At a glittering awards ceremony in London this week, the winners of the So.co Image of Music Awards 2024 were announced in a coming together of photographers of all ages and abilities to celebrate the unsung heroes behind the lens.
After the shortlist was drawn up by So.co’s expert industry panel, thousands of votes were cast online to decide the winner of the prestigious Image of Music ‘People Choice’ Award (Sponsored by Canon). The winner was Fearghal McGlinchey for his incredible shot of Greta Van Fleet’s Josh Kiszka performing at the OVO Arena Wembley, London, which cleverly utilises the onstage pyrotechnics in the background.
Recollecting on his thought process going into the show, Fearghal said: “I decided to watch some of their recent live performances on YouTube, to get a gist for the stage design. As soon as I saw their pyros go off, I thought to myself ‘I HAVE to be in the perfect position for these later on’. Josh’s harmonica even looks like it could be a lighter!”
Photo Credit: Fearghal McGlinchey
Fearghal McGlinchey also won Music Photographer of the Year (Sponsored by Affinity 2), while New York-based photographer Grace Prachthauser was crowned the first ever Young Music Photographer of the Year – a new category for 2024 that shines a spotlight on emerging talent under the age of 23. The judges were blown away by Grace’s bold and creative entries that included live shots of Ashnikko, Måneskin and DYLAN.
Announced in the build-up, Jill Furmanovsky was selected as this year’s So.co Legend, who has documented the rise of some of the most legendary rock artists, and graced album covers, music magazines, and books to become recognised all over the world. Across her 50+ year career, Jill is responsible for immortalising many of the defining moments in musical history such as Oasis at Knebworth, Pink Floyd at Live 8 in 2005, and countless intimate portrait shots of Björk, Amy Winehouse, Sinead O’Connor, Charlie Watts and may more.
Venue of the Year went to Paper Dress Vintage based in Hackney, London, which transforms from a clothing shop into a vibrant music venue that hosted the likes of Arlo Parks and Sam Fender. Nova Twins won the public vote for Must See Artist of the Year following an incredible 12 months that saw them tour alongside Muse, while Innovation of the Year was awarded to Canon EOS R50, selected by the judges for its ability to squeeze high-end tech into an entry level camera.
Vince Bannon, So.co CEO & Co-founder, said: “We are thrilled again to highlight and honour the great work done by music photographers throughout the year. As you can see from the quality of the entries, the standard just keeps getting better.”
For further information on this year’s Image of Music Awards, head to https://so.co/awards.
Full List of Winners
Image of Music People’s Choice Award- Fearghal McGlinchey
Shot of Josh Kiszka of Greta Van Fleet at Wembley, London (credit Fergahal Mc Glincheu
Music Photographer of the Year: Fearghal McGlinchey
Shot of Carly Rae Jepsen at Alexandra Palace, London (credit: Fearghal McGlinchey)
Young Music Photographer of the Year Grace Prachthuser
Shot of Ashnikko at Avant Gardner, Brooklyn (credit Grace Prachthauser)
So.co Legend 2024 – Jill Fermanovsky
Photo credit: Jill Furmanovsky
Venue of the Year- Paper Dress Vintage, Hackney London
Must See Artist of the Year- Nova Twins
Innovation of the Year- Cannon E0S R 50
