As an 18 year old who just finished college, I’d insist you don’t let your age get in the way. I’ve been shooting shows since I was 16 and last year went on tour with an artist (simply from being friends and going to all his local shows over the years).

Building up a publication is not as difficult as it sounds, as many of us need to work for one to get passes to photograph shows. There are lots of great facebook groups where you can reach out to find people willing to be writers and photographers for you, and that’ll really push your publication to start.

For your own portfolio as others have said, small local shows are the way to go to build up your work. Once you have that available, you can really apply to shoot any artist (though whether you get accepted will depend on the popularity of the show and which publications are prioritised)! Interviews with bigger artists also aren’t too had to organise, as you simply reach out to their PR contact and arrange something with them.