I photographed Mushroomhead at the O2 Academy in Birmingham during their 2016 UK tour.

I was ridiculously excited to finally see this masked band live although also slightly anxious about the water aspect of the show but it was the risk I was definitely willing to take in exchange for some great imagery.

Front of stage left and right were two custom drum setups are mounted with large toms and metal containers partially filled with water. When struck, they didn't just produce sound — they erupted.  Sheets of water arced upward under stage lights, atomizing into droplets that hung in the air for a split second before crashing down again. That split second is everything, you need to shoot at high shutter speeds to freeze the water mid-explosion. Backlighting is key, when strong white or coloured beams hit from behind, every droplet became a suspended crystal. Without backlight, it’s just a blur. With it, it’s fireworks.
I left the pit that night a bit damp but with a memory card full of cool shots.