There's a lot of waiting and a fair amount of nervousness, but above all, a lot of excitement. In a few minutes or a few hours, they – and they're mainly women – will finally be able to enter the concert hall and cheer for their idol. Among the crowds worshipping Beyoncé, Aya Nakamura or Harry Styles, photographer Clémentine Schneidermann, 33, picked out a few contenders. From groups of friends to siblings or mothers accompanying their daughters to their first concerts, they were all happy to pose for her.

They imitate the facial expressions, gestures and outfits of the star who amazes them, bringing out the pink feather boa, the silver lamé bustier, the girly Texan hat and the flashy false eyelashes. "They often spend hours getting ready, doing their makeup, dressing up for this moment, and they are thrilled when their efforts are recognized when I ask them to pose," said the photographer. She often plucks them out just outside the tent, right on the sidewalk where they've camped so they can be the first through the doors.

Schneidermann first came into contact with the world of fans through Elvis Presley back in 2013. Then a student in Switzerland, at the Centre d'Enseignement Professionnel de Vevey, one of the best photography schools in Europe, she heard about the King's fan club in French-speaking Switzerland. "In the heart of rural Switzerland, the contrast was quite funny. That's what drew me in, even though I didn't have a particular passion for this singer." These Elvis worshippers served as models for her degree project. She then set off on a journey she has yet to leave behind. "I immersed myself in their world, exploring it for five years."

From the King to boy bands

In the UK, where she settled for around 10 years, she met other followers of the Memphis god. "I fell in love with the little seaside town of Porthcawl, in Wales, which hosts the annual Elvis Festival." She also, of course, made the pilgrimage to Graceland, the singer's home in Memphis, Tennessee. Once she had published the book devoted to this work (with a title inspired by Elvis's daughter's name, I Called Her Lisa Marie, 2018), Schneidermann decided to return to the world of the living. "Elvis fans tend to dwell in melancholy, and I wanted to see what the fans of today's icons were like."

The turning point came at the beginning of the decade when she took the train to Cardiff, Wales. "In the railcars, there was a crowd of very young teens, covered in glitter, heading to a One Direction concert." She had never heard a single note from the boy band, but she had attended several shows by the group's now solo singer Harry Styles, from Paris to Madison Square Garden in New York. "I was fascinated by these young girls who grew up with him and adored him. Some didn't think twice about crossing oceans to follow him, with money from who knows where."

You have 24.23% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.