“When I saw how much passion was on everybody’s faces, I knew this photo had to be a black and white one”

‘Slayer Fans’ was crowned best photo in the Music Events – Audiences category in the Event Photography Awards 2026.

It was taken by events and wedding photographer Brian Robinson at a Slayer concert in London in 2025.

A not-for-profit competition, the Event Photography Awards (EPA) was established to highlight the importance of great photography to the international events industry.

Some 2,300 images of events from around the world, taken by photographers in over 20 countries, were entered in 2026’s competition.

18 core categories form the EPAs, and a new Black & White Award – sponsored by Digital Camera magazine – was introduced for 2026.

Also taking a bow this year was the Event Photographer of the Year accolade, bestowed in conjunction with the Best Portfolio award.

View the current and past winners of the Event Photography Awards here.

After the ceremony at the Central Hall Westminster in London, UK, attended by more than 250 guests, we caught up with Robinson to discover more about his winning image…

“I was photographing the Slayer show at Finsbury Park in 2025, working with film director Ryan McFall,” Robinson recalls, “and was shooting behind-the-scenes photos for the film crew filming Slayer.

“While I was photographing the crew, the band and literally everything to do with the show, I clocked the fan in the middle of the shot who was absolutely loving it.

“As most photographers would have done, I took a quick gauge of my settings, turned around, burst off a few frames and went back to work, photographing the crew and the band.”

“When editing it later I noticed how much passion was on the faces of everybody else, and also the legs that were flying across the top – at that moment, I knew it had to be a black and white picture.”

Robinson is a Slayer fan himself, so photographing the band was a dream come true for him.

“I’ve been that guy on the front row, so I felt how he was feeling and hope I’ve captured that.”

Photographing music and live events is Robinson’s passion. Collaborating regularly with film director McFall has opened doors to working at big concerts like Slayer’s.

“Event photography is not just about the band – it’s more about shooting [what goes on] behind the scenes.

“I’ve only entered a few competitions before, for weddings, which I occasionally shoot, but this is the first award I’ve won.

“It was definitely worth making the long journey from Cornwall [in south-west England] to London!”

Camera and lens used: Canon EOS R6 and Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM at 46mm. Exposure: 1/500 sec at f/3.2, ISO 800.

Click here to see more of Brian Robinson’s photography.