Download 2025 Photo Gallery

Download 2025 is always something special. I’ve shot a lot of shows before, but this one hit differently. There’s something about photographing metal and rock music that just feels right, the noise; the chaos, the emotion on stage, all of it. It’s where photography feels alive, and you know at Donnington Park, Anything can happen!

This year was the first time I got to shoot a festival with my partner Kelli, and that made the whole thing even better. Sharing the pit with her was something I didn’t know I’d been missing. It’s rare to be surrounded by that much energy and still have someone right there who gets it. Between sets we’d swap looks or talk about shots we’d just taken. It made the whole experience feel more personal and grounded.

Don Broco, Sleep Token, Hate Breed, Steel Panther, and Green Day were huge standouts for me, just pure energy start to finish. And then the nostalgia hit hard with Alien Ant Farm, Weezer, and Sum 41. Shooting those bands felt like revisiting the soundtrack of growing up, only now I was there capturing it through a lens.

I couldn’t shoot from the pit for the headliners due to restrictions, and while I fully respect the rules, I do wish I’d had the chance to shoot Sleep Token from the pit with the right credentials. It’s one of those moments you know would’ve been something special to capture up close.

The weather was brutal — hot and bright the whole time with very little rain (most unlike the UK) but even that couldn’t take away from how good it felt to be out there doing what I love. It reminded me why I started shooting music in the first place.