Mistletoe Project
01.11.2010
Before Christmas, there was a small show at a place in town called Douglas Corner Cafe. It was my first time shooting there and I wasn’t expecting much in terms of lighting seeing as it’s a small coffee shop, but I was so surprised! The lighting (both foreground AND background) was perfect for a singer-songwriter show. Checkout how well-lit everyone is!
The event was hosted by two girls – Nicolle Clawson (aka Nicolle Galyon) and Molly Reed. At Christmastime, they’re a duo known as The Mistletoe Project. They invited out a bunch of their songwriter friends to each play a Christmas song. I only took photos for three of the performers. These were just a couple of my favorites.
Rob Blackledge
There isn’t anything particularly special about the next photo except for two things. This is my best friend here in Nashville – Seth Jones. And his wife, Betsy. They sang the Seven Day Jesus version of O Holy Night. There were probably 50+ people in the cafe when they started their song. I remember there was a bit of chatter when they began, but about 30 seconds in, it was dead quiet. Not so much because of good manners but because of how raw and intimate the guitar and vocals were. I’ve mentioned before how when I shoot, my sense of hearing is usually trumped by my attention to seeing. But the silence in the room was obvious and powerful. I felt it before I heard it.
The reason I love this picture is because I’m a sucker for husbands and wives doing things together. There’s no need for married couples to spend every waking moment together, but to share something special (like music) seems…well…special. I like this photo because Betsy is looking at Seth.
Molly Reed
Nicolle (Galyon) Clawson
- One of the many factors out of your control at concerts is not only the color and intensity of the lights, but also the PLACEMENT of the lights. So often an artist is standing just outside the narrow beam of light that would perfectly illuminate their face/body/instrument. I felt like this show was perfect.
- I’m a big fan of the website La Blogotheque. Months ago, I saw an image on the site that grabbed me. It was a smaller thumbnail of the incredible songwriter, Patrick Watson, doing a live performance. What interested me about the photo is that the slight blurriness on the left side of the picture (normally a photo-killer) made the photo even MORE engaging.
At slower shutter speeds, facial movements (or intentionally moving the camera) can actually CREATE emotion. This next photo isn’t good enough to be a Top Pick from the shoot, but neither does the blurriness make the picture garbage. In some strange way, it adds to the emotion of Seth and Betsy at this particular moment in the song.
Throughout 2009, I shot a crazy number of photos but never posted them. For 40 consecutive days, I'm going to post these shoots. Something new every day!