Louis Nesbitt is the man behind the camera, capturing the hottest House music events in the scene right now. A nightlife photographer from London, Louis has recently established himself within the underground scene.
Immortalising some of the biggest artists in the industry, including Michael Bibi, Joesph Capriati and Enzo Siragusa, Louis is responsible for documenting the parties we love in still format. It can't get much better than that, can it?
When we caught up, Louis was completing the season with one of the island's most successful parties of 2022: Solid Grooves at DC10.
Just four years after first owning his own camera, Louis has gone from local nightclub picture pal to travelling the world to cover some of the biggest events in the industry. He already has Miami Music Week and Amsterdam Dance Event under his belt, and now a full season on Ibiza too.
Let's find out a little bit more about the shutterbug in person.
How many seasons have you worked in Ibiza?
"Most people might be shocked to know this is my first season on the island, although it certainly won't be my last."
What does a typical day in your job involve?
"I feel like I never stop working.
If I'm not actively shooting, I'm researching, networking or editing. But most events will want you to shoot five to six hours of the party, sometimes longer. Often, the organisers want on-site edits to post during the event."
"Obviously once the party is over the work isn't done - you then have a folder of a couple thousand images to sort through and determine what is worth editing. Then you have to actually edit them. The editing regularly takes as long as the shoot itself did."
How did it all start out for you?
"In my last few weeks at university, my housemate, Paul, who did photography for the clubs got a little wasted to say the least. He needed to go home but didn't want to not finish the night's photos. so I volunteered to step in.
The next day Paul texted me asking if I'd ever done any photography before, because he was really impressed by the images I returned. He then lent me his old camera for me to get to grips with and I took it everywhere with me.
Around a year later, I had saved up to buy my first professional camera."
"At first I was taking photos of friends for their Tinder profiles, stumbled into fashion week and stuff like that but one day a friend suggested I apply to the local clubs in Essex to take their photos.
I had a trial run at an over 30's event and was then offered a regular position at Faces which was a prestigious nightclub in the area. The pay wasn't fantastic and I had a desire for more.
Eventually a friend, introduced me to Ron who ran a local event called Nova and was in need of a photographer. I gave the booking a go as a freelancer, and he ended up bringing me back for his other event Social House with headliner Ellie Cocks, where I met her brother Billy."
"After the event I saw that Billy was playing at E1 the following weekend. I dropped him a message asking if I could take some photos of him to gain experience and he arranged for exactly that to happen.
I remember turning up really early shooting the party open till close and going home editing the pictures in excitement. I finally had a foot in the door. I used this to help network with artists.
For the rest of the summer I started taking pictures on disposable film cameras to build a stronger portfolio and show my passion. Over the summer I connected with DJs such as Michael Bibi and Alisha, who I still work with to this day."
What's the best part about your job?
"Getting to travel the world documenting the scene that I love and meeting all the artists. It's pretty surreal at times."
Does it have its downfalls?
"The worst thing is losing touch with your friends and family. I think if you want to do well in this industry you have to put the job first and sadly that means losing a lot of personal time for your own social interactions."
Has Brexit affected how you do your job?
"Not personally, although I know other photographers have had to be really on top of their travel plans in order to comply with the new 90 days rule in the EU. It just means more travelling which could be off-putting for some workers."
What's your track of the summer?
"Got to give it to our boy Max Dean with either The Future Looks Bright or Yes Baby."
"Max was actually the first DJ I ever shot back home at Nova in Hornchurch, so I love seeing his tracks make waves globally."
What's your favourite thing to do in Ibiza on your day off?
"Days off are few and far between. If I'm not shooting I'm still out and networking or editing, but when I do get some time to myself I usually go for some drinks or chill at a pool."
Any tips for your fellow workers?
"Be yourself, enjoy the island and stay safe. It's easy to get carried away in the parties, but I've always found being involved and trying to help out where you can will pay dividends in the long run."
Thank you Louis! Have fun at ADE or wherever you end up snapping next. We'll see you in Ibiza next summer.
Ibiza's clubbing season may be over, but Solid Grooves continues its international club shows. Forthcoming parties include an ADE showcase at NDSM Docklands on 23 October, Warehouse Project Manchester at the end of the month and plans for Latin America in late 2022/early 2023.
