Photographing Emilio Santoro as Elvis at The Halls Norwich
Sometimes a photography opportunity begins with a commission. This one began with a ticket.
I had already booked to see Emilio Santoro perform his Elvis show at The Halls Norwich on 26 September 2026. I was going as part of the audience rather than as the official photographer, but knowing the kind of performance I was going to see, I thought there could be an opportunity to create something interesting.
So, before the concert, I contacted Emilio.
I explained that I was a professional photographer based in Norwich, that I would be attending the show and that I would like to bring a camera and photograph some of the performance from my seat. There was no commission involved and no expectation attached to it. I simply asked for permission to shoot and offered Emilio the resulting photographs afterwards.
He very kindly agreed.
Photographing From the Audience
That meant approaching the evening rather differently from a conventional concert photography assignment.
I was sitting in the front row at The Halls, so there would be no moving around the venue looking for different angles and no working from a photography pit. Everything had to be photographed from essentially one position.
Rather than seeing that as a restriction, I decided to work with it.
I took the Fujifilm X100VI — a small, fixed-lens camera that allowed me to photograph discreetly without interfering with the experience of the people around me. No flash, no elaborate equipment and no attempt to turn an evening in the audience into a full production.
The challenge was simply to watch, anticipate and photograph at the right moment.
A Black and White Approach
From the outset, I knew I wanted the photographs to be predominantly black and white.
Emilio Santoro performing as Elvis Presley at The Halls Norwich, photographed in black and white by Daniel Mason Photography.
Emilio's show celebrates the younger Elvis Presley, accompanied by his 1950s-style live band, The Creoles. Rather than producing photographs that looked overtly contemporary, I wanted the images to feel as though they might belong to the period that inspired the performance.
That meant thinking less about conventional modern concert photography and more about old press photographs, television stills and music photography from the 1950s and 1960s.
As the performance moved towards the later Elvis material, there were also moments that immediately brought to mind the stark visual character of the 1968 Comeback Special — particularly Emilio isolated against a dark background under the stage lighting.
Black and white felt completely natural.
Waiting for the Moment
Working with a fixed lens from a fixed seat changes the way you photograph a performance.
You cannot solve every composition by changing position or reaching for another lens. Instead, you have to wait.
I watched Emilio's movement around the stage, the direction of the lighting, his interaction with the microphone and the moments between the bigger gestures.
Emilio Santoro performing as Elvis Presley on stage at The Halls Norwich during his 2026 concert.
Those quieter fractions of a second can often make the strongest photographs.
Rather than trying to document every part of the concert, my aim was to produce a relatively small collection of images that captured the character of the performance.
The simplicity of the X100VI suited that approach perfectly. It allowed me to concentrate on what was happening on stage rather than on equipment.
Emilio Santoro as Elvis
Of course, this approach only works when there is something worth photographing.
Emilio was crowned the 2024 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist World Champion by Elvis Presley Enterprises at Graceland, and seeing the show live makes it easy to understand the recognition.
This isn't simply about costume or impersonation. The movement, expression and stage presence provide a photographer with those fleeting moments where the resemblance and atmosphere suddenly come together.
Emilio Santoro as Elvis Presley in black leather at The Halls Norwich, evoking the iconic 1968 Comeback Special.
Those were the moments I was looking for.
Not necessarily the biggest gesture or brightest lighting, but the split second that could exist as a photograph independently of the performance itself.
From a Speculative Email to a Finished Gallery
After the concert, I edited the photographs and sent Emilio the completed gallery.
That was always part of the idea.
There had been no commission and no obligation on his part. Emilio had simply been generous enough to allow another photographer to document his performance, and in return he received the finished photographs to use.
For me, that's also one of the pleasures of photographing live music.
Not every worthwhile photography project needs to begin with a booking. Sometimes it starts because you see the possibility of making something worthwhile, approach somebody professionally and see where it leads.
On this occasion, it began with an email and a camera taken along to a concert I was attending anyway.
It ended with a collection of black and white photographs that feel entirely at home with the music and period that inspired them.
And that's exactly what I wanted to create.
Daniel Mason Photography
Live music, concert and editorial photography in Norwich, Norfolk and across the UK.