What does it take to coordinate photography at a festival like SXSW? Benedict Jones, one of the festival's photography crew chiefs, shares his experience managing photographers, developing professional skills and building a creative community.
AUSTIN | TMN Editorial
At South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, hundreds of events unfold throughout the festival, from live concerts and film premieres to conferences and industry panels. Documenting these experiences requires careful planning, technical expertise and a coordinated team of photographers.
In this episode of TMN Creative Thinking, Benedict Jones speaks with TMN about the work behind festival photography, the importance of collaboration and the challenges of developing a professional creative career.
Behind the Scenes of Festival Photography
With 11 years of experience on the SXSW photography crew, Benedict has progressed from photographer to shift leader and eventually crew chief, a position he has held for two years.
His responsibilities include recruiting photographers, evaluating their skills, coordinating schedules and ensuring that the festival receives comprehensive photographic coverage.
One of the biggest challenges is understanding the different requirements of editorial photography. Photographing a live concert demands different techniques from documenting a conference panel or a film premiere. Photographers must also learn to balance their personal creative vision with the specific needs of publications, agencies and festival organizers.
As Benedict explains, the photographs an artist wants to capture are not necessarily the images that editors or news agencies need.
Learning Through Collaboration
Beyond coordinating assignments, Benedict helps organize photography workshops and training sessions for the SXSW crew.
These sessions address practical challenges, from camera settings and lighting conditions to making technical decisions under pressure. During a red-carpet assignment, for example, photographers may have only seconds to capture an image correctly.
But technical knowledge is only part of the equation. Benedict emphasizes the importance of learning from colleagues with different experiences, equipment and photographic approaches.
Although photography can be an individual creative practice, working within a large festival creates opportunities to exchange knowledge, experiment with new techniques and develop professional relationships.
For Benedict, this collaborative environment is one of the most valuable aspects of the SXSW photography community.
Developing a Creative Career
Throughout the conversation, Benedict shares advice for photographers beginning their careers, encouraging them to experiment, embrace mistakes and develop their ability to recognize photographic moments.
His advice begins with a simple observation:
“You want to just practice the art of looking.”
He also discusses the less glamorous realities of creative work: demanding schedules, technical failures, missed opportunities and the persistence required to improve.
Rather than measuring success exclusively through recognition or the final image, Benedict encourages aspiring photographers to appreciate the learning process and understand the effort involved in producing meaningful work.
His perspective extends beyond photography to a broader conversation about creativity, resilience and finding satisfaction in the work itself.
Watch TMN Creative Thinking
In this conversation, Benedict Jones offers an inside look at professional festival photography and shares lessons about teamwork, experimentation and the long process of developing creative expertise.
Watch the full episode below:
Interview by Dylan Gutierrez and Pablo Herrera. SXSW. Austin, TX.
Interested in music photography?
Explore TMN's Music Photography Course, a four-week learning experience covering concert photography, camera techniques, editing and professional media coverage.
