From a borrowed camera to photographing music awards...
As I prepare to photograph the Love Live Music Awards this Thursday at The Queens Hotel in Newport (hosted by Newport City Radio), I’ve been thinking back to where it all began...
In 2019, I visited Black Mountain Jazz Club in Abergavenny for the first time — thanks to my local camera club. My old camera couldn’t quite handle the low light, but a kind colleague lent me his. I was hooked.
By January 2020, I returned with a better camera, and that’s where my jazz photography journey really took off. I became the club’s resident photographer, capturing performances even during lockdown for their virtual jazz festival.
Since then, I’ve been learning, upgrading, and chasing that perfect moment — trying to freeze emotion, energy, and rhythm in a single frame. Musicians move, lights change, and the magic only happens once… but when it does, it’s worth every out-of-focus shot.
In five years, I’ve had the joy of exhibiting my work:
Twice at Black Mountain Jazz Club
And now at the amazing Karamel Club in London, alongside other brilliant women photographers.
I’ve put together a small selection of photos from these years – just a glimpse into the wonderful world of live music I’ve been lucky to capture. It was hard to choose just a few!
If you'd like to see more of the photos I've taken at Black Mountain Jazz, here’s the link to my portfolio:
I’m still updating my newly revamped portfolio, so keep an eye out — more gig photos coming soon!
And here is the link to the exhibitions photos: https://kasiaociepa-photographer.co.uk/exhibitions
Thanks to everyone who’s been part of this journey so far
