SARAH TSANG
1. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions! In addition to focusing on the artists themselves, one of my goals for this site is to also profile the people around the artists, so to speak, who are so integral to the music industry. Would you please introduce yourself for the reader—where you’re from and what you do in broad strokes?
I'm Sarah Tsang from London, UK. I'm a photographer that focuses mostly on metal and hardcore, ranging from the local scene to arena/stadium sized bands. I shoot for different outlets, including a photo agency and for music venues.
2. I first became aware of your work reading Cece Lawless’s Noizze review of the Reality Unfolds fest at New Cross Inn in London earlier this year; how did the opportunity to shoot that fest come about and what were the highlights of it for you?
Reality Unfolds is a well known festival in the local scene in London. Noizze, the outlet that I shoot for, have reviewed the festival the past couple of years so we went this year. As a few of us are big hardcore fans in Noizze, we like to cover a lot of hardcore shows around the UK as much as possible.
The biggest highlights were bands like Agency, Arkangel, Bullet, Rescue Cat, Splitknuckle and Negative Frame [ed. note: you can read my interview with Negative Frame here], and watching the audience get involved with every band was fun to watch.
3. What was it that drew you to alternative and heavy music in the first place?
In 1999, I was 8 years old at a house party watching Wayne's World and that scene with “Bohemian Rhapsody” playing happened. I remember how exciting it was to hear this type of music and how it made everyone react in that scene. It made me want to discover more of that. That same year, while watching a music channel dedicated to rock and metal, I found Slipknot. Seeing a band wear masks didn't scare me for an 8 year old but it was the first time finding a band that I immediately felt a big connection towards them and the genre. It was the music, particularly the drums, and lyrics that made me a fan. It was from finding Slipknot, which led me down a huge rabbit hole to finding many bands and subgenres. I went to my first gig in 2004, and by 2008, I saw Slipknot for the first time. It was from those gigs, my love for heavy music and going to shows became a big thing for me.
4. Who are some of the major artists and industry figures you’ve captured on film? Are there any experiences that stand out in particular?
I shot Linkin Park at Wembley Stadium last year. It was my first time taking photos of them as well as my first stadium. Spiritbox is another band because I’ve taken photos of the band from small venues to arenas, so it was very cool to see how much they’ve grown as a band. Fall Out Boy at a small venue called Heaven in 2023 before their arena tour that happened later in the year.
My favourite experiences -
1) Haywire - They played a free show under a bridge in London which was something I’ve always wanted to experience especially the type of shows that happen in the US in unconventional venues. I used a film camera and it was memorable especially with the entire line up.
2) Angel Dust - They played a free show outside All Ages Records, a punk record store, and it was one of the best things I got to watch.
3) Speed in Queensland, Australia - My trip in Australia managed to happen when Speed were on tour over there. They are one of my fave bands from Australia and it made me enjoy being part of the scene for those couple of hours and because of that, I’ve been discovering a lot more Australian hardcore bands since then.
4) Peelingflesh in Austin, Texas - I was in Texas to see Knocked Loose and Slipknot and found out Peelingflesh played that same week, so I decided to go and experience what the local scene was like in Austin. Taking photos while everyone dived over me was fun.
5) Heck at a pub who were part of the line up at Camden Rocks Festival 2016. Dodging stage divers and moving across the pub because the band always liked to sing and play anywhere apart from the stage at their shows.
5. What drew you to not just photography as a passion but a career?
I come from a family that spent my entire life filming and taking photos, especially throughout my childhood. I went on my first tour in 2014 as a music photographer, and because of that, that became my long term goal. The moment my photos were showcased in Metal Hammer a few years ago, it fully confirmed that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
6. Are there some prerequisites for your line of work? What educational background and/or experiences did/do you pull from?
I was a self taught photographer when I got my first camera at 14 years old, I then went to University to study it. University helped me to connect with people and the reason why I became a music photographer. I met friends in bands during my time at University, which led to me asking if I could shoot their shows.
7. What’s some practical advice you have for anyone looking to get into photography as a career path?
Don’t expect regular work every day, but always keep taking photos of what you’re passionate about, whether it’s going to shows or travelling. If you want your work to be seen, make a website, take part in photo exhibitions, post your photos on social media and join different outlets who are looking for photographers.
8. Full transparency I know next to nothing about this, but I am positive there will be readers who want to know: for the “gearheads” out there, what does your kit look like?
My current kit -
Canon 5D mark IV
24-70mm F/2.8
I sometimes shoot on film on Canon Sure Shot AF-7.
I also rent the 70-200mm F/2.8 every summer for when I shoot festivals.
9. I saw you also stream on Twitch. What can you tell us about that?
I've been streaming on Twitch since 2017 where I play games (mostly story based games and being a content creator for a game called Warframe) and chat to an audience that watches me. In 2020, I decided to move towards being a V-Tuber where I created a goat girl character because goats are my fave animal and I like metal. I like to joke about how bad I am at video games, and that's why I never take it seriously. This is something my audience understands and it's why no one would watch for my gameplay but more for me. I also sometimes co-stream with a friend where we stream games together.
10. Last question: if you were stranded on a desert island by yourself and could only have five albums with you to listen to, what would they be and why?
1) Slipknot - Iowa
2) Deafheaven - Sunbather
3) Ethel Cain - Perverts
4) The Chariot - Everything Is Alive, Everything Is Breathing, Nothing Is Dead, and Nothing is Bleeding
5) Gojira - From Mars To Sirius
Every album gives you a little bit of hope and a little bit of dread, my type of music. All 5 albums are what I love to listen to the most and have great memories from these albums. In particular, my favourite recent memory is from when Ethel Cain’s Perverts first dropped. I was in Australia, and did a few night drives while listening to the record. Something I will never forget.
A SAMPLING OF SARAH’S WORK
Ethel Cain
Scowl
Gatecreeper