him into a smaller venue, and it turned out to be way cooler because it was more intimate.
As far as festival, I would have to say Tropicalia, which is super unique because it’s basically a fusion between Latin American music and indie rock. On Saturday it was all Latin American music, and then on Sunday, it was indie. That is for sure my favorite festival because on the first day, there were so many older people, like mom and dad types, and very few young people. I’m used to seeing all young people at festivals, so it was amazing to see how a different generation experiences them. I also loved it because with literally every band, they all played instruments. There were no DJ sets . . . it was all live music. It was so fun to photograph, especially because that day I used a cross filter on my lens. Basically whenever light reflects on something (like all these instruments that the musicians were playing at that festival), the filter would catch it and it'd make a little cross to that.
On the second day, it was more focused on indie bands, like The Drums, and there were way more young people, a lot of teens. I feel like I put more thought into my shots and what I wanted to capture at that festival. I wasn't just firing the shutter off, you know? For every performance I shot I would see what I could do that would be a little different or how I could photograph the artist in a new way.
I remember [Tyler, the Creator’s] Camp Flognaw festival was that same day, and I was bummed out because I wanted to be there instead. But at the end of the day, I was like, “You know what? I think I enjoyed this a lot more.” I felt like it was meant for me to be there at Tropicalia.
I love the photos of the two couples dancing.
That’s another thing with that festival: I was experimenting with different things. If there was someone performing that I didn't really know, I was like, “Let me go on the crowd and see what I can find.”
I remember I was in the photo pit when I saw that older couple dancing together. I got a photo from where I was, but I didn’t like it, so I literally ran out of the pit, all the way around, got that shot, and immediately was like, “Damn, I like this. They’re dancing in their own little world.” The next day, I got the photo of the younger couple, and I was like, “This is really cool – let me see if I can do a little juxtaposition between the older couple and the younger couple.” The caption just says, “Age doesn’t matter. La musica es musica.”
Another crazy thing that weekend was that on Saturday, there was a performance by this musician named Paquita la del Barrio. Never in my life did I ever think I’d shoot someone like her, and I say that because she’s an old-school singer, and super well known in the Latino community. My parents know her, all my uncles and aunties know her, so I was super excited to shoot her concert.
After I took that one photo – of her in the blue dress – I came home and it was one of the very first photos I edited, and I think I posted it the day after. But she actually followed me, messaged me, and reposted my photo! I don't know if it was actually her or someone on team, but either way I was like, “This is insane that she said she really liked it!”
I'm looking at these photos from Smokin Grooves festival, and honestly I think these are the epitome of your style – earth toned, dreamy but somehow clear at the same time. Was that style a conscious thing, or did you kind of wind your way into it?
Looking at other people people's work helped. Just noticing how their work is different, so mine isn’t the same as other people. My goal for my photography is always that I don't want it to be so plain. I want it to stand out, even if it’s in the smallest way.
With my editing, I don't like changing [the photos] too much. I want to keep it as original as possible. My mindset is: if I were there at this show, this is how I would see it.
That particular lineup looks so damn good. But yeah I have to say — I definitely feel like you perfected your style at that festival.
Yeah, that lineup was super clean. It was totally R&B.
I remember shooting that Kali Uchis one – the one with her in red, and her hand on her hip. I really like the hand, and what’s crazy is her hand is almost in the same rose position as the rose [tattoo]. It's so similar. As soon as I took the photo, I was like I just seen like, “Damn, this is it.”
Since we're indoors a little more these days, not out shooting shows & festivals, I’m curious — What do you think is the biggest upside to the whole Coronavirus challenge and what have you gotten out of it that could be a silver lining?
It’s made me really think about what I want to do, especially in the live entertainment industry. It’s made me ask the question: is live music photography something I want to really make a career out of? Or can I still be in this industry but maybe try to step into something else, maybe working behind the scenes?
Even before I started doing photography, and before COVID, I always wanted to get into marketing for like the music industry, working behind the scenes. It definitely opened my mind up to the different pathways. Photography in general has always been a very risky career path to choose, but now it’s gotten even more risky, especially wanting to be a photographer in the music industry, because no one knows when the hell live events will return. Gotta keep those options open. [Laughs]
