Concert Photography Gear, Backup Strategy and AI Editing with Jay Franze – HGG688

Concert photography sounds simple until you realize you may have only the first three songs to get the shots you need. Jay Franze joins me for HGG688 to talk about what actually goes into photographing live music — from carrying multiple camera bodies and shooting RAW files to protecting those images with redundant storage and deciding where AI-assisted editing fits.

Jay also walks through the audio gear he uses in the field and in the studio, how his music media work has grown into photography, reviews and his own digital magazine, and why modern mastering, earbuds and spatial audio are changing how we listen to music.

What Does It Take to Photograph a Live Concert?

Concert photography combines speed, preparation and redundancy. Jay often has only the first three songs of a performance to work from the photo pit, so changing lenses can cost valuable shooting time. His solution is to carry multiple Nikon camera bodies, use dual SD cards for immediate backup and move his photos to additional local and cloud storage after the show.

The workflow also creates some interesting technical tradeoffs. RAW files preserve more editing flexibility but are much larger and can slow a camera during rapid bursts. Jay often shoots short bursts, reviews groups of images together and stars the strongest frames instead of trying to process every shot immediately.

AI is becoming part of that workflow too, but Jay draws a distinction between using AI to remove a small distraction, such as a water bottle near a microphone stand, and using it to substantially invent or expand what was actually captured on stage.

Episode Chapters

[0:29] Show Kickoff and Weather Chat

[2:08] Patreon and Radon Talk

[5:44] Jay Joins the Show

[6:52] AI Music and Merch

[9:23] Taylor Swift Sidebar

[11:13] Jay’s Show Updates

[14:59] Gear for the Road

[18:59] Camera Pit Challenges

[23:12] Building a Media Outlet

[25:22] Storage and Backup Strategy

[29:20] Lost Gear, Hard Lessons

[34:00] Magazine and Distribution

[40:08] Free Cameras and Film

[44:43] Digital Tricks and Bursts

[51:37] Editing and AI Ethics

[57:29] Mastering and Loudness Wars

[1:03:12] Earbuds and Spatial Audio

[1:09:47] Phone Photography Tips

[1:11:15] Fire Pit Plans

About Jay Franze

Jay Franze is a music industry professional, podcaster, photographer and writer who covers the people and technology behind live music.

Through The Jay Franze Show, Jay interviews musicians, producers, engineers, photographers and other professionals from across the music business. His broader media work also includes concert photography, written reviews, artist interviews, venue coverage and a growing digital magazine designed to give other photographers and writers a place to publish their work and build credentials.

Jay has increasingly focused on live concert photography, where he works with Nikon DSLR and mirrorless cameras, field audio gear and a backup-heavy workflow designed to protect his photos from the moment they are captured.

You can find Jay and his work at https://jayfranze.com.

This Week on Home Gadget Geeks

Jay Franze joins me for a wide-ranging conversation about the technology behind live music coverage and modern media production.

We start with the gear Jay uses for field audio and podcasting, including the RODECaster, Rode wireless microphones and the Zoom H5. From there, we move into concert photography and the realities of working from the photo pit, where photographers may only have the first three songs to get the images they need.

Jay explains why he carries multiple Nikon camera bodies, how dual SD cards give him immediate redundancy, and how he moves photos from the camera to local storage and then to the cloud for editing. We also talk about the tradeoffs between RAW and JPEG, burst shooting, camera buffer limits and the challenge of sorting through hundreds or even thousands of images after a show.

The conversation then turns to AI-assisted photo editing and where Jay draws the line between cleaning up a distracting element and changing the reality of the scene. Later, we get into music production, mastering, the loudness wars, streaming loudness targets, earbuds, spatial audio and Atmos-style listening.

We wrap with iPhone photography tips, travel headphones and one unresolved project that keeps coming back every time Jay visits: the fire pit.

Full Show Notes

Radon Monitoring and a Quick Look at Airthings

We open with a little weather talk before getting into one of the newer gadgets in my house: an Airthings radon detector.

I picked it up because several homes around me have radon mitigation systems, and I realized I had never actually measured the levels in our basement. The detector gives me a 24-hour average along with temperature and humidity readings, which makes it easy to keep an eye on conditions over time.

Jay had previously worked with an air-quality company and had seen how common radon remediation work can be. That led us into a short discussion about mitigation systems, basements and why radon is one of those things most homeowners don’t think about until somebody nearby brings it up.

AI Music, Streaming Revenue and Merch

Jay and I revisit the AI-generated Home Gadget Geeks theme music that we worked on together several months ago. Jay wrote the lyrics and we shaped the final result during the show.

That opens the door to a broader conversation about AI music, improving output quality and the growing legal battles around how AI systems are trained and used.

We also talk about the economics of modern music. Streaming payouts remain low, which means merchandise continues to be an important source of revenue for artists. Jay points out that large venues and other parts of the business may also take a cut of merchandise sales, which helps explain why concert shirts can cost so much.

The Jay Franze Show and Building a Music Media Outlet

Jay gives us an update on The Jay Franze Show and the larger media operation he has been building around it.

His work now includes:

• Live interviews with musicians and music-industry professionals
• Concert photography
• Written concert reviews
• Text interviews
• Venue reviews
• A digital magazine
• Photography and editorial opportunities for other contributors

One thing that surprised both of us is how well Jay’s written reviews continue to perform. Even while much of the internet has shifted toward video and short-form content, his written concert reviews are some of the pieces that receive the most attention and comments.

Jay has also started his own digital magazine. The primary version lives online, with a downloadable magazine-style PDF and an optional print-on-demand version for people who want a physical copy.

Part of the reason for building the magazine is to create an outlet for other photographers and writers. Having a legitimate media outlet gives contributors a place to build a portfolio and can help them when applying for press credentials.

The Audio Gear Jay Uses on the Road

Jay’s field audio setup has grown alongside his photography work.

For interviews away from the studio, he uses Rode wireless microphones and likes the fact that they can record directly to the microphone/transmitter. That makes them easy to use at conferences and other events.

He also uses a Zoom H5 portable recorder in the field.

Back in the studio, the RODECaster is still one of his favorite pieces of equipment. Jay prefers having multiple recording paths whenever possible. His setup can include the RODECaster, StreamYard, YouTube and recordings made on the remote participant’s side.

The goal is simple: redundancy. Jay has had enough experience with remote recordings drifting out of sync that he no longer relies on a single platform to provide the only copy.

Why Concert Photographers Carry Multiple Cameras

Once we get into cameras, Jay explains one of the most important realities of concert photography: photographers are often limited to the first three songs of a performance — which can add up to something like nine minutes in the photo pit, depending on the songs and venue.

With such a short window, changing lenses becomes expensive in terms of lost shooting time. That is why carrying multiple camera bodies matters. Each body can be configured with a different lens, allowing Jay to switch cameras instead of stopping to swap lenses.

Jay primarily uses Nikon because his wife already had Nikon gear, which made it possible for them to share lenses and equipment.

His current collection includes Nikon DSLR bodies such as the D7100 and D7200, along with a Nikon Z6 II mirrorless camera.

DSLR Versus Mirrorless in the Photo Pit

Jay talks about one of the practical advantages he sees with the Z6 II.

With the mirrorless camera, he can see exposure changes in real time while adjusting settings such as shutter speed. That is especially useful at concerts because lighting can change dramatically from one side of the stage to the other.

With an older DSLR, Jay may need to adjust a setting, take a photo, review it and then make another adjustment. That feedback loop is much faster on the mirrorless camera.

Battery life can be a different story. Jay notes that his DSLR batteries can last through multiple shows, while mirrorless cameras can consume batteries more quickly.

Press Credentials and Working the Photo Pit

Photographing larger concerts is not simply a matter of buying a ticket and bringing a camera.

Jay explains that photographers often need press credentials, especially for stadiums, arenas and amphitheaters. Freelance photographers may have a harder time getting access unless they are working for an established outlet.

Jay’s own magazine now gives him that outlet.

Relationships also matter. In some cases, Jay is able to get access directly through people he knows in a band or organization. In others, he goes through the formal application process and has an editor or outlet supporting the request.

Storage, Dual SD Cards and Redundancy

Jay is serious about keeping multiple copies of his photos.

His cameras support dual SD cards, so he uses one as the primary card and the second as a backup. That creates redundancy at the moment the image is captured.

When he gets home, he moves the files to a hard drive while keeping the copies on the SD cards, then uploads them to the cloud for editing. At that point, the images may exist in four places:

• Primary SD card
• Backup SD card
• Local hard drive
• Cloud storage

After editing is complete, Jay may remove the temporary cloud copy, but he still retains multiple local copies.

For anybody who has ever lost an SD card, corrupted a file or accidentally deleted a shoot, that kind of redundancy makes a lot of sense.

Expensive Gear and Lessons Learned

Redundancy protects the files, but it does not protect the hardware.

Jay tells the story of removing an expensive telephoto lens at a venue, setting it on a windowsill and watching someone accidentally knock it onto the floor. Fortunately, the lens survived.

He also talks about another show where he temporarily thought he had lost a lens after setting it near the crowd while he was shooting. After a few very uncomfortable minutes, he realized he had simply been looking in the wrong place.

Those kinds of experiences have made him much more intentional about how and where he carries his gear. We also discuss insurance for professional camera equipment, especially when a single lens can be worth thousands of dollars.

RAW Files, JPEG and Camera Buffers

Concert photography can generate an enormous number of images very quickly. Jay says he may take hundreds or even around a thousand photos during a show.

For fast-moving performers, burst mode can make it easier to capture the right moment. The tradeoff is file size and camera performance. RAW files are much larger than JPEG files, and when Jay shoots rapid bursts in RAW, the camera buffer can fill and slow him down — which can mean waiting for the camera to catch up while another great moment is happening on stage.

JPEG files are smaller and allow much longer bursts, but they give up some of the flexibility and image data that come with RAW.

Jay has found a middle ground by shooting shorter bursts, often around five frames at a time.

Sorting Hundreds of Photos

Once the show is over, the hard part is not just storing the images — it’s deciding which ones are worth keeping.

Jay has developed a simple process. When he has a sequence of burst photos, he looks at the thumbnails together, which makes it easier to see movement across the sequence, such as an arm or guitar moving into the right position.

Instead of immediately deleting everything else, he stars the strongest images and moves on, which lets him make fast decisions without spending too much time on every individual frame.

AI Editing and the Ethics of Changing a Photo

AI has also entered the photography workflow.

Jay sees useful applications for AI-assisted editing, but he does not treat every capability as something that should automatically be used. His example is simple: if there is a distracting water bottle near the bottom of a microphone stand, he is comfortable removing it.

What he is less comfortable with is using AI to dramatically expand or invent parts of the image, such as turning a vertical photograph into a wide horizontal scene by creating new visual information that was never actually captured.

Jay’s approach lands somewhere between strict photographic purism and complete creative freedom. The important question is whether the edit helps the viewer focus on the subject or changes what actually happened.

Respect and Ethics in the Photo Pit

That same sense of judgment also applies to which images should be kept at all.

Jay talks about the responsibility photographers have when shooting performers from low angles and in situations where an unflattering or unintended image may be captured. His view is straightforward: a professional photographer should use discretion and respect the person being photographed. Not every frame needs to be published simply because the camera captured it.

New Tools for Music Mastering

Later in the conversation, we move from photography back into Jay’s audio background.

Jay has been working with a young artist and recently heard new mastering software demonstrated on her recordings. That leads into a discussion about the difference between mixing and mastering.

Mixing involves balancing and shaping the individual tracks in a recording. Mastering works with the finished stereo mix to prepare it for distribution.

Jay is interested in how newer software can assist with the mastering process and plans to explore that topic further on his own show.

The Loudness Wars and Modern Streaming Standards

We also revisit the so-called loudness wars.

For years, recorded music was often mastered louder and louder in an attempt to stand out. The problem is that pushing everything louder reduces dynamic range. Modern streaming services normalize playback levels, which changes the incentive to master everything as loud as possible.

Jay talks about Spotify using roughly -14 LUFS and Apple around -16 LUFS as examples of the targets engineers think about when preparing modern recordings.

For Home Gadget Geeks, I have long used approximately -16 LUFS when processing the podcast through Auphonic.

Earbuds Are Becoming the New Car Stereo

For years, engineers would finish a mix and immediately listen to it in a car. The car was a familiar environment and gave them a sense of how the music would sound outside the studio.

Today, earbuds are becoming another important reference. So many people consume music through AirPods, Beats and similar products that producers and engineers have to think about how their work translates to those devices.

Jay still prefers closed-ear, over-ear AKG headphones in the studio, but he also uses Beats earbuds for everyday listening.

Spatial Audio and Atmos

Our headphone conversation leads naturally into spatial audio.

Jay explains that an Atmos-style mix goes well beyond traditional stereo or even simple surround sound. In a properly equipped room, audio can appear to come from around and above the listener.

I talk about the spatial effect I hear with AirPods, where the apparent location of the sound can change as I turn my head.

Whether you love that effect or immediately turn it off, it is a good example of how quickly consumer audio has moved beyond basic left-and-right stereo.

AirPods, Bose QuietComfort and Long Flights

I am also preparing for a long flight and have been thinking about how I will handle headphones for many hours at a time.

My AirPods sound great, but keeping earbuds in for an entire long-haul flight can get uncomfortable. That is why I am considering bringing my older Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones along with the AirPods and switching between them during the trip.

It is also a good reminder to pull old rechargeable devices out of storage before traveling and make sure their batteries still hold a charge.

Getting Better Photos from an iPhone

Before we wrap, Jay shares one simple iPhone photography tip that is easy to overlook.

Modern iPhones can shoot RAW images and provide far more camera control than many people realize. His biggest warning is about zooming: instead of pinching to digitally zoom, Jay recommends switching between the phone’s physical camera options whenever possible. Once you start digitally zooming, you are enlarging the image electronically rather than using the optical characteristics of the available lenses.

For everyday photography, the camera already in your pocket is dramatically more capable than most people give it credit for.

And Yes, We Talked About the Fire Pit Again

No Jay Franze appearance would be complete without checking on the status of his fire pit. The answer is still no.

Jay has the chairs and has thought through the project, but the actual fire pit remains unfinished.

I offer some lessons from my own setup, including the fact that I would build mine lower if I did it again so more radiant heat reaches the people sitting around it.

My advice to Jay remains pretty simple: stop overthinking it, put the fire pit in and start burning some wood.

Key Takeaways

• Concert photographers may have only the first three songs to work from the photo pit, which makes speed and preparation more important than simply owning expensive gear.
• Multiple camera bodies can be more useful than constantly changing lenses when the shooting window is short.
• Jay uses Nikon DSLR and mirrorless cameras, including the D7100, D7200 and Z6 II, with the mirrorless body giving him faster real-time feedback when exposure and lighting conditions change.
• Redundancy starts inside the camera. Jay uses dual SD cards, then copies files to local storage and temporarily to the cloud for editing.
• RAW files provide more editing flexibility, but large file sizes can slow burst shooting when the camera buffer fills.
• Short bursts can be a practical middle ground for live events. Jay often reviews small groups of images and stars the strongest frames instead of immediately deleting everything else.
• AI-assisted photo editing can be useful for removing small distractions, but Jay prefers not to use AI to substantially invent or expand parts of a scene that were never captured.
• Good photography also includes judgment. Not every technically usable image should be published, especially when a performer is captured in an unintended or unflattering moment.
• Modern music mastering is less about making everything as loud as possible and more about balancing loudness, dynamic range and the normalization used by streaming platforms.
• Earbuds are increasingly important reference devices because so much music is now consumed through products like AirPods and Beats.
• Spatial audio and Atmos-style mixes are changing the listening experience from traditional left-and-right stereo into something much more immersive.
• Modern smartphones can produce excellent photos, including RAW images, but Jay recommends switching between the phone’s physical cameras instead of relying heavily on digital pinch-to-zoom.
• Backup strategy matters just as much as camera choice. Protecting the work from capture through editing is part of the professional workflow, not an afterthought.

Products and Services Discussed

Airthings Radon Monitor

Jim discusses using an Airthings radon monitor in the basement to track radon levels along with temperature and humidity.

RODECaster

Jay uses a RODECaster as a core part of his recording setup and prefers having it as one of several redundant recording paths.

Rode Wireless Microphones

Jay uses Rode wireless microphones for field interviews and likes the convenience of recording directly to the microphone/transmitter.

Zoom H5

Jay keeps a Zoom H5 portable recorder available for field recording.

StreamYard

Jay uses StreamYard for remote recording and streaming, but he does not rely on it as the only recording source because of past sync-drift issues.

YouTube

YouTube is part of Jay’s redundant recording workflow and also serves as a distribution platform.

Nikon D7100

One of the DSLR camera bodies Jay uses for concert photography.

Nikon D7200

Another Nikon DSLR body in Jay’s concert photography setup.

Nikon Z6 II

Jay uses the Nikon Z6 II mirrorless camera and likes the ability to see exposure changes in real time while adjusting settings.

SD Cards

Jay uses dual SD cards in his cameras so one card can act as an immediate backup of the other.

Local Hard Drives

After a show, Jay transfers his photo files to local hard-drive storage while retaining copies on the SD cards.

Cloud Storage

Jay temporarily uploads photos to cloud storage for editing, giving him another layer of redundancy during the workflow.

WordPress

Jay uses WordPress for his website and digital magazine.

GoDaddy

Jay hosts his site with GoDaddy.

Spotify

Spotify comes up during the discussion of loudness normalization and modern streaming standards.

Apple

Apple comes up during the discussion of streaming loudness, spatial audio and immersive listening.

Atmos

Jay talks about Atmos-style immersive audio and how it differs from traditional stereo and basic surround sound.

AirPods

Jim discusses using AirPods and the spatial-audio effect that changes perceived sound direction as he turns his head.

Bose QuietComfort 35

Jim mentions his older Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones as an over-ear option for long flights.

AKG Headphones

Jay prefers closed-ear, over-ear AKG headphones when working in the studio.

Beats Earbuds

Jay uses Beats earbuds and likes their comfort and sound.

iPhone

The iPhone comes up as a capable photography tool, including RAW capture and the importance of using the physical camera options instead of relying on digital zoom.

Auphonic

Jim uses Auphonic after recording to help bring podcast loudness into line and clean up the final audio.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much time do concert photographers usually get in the photo pit?

Jay explains that photographers are often allowed to shoot only during the first three songs of a concert. That can amount to roughly nine minutes, depending on the songs and venue.

2. Why do concert photographers use multiple camera bodies?

With such a short shooting window, changing lenses can take too much time. Multiple camera bodies let a photographer keep different lenses ready and switch cameras instead of stopping to swap glass.

3. What cameras does Jay Franze use for concert photography?

Jay discusses using Nikon cameras, including the D7100, D7200 and Z6 II mirrorless body.

4. What is the advantage of a mirrorless camera for concert photography?

Jay likes being able to see exposure changes in real time while adjusting settings on the mirrorless camera. That is especially useful when stage lighting changes quickly.

5. Why does Jay use dual SD cards?

Jay uses one SD card as the primary recording card and the second as a backup so he has redundancy from the moment the photos are captured.

6. How does Jay back up photos after a concert?

He keeps copies on both SD cards, transfers the files to a local hard drive, and then uploads them to the cloud for editing. That can temporarily give him four copies of the same shoot.

7. Is RAW better than JPEG for concert photography?

RAW gives more editing flexibility and image data, but the files are much larger. Jay notes that large RAW bursts can fill the camera buffer and slow him down during fast-moving performances.

8. How does Jay handle burst photography?

Rather than holding the shutter down continuously, Jay often shoots shorter bursts of about five frames and then reviews those frames together to choose the strongest image.

9. Does Jay use AI for photo editing?

Yes, but selectively. Jay is comfortable using AI to remove small distractions such as a water bottle, but he is more cautious about using AI to invent or substantially expand parts of the scene.

10. What loudness levels did Jim and Jay discuss for streaming audio?

Jay mentions Spotify at roughly -14 LUFS and Apple around -16 LUFS. Jim also notes that he has long processed Home Gadget Geeks to approximately -16 LUFS through Auphonic.

11. Why are earbuds becoming important in music mixing and mastering?

Jay explains that people increasingly consume music through earbuds, so engineers now have to think about how a mix sounds on devices such as AirPods and Beats, not just in a studio or car.

12. What iPhone photography tip does Jay recommend?

Jay recommends switching between the iPhone’s physical camera options rather than relying heavily on pinch-to-zoom, because pinch-to-zoom moves into digital zoom instead of using the available optical camera choices.

Links and Resources

• Jay Franze – https://jayfranze.com
• The Jay Franze Show – available through Jay’s website
• The Average Guy Network – https://theaverageguy.tv
• Home Gadget Geeks Live – https://theaverageguy.tv/live
• Support The Average Guy Network on Patreon – https://theaverageguy.tv/patreon

Gear and Services Mentioned

• Airthings radon monitor
• RODECaster
• Rode wireless microphones
• Zoom H5
• StreamYard
• Nikon D7100
• Nikon D7200
• Nikon Z6 II
• AKG headphones
• Beats earbuds
• AirPods
• Bose QuietComfort 35
• Auphonic
• Spotify
• Apple
• Atmos
• WordPress
• GoDaddy

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Join the Conversation

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Watch live at theaverageguy.tv/live, and join the community in Discord to follow upcoming shows and take part in the discussion.

Thanks to everyone who joined us live for HGG688, and a special thanks to Jay Franze for coming back to talk cameras, concert photography, audio, AI editing and everything in between.