Caught in the Music
When the show takes over and I forget I’m even holding a camera
Happy July! We’re full-on summer here in Ohio. June was a busy one, and the heat and humidity showed up early, making a few shoots downright exhausting. But I know a lot of you are feeling that too, so I’ll skip the heatwave complaints.
I was all set to follow up last month’s Get Small newsletter with one called It’s All Connected, but as I started pulling it together, it got long, and I started to bore myself. To reset, I threw on some music and went for a walk. Like clockwork, I ended up down a different path. So this month, I want to talk a little more about my why, specifically, why I love photographing creators. And of all the creators out there to photograph, musicians are my favorite.
One of the biggest challenges when photographing people is getting them to relax and just be themselves. As soon as the camera comes out, something shifts. People stiffen up, almost a deer-in-the-headlights look. I’m always working to get them to loosen up, come out of their shells, and forget the camera is even there. That’s why I love working with creators, get them making something, and you can almost see the shift when they drop into their comfort zone.
Musicians are the best example of that. Get them playing and you’ve got magic in front of you. Put them on a stage, and it gets even better. When you know their music, you can start to anticipate the big moments, like when the solo kicks in or the energy shifts. It’s in those moments when they leave the rehearsed and drop into flow that the magic comes out. That’s what I want to capture.
I spent a good chunk of a Saturday in June photographing the main stage at the Yellow Springs Street Fair. It was one of those long, hot days, with surprise downpours and quick scrambles for cover. The kind of day where everything’s a little chaotic, but the music keeps going. I came home worn out and soaked, with a memory card full of photos, some of which I’m sharing this month.
There’s always a new band I haven’t seen before, and some of them knock me sideways. I get into the show and almost forget that I am photographing it. That surprise, that energy is part of what keeps me coming back. This shot is one of my favorites. It’s far from perfect, but it captures something real. Even now, it drops me right back into that moment. The energy, the noise, the surprise of being caught off guard by how good they were. I didn’t know them going in, but I won’t forget them now.
I’ve photographed enough bands at this point that I’m pretty good at spotting the difference between a rehearsed moment and the real “play with the blood” kind of moment (a little reference to Mozart in the Jungle). That’s where the good stuff lives. Not staged, not polished, just real. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve shared those images with the musicians and they’ve always fallen in love with them. That’s the stuff, seeing yourself fully immersed in what you do, doing the thing you love. You can’t force it. It just comes out.
Whether it’s a busker playing in front of a store or a seasoned pro under festival lights, I’m looking for that moment when they forget the audience and disappear into the music. That’s when I hit the shutter. We’ve all heard the saying: do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life. I know it sounds cheesy, but capturing people doing what they love is how I do what I love.
Also, small side note, if you missed it last month, I was interviewed for a piece titled “Life & Work with Karl Yost of Yellow Springs, Ohio” over on VoyageOhio. If you’re curious about my path into photography and what keeps me going, you can give it a read here: VoyageOhio Interview.
As always, thanks for reading!
Karl