Meet Levi Thompson | Live Music x Portrait photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Levi Thompson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Levi, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I’m originally from Liberia, West Africa as well as my parents, but due to an ongoing war I had to be born near by Liberia in Banjul, de Gambia. At the age of 1 I moved to Waukesha, Wisconsin due to my dad receiving a scholarship to go to Seminary school to become a priest. My family spent 7 years here before moving to St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands due to my father receiving a job there, I spent about 8 years here before then moving to New Orleans with my family where I spent the last two and a half years of high school before moving to Austin, Texas for college. In retrospect, what I believe I learned from my upbringing of moving around more than most is how to be observant of my surroundings and find the beauty in everything. What I believe this also taught me is how to adapt and always keep it moving. These are qualities I take in my everyday life as well as my career in photography.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My career in photography began in high school, shooting football for the school newspaper along with basketball, soccer, and volleyball. That experience gave me a strong foundation in action photography and taught me how to anticipate and capture high-energy moments. In college, those skills naturally transitioned into music photography, where I discovered my true passion. As I began posting my work, I started gaining local attention and eventually began charging for it—though one of the biggest early challenges was figuring out how to price myself, as well as having discrepancy on what gigs I should take and what gigs are not worth it. As far as pricing, I started around $100 and gradually raised my rates as I gained experience, With discrepancy with photography gigs, After a lot of mistakes, I eventually learned to ask myself a couple questions, 1 – Will I enjoy the job? 2- Do I enjoy the people on the job? 3 – Can this lead to other opportunities? 4 – What is the budget/how much can I charge for this? This has been learned with the help and advice of photographer friends who really supported me along the way. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to work on several in-house festival teams, including Austin City Limits, which has been a huge highlight in my career. One of the moments I’m most proud of is getting to travel and work directly with an artist—DJ Vrywvy—and shoot outside of Texas. Looking ahead, I’m excited to hopefully work on many more festival teams, work more events for big companies and brands, and dive further into content creation. I’m also looking forward to landing some brand deals and expanding the ways I can tell visual stories. What sets me apart is my background in action photography and my ability to capture raw, emotional moments in fast-paced environments. My journey hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been incredibly rewarding, and I’m proud of the growth, the connections, and the stories I’ve been able to help tell through my lens.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting Austin we would start off the trip with breakfast tacos from Veracruz All Natural, then spend the first day exploring the murals and shops on South Congress and get Home Slice Pizza for lunch. For dinner, we’d hit up Terry Black’s for classic Texas BBQ. After dinner, we would go get some drinks on east 6th at Latchkey or Shangri-La before finding a concert to go to in the area at either Parish, or Mohawk. On another day, we’d cool off at Barton Springs, then grab lunch at Loro or Ramen Tatsu-Ya. If its one of my friends who likes physical activities, we’d hike the Greenbelt or head out to Pace Bend or Mount Bonnell for some nature and views, then have dinner at Suerte or Canje if we’re splurging. Austin has a bit of something for everyone, which is what I love the most about this city.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my mother who passed away last September. She bought me my first camera in high school from Sams Club in New Orleans and I wouldn’t be doing what I am today without her.

Website: https://levijpg.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levijpg/

Twitter: https://x.com/levijpg

Image Credits
photo of myself taken by Jessica Ortiz