My Roots: Music. My Vocation: Stories.

When I first picked up my Camera I was still pretty young, hardly had a professional mindset and just took pictures of things that I loved. A pretty standard way into the field. However I was very lucky to be interested in Vienna's underground nightlife culture at the right time. The right time being: the underground scene was looking for better media coverage and the field was not overrun yet. So I started taking photos at drum and bass nights for fun and slowly got a name for myself. However things were bound to change. I grew older, needed to pay rent and all the other things that make adult life a pain sometimes, but also I wanted to see if this could be taken to the next level. And it certainly could. 

I ended up going on tour in Austria with Camo & Krooked twice and followed Dope DOD around Austria on their Tour. Tour life, as I have experienced it, is some good fun. Obviously it is tyring and you have to be on point all the time, but in the end you get to really connect with people while being on the road, seeing new things. 
Then the market changed drastically. It became a 'cool' thing to snap pictures at raves, as this type of music got more and more attention on a broader scale. In a country with 8 million inhabitants that is bound to be exploited by the top of the food chain, so to speak. So making a living became more and more a utopical thought.

Therefore I shifted my attention to more 'serious' reportage work like B2B events and promotions. Later I turned my attention to weddings and portraiture. 

Those fields now prevail in my work, but I can not seem to shed my love for 175BPM beats and some good bass. 

Fortunately I get to do some pretty cool things every now and then, keeping the fire of my passion for this music scene lit. 

I definitely enjoy being able to still work in this field, while not actively shooting nights anymore. Although I can still be persuaded into shooting events, it just doesn't happen that regulary anymore. 

Here are some examples of my favourite work for the dance music scene: 

Camo & Krooked Tour & Album Artwork
Touring with Camo & Krooked twice and making a memorable design come together with an Illustrator 

Camo & Krooked - Zeitgeist LP [Hospital Records]; Design by d3maproductions 

Camo & Krooked - Zeitgeist LP [Hospital Records]; Design by d3maproductions, Photography © Samuel Colombo

Tour Artwork conceptualized and shot by Samuel Colombo, Illustration: www.behance.net/fivebodyblade

A page from the photo book of the Zeitgeist Tour

Nu Forms Festival 2016
Worked as the head of a small photo team that covered the Festival for the press and promotional releases

Nu Forms Festival 2016 (published in Kurier Lifestyle) 

Paul SG - This Is Me LP Cover Artwork
Taken from a shoot, the designer turned a simple studio picture into a cool cover

Design by The Creative Surgery, Photography © Samuel Colombo

Phace & Mefjus - Wastemen EP
Scouted for a real austrian place to shoot promos for this release, then ended up shooting the cover images

Design by C. Ernst

Design by C. Ernst

Mauro Picotto Autobiography "My Life as a DJ - From Heart to Techno"
I flew down to Ibiza to shoot a press kit of new images for Mauro's 'From Heart to Techno' Album and ended up being rewarded by having my images published in this electronic music legend's autobiography.  

One of the many images featured in the book, shot in Ibiza during Ibiza Music Conference

Hybrid Minds 'Lifted' EP
When asked 'do you have a pretty image for our coming picture disk?' one cannot hesitate. I love working with the guys from Hybrid Minds, we share a mutual love of minimalist design. 

Graphic Design by Josh White, Photography © Samuel Colombo

Mainframe Recordings Label Photography (2011 to 2017) 
Mainframe Recordings and I go back quite a while. Label big boss Disaszt was the first person in Vienna to give me a serious shot at the photo thing and it worked out quite well for us both. So I followed him around Austria on some Gigs and most importantly I shot photos at his monthly event. However at the end of 2016 it was time to pass on the mission to my friend Nedim, who is now doing a fabulous Job. 

Photography Left Page & Top Right Page © Samuel Colombo (Published in Wiener Magazin)