Gracie Hall, Xaverian Alumni, has been awarded the prestigious Photographer of the Year title in the Music category at the London Camera Exchange (LCE) 2025 Competition. Her captivating image, taken during a Deadletter concert at 蜜桃直播鈥檚 Band on the Wall, was selected from over 10,000 entries, earning her, not only the category win, but also the position of joint overall runner-up in the competition.
The London Camera Exchange Photographer of the Year awards are open to all photographers with varying levels of experience, and all 14 categories are highly competitive. As well as winning the music category award, Gracie also won joint runner-up for the overall prize.
After completing her A Levels in Media Studies, Philosophy, Ethics & Theology and Sociology back in the summer of 2022, Gracie is now studying for a BA (Hons) Future Media Production degree at 蜜桃直播 Metropolitan University. Her winning image features Deadletter鈥檚 lead singer reaching out to members of the crowd in a scene akin to Michaelanglo鈥檚 Creation of Adam. The shot was taken during her second time photographing the band, who are known for their intense crowd engagement.
Commenting on her success, she said: 鈥淚鈥檓 still shocked about winning the award, having only started photographing gigs properly when I started university. I still feel new to the industry and the discipline of photography. I just feel incredibly grateful for winning and super proud of myself! I鈥檓 very proud of this photograph and it鈥檚 definitely my favourite out of all the ones I鈥檝e taken. I鈥檝e always loved how interactive their lead singer, Zac, is with the crowd鈥� I love moving around and moving with the mosh pits, and this photo was truly taken at the right place at the right time.鈥�
Gracie predominantly covers smaller indie venues for aAh! Magazine and was first published after photographing Joker Out at Club Academy. In 2024, she won aAh! Magazine鈥檚 Student Media Award for Student Photographer of the Year, with her work described as 鈥渉ugely talented鈥� and 鈥渢ransformational鈥� for the magazine鈥檚 music coverage.
She praises aAh! Magazine for playing a significant role in her development, commenting: 鈥渁Ah! Magazine has played a huge part in my journey as a photographer, and I wouldn鈥檛 have won this award without their support and the confidence I鈥檝e gained from covering shows for the magazine!鈥�
Gracie has also returned to Xaverian to support their Marketing Team with various projects, including being the lead photographer at their annual Prom. Looking back at her time studying at Xaverian, Gracie said: 鈥淭here was only eight students (including me) that joined Xaverian from my high school, so I got to meet so many new and amazing people over the two years I was there 鈥� the diversity of people is truly incredible. My teachers were great and helped me gain so many new skills alongside boosting my confidence in my abilities, however, I feel really lucky to have met, and kept in contact with Daisy Webb, who runs the Women in Music event at Off Square where I do a lot of photography and Finlay Hardy, who does all things videography, both of whom are also former Xaverian students!鈥�
Looking ahead, Gracie is eager to continue capturing live music, with the upcoming festival season offering further opportunities to document performances and connect with artists. Her dedication and talent position her as a rising star in the realm of music photography. Follow her journey on Instagram 鈥� @gracroc.
As one of the largest providers of post-16 education in the region, Xaverian College offers an extensive range of A Levels in addition to several BTEC courses.