The End of Luke Montgomery Media

Two years ago—before I moved to college—I told my boss that I wanted to shoot for Ben Rector. He responded how any practical adult would: "You'll never be able to shoot for someone like that."

He didn't mean to be rude—he was honestly just being realistic—but that interaction started me on a journey that I could never have imagined.

I spent the next month scouring the internet for pieces of information about Ben and his manager—names, numbers, emails, anything I could find. Finally, I stumbled across his manager on LinkedIn. With no real plan I introduced myself as a new photographer, provided my contact information, and asked if I could shoot Ben's Old Friends Acoustic Show with Cody Fry in a few months. I honestly wasn't expecting a response—who checks their LinkedIn DMs?

To my surprise and utter joy, I had an email from Ben's manager THE NEXT DAY asking to see some of my concert work.

But, I was left with an awkward reality... I had never shot a concert in my life.

How had I thought I could shoot a Ben Rector show with literally no experience?

Not wanting to give up on my dream, I approached my church and asked if I could shoot the worship sets that weekend. They obliged and soon I had my "portfolio" to send to Ben's manager.

Over the next few days, I checked my email regularly in constant suspense. Would my work be good enough to get me into Ben's show? With my phone glued to my hand, I refreshed my emails over and over again. And, the day finally came—I got the gig.

Naturally, I called my brother screaming and once I finally got the words out, he didn't believe me. After all, this was huge news that I never dreamed I would be able to share. I began telling everyone I could about the gig and it quickly became an integral part of who I was. I was the photographer who was shooting for Ben Rector. I was special. I was good enough.

That's the mindset that I started college with.

The first thing people knew about me was that I was a photographer and I was shooting for Ben Rector. Photography became my whole identity. But, that would change very soon.

A month into college and a few weeks before Ben's show, I received the unfortunate news that it was being canceled due to venue complications (this was happening at the end of COVID, so everything was still weird).

Needless to say, I was devastated.

Everything that I had prided myself on was stripped away in a moment. My "success" vanished before my eyes and I was just another normal kid with a camera. And, honestly, I needed that. God was teaching me what it looked like to find my identity in something else.

He was teaching me that I didn't need to seek validation from other people because I was already validated because of Him. My work would always fail me because it could never measure up to His work on the cross. I didn't need a big name to demand attention—I simply needed to walk humbly by His side. He would take care of the rest.

It goes without saying that I didn't learn that overnight. It was a slow process. But, in time, God began giving me small tastes of concerts again. Over the course of six months, I shot for Skillet, Kolby Cooper, and Grady Spencer. A whopping three concerts. My progress was slow, but it allowed me to put my entire effort into my work.

Grady's shoot was sort of God's blessing over me as I entered the concert photography space again. I offered to shoot the show for free and Grady was kind enough to have me out. The lighting was truly terrible and I was forced to experiment with styles of photography I had only heard about like long exposures, reflecting light, prisms, etc.

At that concert, I began to find my unique style. Long exposures are now a staple of my work and I can shoot in almost any lighting condition.

After I delivered the photos, Grady sent me one of the most genuine and encouraging emails ever. He boosted me up as an artist and complimented the mess out of my work. He loved the photos so much that he ended up paying me anyways. It was exactly what I needed after struggling for half a year.

Those photos led to me meeting a variety of publishers and publications and ultimately my connections at Live Nation that have gotten me to the place I am today—having shot for dozens of artists. AND I CAN'T TAKE CREDIT FOR ANY OF IT! As soon as God humbled me and reminded me where my gifts came from, he opened the door for my work to take off at an unimaginable rate.

That being said, a few weeks ago my story came full circle when I had the opportunity to complete my dream of shooting for Ben Rector. But, once again—and in typical fashion—God didn't miss the chance to remind me why I'm here.

I reached out to Ben's manager, only to find out that he no longer manages Ben. He did, however, put me in contact with Ben's new team. After a few emails, they informed me that my services were not needed, but I could shoot the typical first three songs if I came with a publication.

And so I did. His openers were two of my favorite artists: Jordy Searcy and Steven Day. The first three songs of each set were incredible but, something was different about this show. Usually, when I shoot a concert I receive a photo pass and a review ticket so I can stay for the show if I wish. This time, however, I only received a photo pass. So, upon the completion of the third song security had been informed to ensure that I left the venue. Here I was at my dream concert finally completing the dream I had so long ago, and it was coming to a swift end.

God is kind of funny like that.

Sometimes He lets you get to the point of no return before He blesses you out of nowhere.

"Luke!" I heard my name from behind me. Looking over my shoulder, there was a man I had met just a month earlier at the front of a Muscadine Bloodline concert. He noticed my situation and informed the bewildered security and a just as bewildered me that he had an extra ticket for the seat next to his and that I would be joining him for the remainder of the concert. And—just like that—I followed him to his seats and enjoyed a night of Ben Rector's Old Friends Tour with my new friend.

I truly could not have written a better end to this story if I tried. It's almost like the storyteller behind this one has been telling stories for a really long time.

That being said, the story of Luke Montgomery Media has reached its end. I got into this industry to shoot for Ben Rector and I did that. Along the way, God changed my heart for why I am in this industry in the first place. I started because of what it could do for me, but I'm here now because of what I can do for Him.

The next step in that process is removing my name from my work, and I could not be more excited about it. I'm so excited to be launching my new company and publication: Ellium's Spot!

WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO:

-launch a podcast this summer covering the music and creative industries from a Biblical perspective

-start sending YOU to shoot shows for us!!

-train up more music photographers

-write articles about shows that go deeper into lyrics and Biblical themes

-create Instagram and Tik-Tok content covering the music industry

-begin to shape the conversation about music and contribute to a more informed and engaged community of music lovers who are committed to living out their faith in all areas of their lives

I am so excited to be moving from the role of photographer into the role of editor/producer. After two years of working in this industry, I can't wait to get more people involved. I'm excited to be able to provide other artists with the platform to create.

That being said, this is not going to be easy and we will likely not see results immediately. However, I am confident that as God has guided my  journey in the past, he will continue to guide my path as a new journey begins.

The best way you can help us is by following our new account on Instagram @elliumsspot and sharing our first post!

Thank you all for your continued support, I can't wait to see where this new journey goes!

-Luke