From Greyhound buses, Costco cameras, and getting paid in beer—to photographing Taylor Swift at the Eras Tour—Madison Truscan has proven she can make it as a concert photographer in Dallas. 

The concert photographer with the Instagram handle @MadisonfromDallas may not be born and raised in the Big D, but in just a few years she’s already proven she can hang, hustling her way into an exciting career and growing in popularity as the outspoken, tattooed, fun girl who’s quick on her feet and doesn’t play about her mental health. 

Madison Truscan could never sing or play an instrument, but she loved music. Truscan grew up listening to vinyl records and messing with her dad’s old jukebox. She recalls the excitement of her first concert—Selena Gomez. 

“ My mom bought the tickets off Craigslist—back when that was still a thing—and I just loved everything to do with music.” 

The Seattle native spent her childhood as a serious dancer—jazz, lyrical, hip hop, and her favorite, tap. Dance ruled her world for 15 years, until the day that two slipped discs abruptly ended her career. She needed a new outlet and after trying theater, cheerleading, and drawing, photography was the hobby she couldn’t shake. 

After a 15-year dance career, Truscan had to find a new way to express herself. Photos courtesy of Madison Truscan

As her photography skills improved, she began dreaming. Concert photos online intrigued her. But there were no concerts anymore, it was 2020 and live music had taken a hiatus thanks to Covid-19. She’d have to put that dream aside, for now.

A job at a social media agency led Madison Truscan from Seattle to Dallas in 2022. While she worked, she went to school for business management and ran her own photography business on the side, taking headshots, senior photos, and family portraits. 

Truscan moved from Seattle to Dallas in 2022. Photo courtesy of Madison Truscan

Her big break & the woman who helped

Truscan had been following a concert photographer online for years— @DigitalsMeg. Megan Clark was touring with a band called Misterwives and in June of 2022 she posted that she was going to be in Dallas. Truscan commented on Clark’s TikTok video and asked if she could take her for coffee. Clark told her there was a Dallas show in two hours, and if she could get to the venue, she’d meet her in the lobby to talk. 

“ So I changed outta my pajamas and I ran down the street to the House of Blues and I bought a ticket at the box office,” Truscan recalls.. “I said to her, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m your biggest fan. I would love to learn from you.’I blacked out,  I was totally fan girling.”

Clark was encouraging and answered all Truscan’s questions before going to work. Truscan watched Clark in the pit, on stage, and in the wings, capturing all the band’s best moments. After the show, Clark invited Truscan backstage to chat more. Then she says, ‘I don’t know how far Austin is from here, but if you can get yourself to Austin tomorrow, I would love to give you your first photo pass to a show.’ Madison said yes, overlooking the fact that she didn’t have a car or driver’s license. 

The next morning, Truscan and her Costco camera boarded a Greyhound bus to Austin. 

“ I changed in the bathroom of a dive bar,” Truscan recounted. “I did my makeup, and then I went to the venue and I picked up my photo pass and I photographed my first show.”

After the first three songs, Truscan took a video of herself for historical purposes, sobbing joyfully, knowing  this was exactly what she was supposed to be doing with the rest of her life. Four days later, back in Dallas, Truscan secured her first photo pass for a concert in the city. 

“ I look back (on those concert photos) and I’m like, wow, these are terrible,” she laughed. “But they do hold a special place in my heart.  I owe my whole career to [Clark].”

Madison works, but so does Dallas

From there, the true hustle began. Truscan was her own publicist, reaching out to band managers, artist assistants, and local publications to see if she could shoot shows for them. 

“’Im cold calling, I’m showing up at the venue with my business card, whatever it took.”

The gigs went from unpaid, to chump change, to real money. The work that came made Truscan thankful she moved to Dallas.

Why the city works for her:

• Several music venues within a 20 minute drive from downtown Dallas
• Events seven days a week: “ Dallas really never sleeps when it comes to live music and I’ve really been able to grow a name for myself and, and a career because of that,” she said.
• It was easier for her to find a 9-5 in Dallas, versus a city like Austin. 

The music industry has some work to do

Make no mistake, although it looks like women drive so much of the music industry, it’s the men who very much rule the scene. Men still make up around 95% of producing credits and are nominated for more than 75% of music awards. In entertainment photography and videography, women make about 45% less than their male counterparts and are less likely to be hired in photography roles by major brands, despite going to college for photography at higher rates. 

Tuscan saw the gender divide firsthand. In a photo pool for Taylor Swift’s 2023 Eras Tour, Truscan was one of only four women in a group of 15 photographers. 

Madison Truscan was one of 15 photographers working the Dallas stop of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in 2023. Photos courtesy of Madison Truscan

Being the only woman in the room is normal, she said, and adds that working with groups of male photographers usually results in one of two experiences—either she’s completely ignored or receives lewd comments. 

Truscan has been catcalled and inappropriately touched while working. Because of this normality, she stays hyperaware of her surroundings, doesn’t drink, and shares her location with friends.

“ I hate the fact that that’s even something I have to consider,” she said.

Another challenge is a sort of bargaining system photographers and other creatives are expected to abide by. In the beginning, Truscan participated in that system, doing gigs for exposure and paying her way to shows in Dallas and across the country, even covering her own travel, at times. Truscan was once paid with a t-shirt and a case of beer. 

The photographer wants to work more album tours and there have been opportunities in the past, but they didn’t include reasonable compensation. Shows will budget $150 for hours of photography, the editing, and full usage rights, Truscan said. She feels it’s unfair.

“ You would think it’d be insane, but it’s unfortunately the norm. I have learned that working in the music industry, the pay is sometimes non-existent,” she said. “ When you break it down, how many hours I spend after the show itself, it’s Texas minimum wage, at that point and it’s not worth it.” 

Representation and opportunities for women in music are slowly getting better, but with a long road ahead, Truscan says it’s imperative that women creatives share tips with others on how to achieve the careers they want and give each other chances to develop, just like a fellow female photographer once did for her.

[women in the industry photo]

How to Madison your career

Truscan has tips for creatives and folks who want to take control of their careers.

• Claim your gift -Truscan introduced herself as a concert photographer long before she had the portfolio she does today. Moving with confidence, leaving imposter syndrome behind, and faking it till she made it did wonders for her development.
• What’s the worst that could happen? Before taking a chance, ask yourself that. A possible ‘no” shouldn’t deter you, because a ‘yes’ could be around the corner.
• Be kind and appreciative to everyone. You never know who has the power to grant you opportunities.
• Mind your energy. Truscan shows up to every gig happy, curious, and ready to have fun and she feels that energy facilitates more opportunities.

Although Truscan has already done a lot—photographing Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Joan Jett and even managing a local band for a while— she’s got her eye on more. Truscan calls documenting an artist’s complete tour the “end all be all.” She’d love to do this for Chappell Roan or Lady Gaga. She senses it’s coming, but until then lives in appreciation for how far she’s come, especially when the anxiety and pressure strike at once.

“ There was a long period of my life where my mental health was so bad. I did not think I would live to see 21,” she said, “so I don’t take any of these moments for granted. Taking a second to practice gratitude…to remember that I am living out the dreams that younger Madison could have only fathomed, helps bring me back down to earth.”

To learn more about Truscan and her work, click here.