We asked our photographers to share their favorite concert photos, which included Dua Lipa and Post Malone. Enjoy this musical recap, in no particular order.

Rico Nasty at Oakland Arena – Sept. 30

Rico Nasty opened for Kehlani at their homecoming show on the Blue Water Roadtrip Tour. When I took this photo, I was focused on capturing a tight shot of Rico as she was donning several pieces of jewelry and I wanted to capture that in detail. Since the stage was lit up in white light there were no complexities in color, I decided to edit the photo in black and white to give it more of a punch as her face is in direct focus and the photo captures her explosive energy. — Onome Uyovbievbo

Post Malone at Outside Lands in San Francisco – Aug. 7

Post Malone’s team put on a master class in stage production at Outside Lands. As he began to walk onto the stage, red Solo cup in hand, an array of pyrotechnics, including a shower of sparks, was the backdrop. To capture this moment, I used the widest lens in my arsenal to drop flush with the stage to ensure that I photographed at an angle that caught all the the effects and exceptional lighting. This is how you make an entrance at one of the biggest music festivals in the Bay Area. — Onome Uyovbievbo

Dua Lipa at SAP Center – March 27

Seeing Dua Lipa perform in San Jose was definitely a 2022 highlight for me. I’ve been a fan of hers forever and this had been just my first time at one of her concerts. This photo was one of my favorites from the night because of how Dua Lipa and her dancers are lined up in an ascending form. They created the most mesmerizing silhouettes onstage and this photo sends me straight back to that moment. Fun fact: RIFF is the only publication that covered the first Bay Area Dua Lipa show, all the way back in 2017.— Chloe Catajan

Caroline Polachek at Portola Festival – Sept. 24

Seeing Caroline Polachek was another highlight for me. She was actually supposed to open at the Dua Lipa show but had to drop out due to an injury—so when she was at Portola Festival later in the year, I of course took the opportunity to see her there. I love how the light glows above Polachek in this photo; she had such an ethereal presence onstage and this moment pretty much sums up how magical it was to see her. — Chloe Catajan

Paul McCartney at Oakland Arena – May 6

It’s freakin’ Sir Paul McCartney. The Beatle. What else is there to say? I’d seen McCartney many years ago as a fan, but this was my first opportunity to photograph him, and I was pinching myself the whole time. Paul McCartney’s poses are pretty consistent from night to night, which makes it tough to get anything unique from a photography perspective, but this image of light spilling out of him felt different and gave me joy, just like McCartney himself does. — Steve Carlson

The Weeknd at Levi’s Stadium – Aug. 27

The Weeknd shows are an incredible sensory experience. On his first stadium tour, the production was over the top. The Weeknd looked like the Phantom of the Opera in a dystopian cityscape, illuminated by a bazillion (rough estimate) lights while still somehow remaining dim and foreboding. I had fun trying to capture the dark mood of his music visually. Here, he was framed by two mysterious dancers which added a punch of color to the otherwise monochromatic scene. — Steve Carlson

Chris Stapleton at Shoreline Amphitheatre – June 18

Although I am not a country fan, I do enjoy Chris Stapleton’s music. This was my favorite photo from the concert because it captured the emotion of the moment—which we’re not always lucky enough to accomplish. Each venue is so different. Depending on the lighting, stage, the space we have to shoot from, so sometimes it’s not easy to get a good shot. — Sean Liming 

Marina Diamandis at Chase Center – Oct. 25

Marina Diamandis was one of the opening acts for Panic! At the Disco. It was my first time shooting a concert at the arena, nor had I ever seen Diamandis perform before. She had a really basic monochromatic lighting situation for her set. My favorite shot is of Diamandis crouching in front of the keyboardist with a noir-like green glow surrounding her. — Karen Goldman

Carly Rae Jepsen at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley – Oct. 21

Prior to seeing Carly Rae Jepsen, I only knew her from “Call Me Maybe.” It took this long for me to realize I’ve been missing out. Jepsen put on an amazing show, with a killer lighting setup and outfit changes throughout the show. Between Carly Rae Jepsen and her fans, the entire show felt like one giant dance party. It was probably the most enthusiastic audience I’ve ever seen. — Karen Goldman

Roger Waters at Chase Center – Sept. 23

When I was a child, my dad piped the weird and powerful sounds of Pink Floyd into our house. It was one of my warmest memories growing up. So when I got the call at the last minute to photograph Roger Waters, I knew that these photos were going to be some of the most meaningful I’ve ever shot.

I knew that I was only going to have a couple of songs to work with, and after checking online, I clocked those songs at around six to seven minutes. It turned out I’d have less than four minutes! I planned my shots carefully and I made sure to station myself at one of the corners of the stage so I could capture the right angles. There were several amazing images from that night, but this scene of John Waters playing an air guitar during the solo to “Another Brick in the Wall” resonated with me most. Waters shows so much intensity in his body, and just the right amount of joy and playfulness in his face. — Derek Tobias

Royal Blood at the Fox Theater – May 3

After eight years of wanting to see Royal Blood but something always getting in the way, I finally got the chance. If that anticipation wasn’t enough, I had just purchased a new telephoto zoom lens I was itching to test out. Royal Blood had a somewhat minimal lighting setup that consisted of colored strobes lined up behind the duo, and standard flood lights coming from the main rig above the stage. My favorite shot is where Mike Kerr steps down from his platform in an almost Elvis-like pose and the light cuts through the fog, providing the perfect highlights on his otherwise dark silhouette. — Derek Tobias

Too $hort at Stern Grove Festival – June 12

Photographing Bay Area legend Too $hort—he’s got his own street in Oakland now!—on the opening day of Stern Grove Festival over the summer was one of the coolest opportunities ever. It was a momentous day, after the festival was canceled in 2020 and ended with the grounds being flooded in 2021.

It may not look like it, but it was raining when I took this photo! I’ve never photographed a concert the rain, and despite my fear of my camera getting ruined, I got some of my favorite photos from his set. He was running behind his set time, but man was he worth the wait! — Marisela Delgado

Lil Uzi Vert at Outside Lands – Aug. 5

Lil Uzi Vert’s set at Outside Lands was by far one of the festival’s most energetic, and this image highlights Uzi’s animated persona and stage presence. It was difficult pushing through the crowds, but I miraculously held my camera as high as I could above my head to capture his charismatic poses. For such a dynamic performance, the simple black and white captures the moment very well. — Matt Pang

Kid Cudi at Oakland Arena – Aug. 21

I took this photo on Kid Cudi’s first arena tour. The tour showed how large his fanbase has grown since his first album in the “Man on the Moon” series. There was no photo pit, and all photographers had to shoot from the soundboard int he back. That made it increasingly difficult because hip-hop performers move around a lot. At almost eye level, I was able to capture him singing his melodic choruses. Despite being shot from behind nearly the entire crowd, I’m proud that it feels personal and intimate. — Matt Pang

Trivium at Concord Pavilion – Sept. 27

Being a huge Trivium fan, I’m always happy to photograph these rockers. Shot shot came from their East Bay show opening for Iron Maiden. Corey Beaulieu is an amazing guitar player and always in motion. This photo is one of my all-time favorites. The timing required to to capture the full movement and lighting makes my arm hair stand up.— Nathan McKinley

Jaleh at BottleRock Napa Valley – May 29

Jaleh is one of the musicians I discovered at BottleRock. This amazing singer, backed by her band Royal Jelly Jive, completely captured my attention with her voice before I even saw her on the stage. This was also my first photo at my first BottleRock. Being able to capture her confidence was special. Looking at this photo, I see her command the early-arriving crowd. — Nathan McKinley

And more!