Decorated Youth Magazine #3

DECORATED YOUTH ISSUE #3

LIVE PHOTOS: FUN / TEGAN AND SARA / ONE REPUBLIC / SARA BAREILIES / WARPED TOUR

LIND -SEY BYRNES

THE PAPER KITES / DIRK MAI / KATIE MOORE / ALEX WILHELM / CLAIRE VOGEL

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STAFF: Heather Hawke Founder | Editor & Writer | Layout & Design | Photographer

SITES:

EMAIL:

www.decoratedyouth.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/DecoratedYouth

Twitter: @decoratedyouth

EDITOR’S NOTE -------------------For these individuals, what they do for a living is not about their job titles or how much money they make, because even without their titles they would still be pursuing these passions.

They have traveled far and wide and have worked for years, even decades, to really find and fine tune their skills. In this issue alone there are features who have traveled cross country, from Germany, and even a band from Australia who are gearing up for their first tour through America.

With the aforementioned we’re just talking about just the individuals we interviewed, the musicians that Sheri Berman and I got to photograph during their live shows are another story. From the talented bands who graced Warped Tour stages this past summer, to a band that combined have all been in the music industry longer than a single member has been alive, to a duo that has been around for over a decade that is just now starting to break onto Top 40 radio, to a band that is guaranteed to make you say that this is the “Good Life,” and to a solo artist whose recent move from the Golden State to the Big Apple inspired her new song “Manhattan.”

One of the things that brings all these individuals together is the fact that they all have an immense fear of one day losing the ability to do these jobs, but they’ve found that their desire for success is greater than their fear of failure.

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General Info@decoratedyouth.com Press heather@decoratedyouth.com

THANK YOU’S -------------------There are three crucial categories that we have to thank because even if only one was missing we would be nothing. It’s the combination of all three that help bring this magazine to life.

The first is of course all of the people we actually had the chance to interview; Lindsey Byrnes, Katie Moore, Claire Vogel, Alex Wilhelm, Dirk Mai, and Christina Lacy of the band The Paper Kites.

The second is all the magnificent photographers that let us publish their photographs/artwork for our third issue; so thank you to Lindsey Byrnes, Mel Barlow, Sheri Berman, Julie Moe, Claire Vogel, Katie Moore, Dirk Mai, Sarah Barlow, and Kim Cartmell.

Last but not least. Thank you, to all of our readers, your support in this means more than you know so thank you for keeping us going. Please feel free to email us and give us input on who and what you would like to see inside our feature issues.

INDEX COVER FEATURE: LINDSEY BYRNES 46 Before Lindsey Byrnes got into photography, she was working for High Speed Productions, Inc. (publishers of the magazine’s Juxtapoz, Thrasher, and Slap). It was during her time spent working for them that she had the opportunity to shoot her first live show. After a number of years working for High Speed Productions she moved on to work as a Marketing Director for Goldenvoice, then proceeded to be the Photo Editor for the Vans book ‘Off the Wall: Stories of the Sole.’ As she was finishing up the Vans book she got an offer to go on her first tour with the musicians Tegan and Sara. In this interview she goes into depth about all of the aforementioned including the pressure and detail that goes into press photography and the harsh reality of freelancer fear, not knowing where your next job is coming from.

PHOTO GALLERIES: 4 VANS WARPED TOUR 8 MOST NIGHTS TOUR 12 SARA BAREILLES / ONE REPUBLIC TOUR

FEATURES: DIRK MAI

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Although Dirk Mai moved to Santa Barbara from Michigan, in 2007, to study photography at the Brooks Institute of Photography, it wasn’t until he began working at BOXeight studios that he met the band The Maine. Now, after years of working together they have collaboratively released their newest book ‘Roads.’

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ALEX WILHELM

Alex Wilhelm was raised in a small town in Germany and with no prior experience or connections he turned his music website ‘Crazed Hits’ into the best place for many top-level music industry A&R execs to find unsigned talent. His determination led him to join Warner Bros. Records as Director of A&R in December of 2012.

THE PAPER KITES

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Since winning over their local Australian fans hearts with 3 EP’s, they are now gearing up to take their debut LP ‘States’ to the States. This debut full length album gives them more room to move; intertwining their trusty faithful songs that people might consider their classic sound, while also exploring a more developed sound with some other songs.

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CLAIRE MARIE VOGEL

As a Visual Content Creator working with Warner Bros. Records Claire Vogel’s job requires a lot of creative energy, so it’s important for her to have her own projects going on as well. She is dedicated to keeping herself inspired, even if it means pulling all-nighters and scheduling shoots on the weekends in order to make it happen.

KATIE MOORE

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For Katie Moore, the dream of being an album artwork artist all started when her high school art teacher had the class invent a band and create their album cover. After majoring in business, she was still mesmerized that art design could ever be a real job so during her free time at her multiple administrative internship’s she began to take up studying design. Now as an experienced album art designer she’s done covers for artists such as Ingrid Michaelson, Trent Dabbs, The Cilvil Wars and Leagues.

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VANS WARPED TOUR ALL PHOTOTS BY SHERI BERMAN //

PHOTOS OF; GO RADIO, THE SUMMER SET, NEVER SHOUT NEVER, FOREVER THE SICKEST KIDS, BRING ME THE HORIZON, THE EARLY NOVEMBER. Sites // http://sheribermanphoto.com/ https://www.facebook.com/SheriBermanPhotography

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MOST NIGHTS TOUR

FUN. WITH SPECIAL GUESTS TEGAN AND SARA August 27, Harvey’s Outdoor Arena (Lake Tahoe) // ALL PHOTOS BY HEATHER HAWKE

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SARA BAREILLES & ONE REPUBLIC TOUR Sept. 7th, Grand Sierra Resort (Reno, NV) // ALL PHOTOS BY HEATHER HAWKE

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DIRK MAI THE ROADS HE TRAVELS

________ sites http://dirkmai.tumblr.com/ @dirkmai

________ photos Dirk Mai

________ interviewed by Heather Hawke

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As a kid, a lack of experience led Dirk Mai to have a majority of under and over exposed shots of nature, but because his father and uncle were both photographers he grew up with intentions of having a career in photography.

His father gave him his first camera while he was in high school, a Nikon FG that he now has tattooed on his chest.

Although he started on film and used to spend hours upon hours in the dark room, he eventually used a digital camera and now only uses film on occasions.

In 2007, he made the move from Caro, Michigan to Santa Barbara, CA to study photography at the Brooks Institute of Photography.

Now, after years of working with numerous bands amd people in the industry he has built a huge portfolio. Among his portfolio are a few regulars that include the band The Maine. After spending over four years documenting the band; taking his camera across the world and into the studio, and capturing intimate moments in the bands career, he along with the band released a book. This book titled ‘Roads’ was four years in the making and it features all of Dirk Mai's photography as well as writings from him and The Maine.

In this interview he talks to us about how his move from Michigan to California impacted his creativity along with; how he first started working and touring with The Maine, advice for other photographers wanting to become touring photographers, and a moment he wishes he had had his camera.

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On his start in photography“My uncle is a photographer and from a very young age I looked up to him and knew I wanted to follow in his direction. On top of that my parents were both hobby photographers in their younger years and I I grew up looking at their black and white prints from when they met. It was really my first time I felt something from looking at photographs. They were real moments and meant so much to me and it really inspired me to capture my own moments like that.”

On his switch from film to digital“I started shooting digital in college when it started becoming part of the courses. I still shoot film quite often but mostly just for myself. We are in the digital age and that's what clients want and what the industry is formatted for. It's just not as economical to shoot film now a days for most jobs. I really miss the days in the darkroom though.”

On the transition from growing up in Michigan, to moving to Santa Barbara in 2007 to study photography“Very smooth. I was ready for the west coast/city years before I moved there. I always knew it was where I belonged so the transition felt natural.”

On the transition to taking photography more seriously than a hobby“When I was 18 and started studying photography in college. It's never felt like a hobby to me though.

Even before I started studying it formally, I felt something inside of me that seemed natural and instilled and I knew photography would be a big part of my life always.”

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On his diverse subject matter he shoots and his favorite to capture“I've always had an attraction to people. In my younger years (18-22) my dream was to be a fashion photographer. It's what I was really working towards and were all of my passion was but music oriented shoots just started falling in my lap somehow and without even realizing it I was pretty much shooting exclusively the music industry (album covers, press photos, behind the scene tour photos, etc...). To this day that is still my main unintentional focus but I'm slowly trying to work my way into the fashion industry still. I've done countless shoots in the fashion industry but I'm nowhere near where I would like to be with it and I have a lot to learn and am constantly putting focus and effort into making that happen. I would like to be shooting music and fashion hand in hand eventually on a much larger level.”

On how both of those places influences his creativity“I'm not sure creatively but on a personal level I do think it really shaped who I am as a person which i guess in a way can translate into my creative side as well. I grew up in a very small town sheltered from a lot of things so I got to experience a childhood that a lot of people don't really get to. It was very innocent and pure. I grew up playing in the woods and pretty much spent all of my free time outdoors as a kid and teen. There are creative people that grow up in small towns and move on to the city to nurture their talents but it's seldom I’ve found that creative people that grow up in the city ever move into rural small towns and ever really understand what that kind of life is like. I think for me it was very important to know what both ways of life are like and I think it gives me good perspective when it comes to photographing people if that makes sense.”

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On how he first started working and touring with The Maine“When I was living at BOXeight I was involved in producing these events called 'Soapbox Sessions' where we would bring in bands that were in town on tour and basically do a live broadcasted video/radio show. They would do an acoustic performance of 4 or 5 songs and fans from all over the world could tune in and watch as well as interact and ask the bands questions during the interview segments. The broadcasts were generally an hour or so long and then in return once the broadcasts were finished, we would give the bands and their guests a speakeasy style private party that were to remember! Open bars, catered food and some pretty incredible DJ's playing for them until the early hours of the morning. Looking back those were some of the most fun nights of my life and I'll never forget them. Long story short, we had The Maine do a Soapbox Session with us at one point and, we hit it off and pretty much shortly after that I was their permanent photographer.”

On how photographing them has changed since he first started“It only gets easier. We are all so close now and they are some of my best friends so there is a love and trust relationship between us. I can put my camera in their faces in any given situation and there is never any hesitation or worry about what I might be capturing because they all know I have their best interest at heart no matter what.”

On what he finds most important about the process of documenting The Maine“Being there for all of the ups and downs. I want the moments that really capture them feeling something. Something undeniable that translates to anyone viewing the photograph later. I want real moments that mean something to me, to them and to anyone viewing it later whether they are a fan of The Maine or not.”

On how it impacts him while watching people who are going through obstacles / struggles and then capturing it through photography“I try to temporarily disconnect while capturing moments like that. I'm very aware when the guys are having a hard time or struggle and I find it very important to document those times so for me, I need to disconnect sympathetically while I take certain pictures. If I try to comfort them or sympathies with them while I'm shooting it’s hard for me to really capture it with the eye I want too. Of course after I get the shots I feel necessary I'm back to friend mode and make sure they are okay. In the end no matter how much someone might not want a camera in their face when something bad is happening to them, they usually really find it neat to be able to look back at it later with a clear mind.”

On his favorite places or favorite day while touring“South America and Amsterdam as far as just really enjoying a place and learning about its culture but I would have to say my favorite day I'd look back on with the guys was when we rented a couple boats on Lake Shasta couple of years ago on a day off. It was such a perfect day out and such a perfect break from the repetitiveness of being on tour. We just cruised up and down the lake, swam, played music, barbecued and drank lots of beer and tequila. It was just one of those unforgettable days.”

On a moment he wishes he had his camera“Very recently actually. When we were in Chicago, we had an electrical fire on our bus and as Garrett, Jimmy and I walked on the bus and found the mattress that was burning I had a split second in my head where I debated whether to document it or help put it out and needless to say, I felt it necessary to help put it out but the whole time I was doing so I was thinking 'God I'm missing such great footage right now'.”

On how to become a touring photographer“It usually takes a lot more than just being a good photographer to be a tour photographer. When you spend so much time on the road, the people you are with in that small space whether it’s a bus or a van all really need to get along and be on the same page.

For a band, the crew they bring out with them is a very selective process. It has to be people they trust, get along with and really enjoy spending time with often and in close quarters. This is especially true for having a photographer out on the road with you. A band isn't going to want someone invading their personal space with a camera in their face, let alone taking up a bunk on their bus if they don't enjoy being around them in the first place. From what I've found, it's an organic process. You become friends with a band and it just becomes natural that you go out with them. Everyone has to hit it off and it really becomes a family.”

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On his biggest hurdle when setting up and working on a shoot“I don't want to say specifics but a couple years ago I was asked to place a bid for a 2012 ad campaign for a beverage company to shoot their entire year of campaigns which was about a quarter million dollar account. I ended up winning the bid against quite a few very respected photographers and while I was in pre-production for the first campaign of the series, the head position from the company was let go and as the new lead came into the picture, he decided to revamp all accounts in the works and start over from scratch so I lost the whole account. Moral of the story for all of you photographers out there, never get your hopes up or count on anything until you've shot it, turned it in and have a check in your hand. Things can change instantly and you always need to be mentally prepared for that.”

On his favorite gear“Hasselblad and broncolor whenever I am renting for a budgeted shoot. Otherwise, my own personal gear I have is Canon and Hensel.”

On his routine when scouting for locations for photos“I've got my go to spots all over LA that I run through in my head when I'm planning for a shoot.”

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“Often I will drive around and scout for new locations though. Anytime I'm driving I'm constantly looking around at the architecture and landscape thinking about how I could utilize it.”

On a person he wishes he could have photographed (dead or alive)“I think right now I would say Charles Bukowski because I've been reading a lot of his work lately and it's incredible how much he has to say and how beautifully he can say things. It would be such an honor to try and capture his soul and personality photographically the way he captured it with his words. Not to mention I wouldn't mind getting to spend a day with him drinking.”

On the moment he realized that this is the perfect job for him“Might be a cop out answer, but every single day that I’m shooting or traveling for a job or sitting at my computer editing photos from a past job, It seems unreal that I get to do this for a living. I make my own hours and I live the life I've always wanted to. I feel blessed every day.”

On the biggest lesson he’s learned“Be patient, determined and never get your hopes up!!!!”

On advice for aspiring photographers“Shoot every day. Meet everyone you can. Learn from everyone you can. Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Never doubt yourself. Hard work builds character. Educate yourself. Try new things.

Experiment with life.”

On his greatest accomplishment“First of all, just getting out of my home town and following my dreams.

Second of all, I'm pretty proud of putting ‘Roads’ out. I put a lot of energy and passion into it and several years of my life. I'm very proud of it.”

On his mentors“There were a couple photography professors that really made a difference with me and really helped guide me in the beginning. Other than that, I've kind of been carving my own path. I guess I'm still waiting for Steven Meisel to take me under his wing.”

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________

________

________

sites

photo

words

@alexswilhelm

Julie Moe

Heather Hawke

Since Alex grew in a small town in Germany he didn’t know a single person in the music industry, let alone have access to any internships.

When he graduated high school he wanted to attend NYU’s Music Business program, but since his family didn’t have enough money for college tuition it was out of the question.

ALEX WILHELM

Alex’s passion with music caught him often at times scouring the internet for 16 hours per day to find the best unsigned artists in the world. One of those unsigned artists was Katy Perry. He began to watch her rise two years before the major labels even took notice. “I came across Katy Perry and was following her for about 2 years just as a fan before she got signed to her current deal with Capitol Records. There was an independent A&R company and I tipped them off on Katy but they didn't want to get behind her.” After that incident Alex knew that he never wanted to be in a position again where someone else could tell him that a future superstar artist wasn't good enough. “That's why I started Crazed Hits. I wanted to have the power to take artists and make sure they'd get heard.”

Power he definitely had. Alex knew he was onto something when only two months after launching Crazed Hits on February 2, 2008 he found the song “If I Were A Boy” through an unknown writer and artist named BC Jean. Beyonce ended up recording and releasing the song a few months later becoming her most successful single to date, which resulted in Alex gaining instant credibility in the music business and BC Jean earning a recording contract with Clive Davis' J Records. This would be the first of many times when the kid from Germany would go on to embarrass experienced seasoned major label executives by discovering major songs or talent out of a bedroom in Germany.

Crazed Hits’ first year of operation brought artists such as LMFAO, Ke$ha, Owl City, Neon Trees and Drake who were then unsigned, into the spotlight. In 2009, Alex featured tracks on the site by artists such as Nicki Minaj, Mike Posner, Hunter Hayes, Kid Cudi and Brantley Gilbert. Alex would go on to find other major recording artists such as Macklemore, Imagine Dragons, The Weeknd, Capital Cities and The Neighbourhood, but it was during this early time that the whole industry was not only watching these artists featured on the site, but also watching the scouting and A&R capabilities of Alex himself.

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The fact that Alex was finding quality music and had developed a good track record was what he says got so many people interested in the site. Recalling it now he says, “a lot of the artists that I championed through Crazed Hits ended up getting deals and/or achieved great success (Imagine Dragons, Macklemore, Ke$ha, Drake, Hunter Hayes, LMFAO, etc.). I suppose that people felt like they'd miss out on stuff if they weren't following what my company was up to.”

By 2010 Alex was receiving over 100 pitches per day and was regularly communicating with top A&R executives and Label Heads. That same year he had received an invitation from the Recording Academy to serve on the Grammy Awards as a committee member, which led to Alex becoming the youngest person ever to get the honor to join the Grammy Committee.

“You're dealing with real people who've wanted to do music all their lives, there's no Plan B for them. A real artist doesn't sit there and think "well, if this music thing doesn't work out then I'm just gonna become a lawyer". It's serious stuff, you're dealing with people's lives - all of their hopes and dreams.”

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Alex’s intentions for starting Crazed Hits were to start helping artists accomplish their dreams and to eventually become an A&R person. His determination to find these unsigned artists led to multiple companies competing to sign him as an A&R Executive with Alex eventually joining Warner Bros. Records as Director of A&R in December of 2012. “It's really important to me that my artists get taken care of and are put in a position where they can succeed. You're dealing with real people who've wanted to do music all their lives, there's no Plan B for them. A real artist doesn't sit there and think "well, if this music thing doesn't work out then I'm just gonna become a lawyer". It's serious stuff, you're dealing with people's lives - all of their hopes and dreams.”

The primary duties of an A&R person are to find, sign, and develop talent and once their artist releases their music they have to be their main cheerleader within their own company. “Every label has limited resources and can only focus on a handful of priority artists at any given moment, so it’s important that you get the company focused on your artists.”

Even though he has more tools available to him now that he works at a major label his scouting process hasn’t changed much. “It's still about listening to and evaluating music with the goal to identify gamechangers.” Game changers as in artists that aren’t just good, but really, really good. “It's about saying no to the good artists so you can say yes to the really great ones, and that can be an extremely challenging task, differentiating between ‘good’ and ‘great’. You really have to do your due diligence and figure out whether or not the artist you're looking at is a true A-lister.”

“The most important thing is that you're in it for the right reasons and truly love music. If you really want it, then go for it. Don't ever let someone who gave up on their own dreams talk you out of yours. There will be a lot of challenges along the way and times when you want to quit. So it's really crucial that you stick with it.

Nothing happens overnight, and it's far more important where you're headed than how fast you're going.”

Since music is very subjective Alex doesn’t feel he has any right to criticize anyone's art, as far as what is good or bad, but the main qualities he looks for in hit songs are ones that really move you and/or inspire you. “A really amazing hit song should have great lyrics, concept, melody, production, as well as heart and substance.”

As for a genre that he’s most impressed by at the moment he says that Country music is in a very healthy place, experiencing huge crossover success with artists like Hunter Hayes, Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line. “I love the fact that country is doing so well as I used to live in Nashville and absolutely love the genre. I try to go back to Tennessee as often as possible.”

When asked who he think’s changed the music industry he states that he has a lot of respect for the people that were involved in building and shaping the Warner Music Group, “everyone from Mo Ostin, to Lenny Waronker, Ahmet Ertegun, Jerry Wexler, Jac Holzman, Seymour Stein and many others. I also have a lot of respect for the people that currently lead our company - Cameron Strang, Rob Cavallo, Jeff Fenster, Jeff Sosnow, as well as Mike Caren, who is WMG’s Worldwide President of A&R. They are all incredibly smart people and make it a really great place to work at.”

As for a band he wishes he could have had the opportunity to sign, from any era, he states that it would definitely have been Nirvana,“their ‘Nevermind’ album had such an important impact on music and culture.”

For people who are running, or want to run, a music website Alex says the key is to find really great artists and to build a track record so eventually you can cut through the noise and prove to people you’re talented. “You also have to realize that nothing will happen overnight. I always say that success is a little bit like pregnancy. Everybody congratulates you but nobody knows how many times you got screwed to achieve it.” (laughs) Additionally, if someone was interested in doing A&R he says that landing an A&R job is incredibly challenging and if you want to do it you have to find your own way. “The most important thing is that you're in it for the right reasons and truly love music.

If you really want it, then go for it. Don't ever let someone who gave up on their own dreams talk you out of yours. There will be a lot of challenges along the way and times when you want to quit. So it's really crucial that you stick with it. Nothing happens overnight, and it's far more important where you're headed than how fast you're going.”

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FROM ‘STATES’ TO THE STATES

THE PAPER KITES

INTERVIEW WITH CHRISTINA LACY On dealing with longevity in the music industry“I think about this and it scares me a bit, to be honest. I think there's only so much we can do to maintain momentum in an ever changing industry. There could be pressure to feel as though you have to be constantly putting stuff out there so people don't 'forget' who we are and move onto something new.

But, I think if you want to create honest, beautiful music that's just not possible. Be as strategic and as smart as possible in how you go about releasing your music and at the end of the day you want to trust that no matter how many great bands are out there (and no matter how fast it's all moving), honest songs will still speak loud.”

On using unrecorded demos or writing new material for ‘States’“A bit of both. There are a few songs from that original lot of demos that made the cut for the album, but then there are a whole lot of new songs too. We had our work cut out for us when it came to deciding which songs would be recorded and which ones wouldn't. haha. Especially, with five different opinions being thrown in and people having personal connections to certain songs.”

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The Paper Kites are an indie folk band from Melbourne, Australia. The band was formed in 2009 by Sam Bentley and Christina Lacy and consists of Bentley, Lacy, Dave Powys, Josh Bentley and Sam Rasmussen. They have released three EPs; their debut EP ‘Beginnings’ in 2010, ‘Woodland’ in 2011, ‘Young North’ last year, and on July 28 they released their debut full length ‘States’ in Australia and New Zealand. ‘States’ will be released in North America on September 30, 2013.

Besides releasing their debut album on July 28, they also kicked off their national tour in Newcastle, Australia. They will soon be heading overseas to support City and Colour, and embarking on their own headlining tour, in North America and Canada running from October 2-November 13.

________ sites

http://www.thepaperkites.com.au/

________

________

photos

interviewed by

Kim Cartmell

Heather Hawke

www.facebook.com/thepaperkitesband

@thepaperkites

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On what they’re most looking forward to the release of their debut full length ‘States’“It's just nice to have more songs to give to people. A full length album gives us room to move a bit too; to include those trusty faithful songs that people might consider the classic 'The Paper Kites' sound, but also have room for songs that explore a more developed sound. Personally, I'm really excited to release more songs where I'm singing...and one in particular that Sam and I wrote together, that I really love.”

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On how this album’s creation process differs from their previous EP’s“It was definitely a different process and a much harder one. One reason is that we had never had to record so many songs in one go. Also, I think there was a lot more collective input than the previous recordings. In the past, Sam would bring us mostly finished tracks that he had a clear vision for.

Whereas in writing and recording 'States,' we all put more into it. Sometimes we had different opinions and ideas on various songs or aspects of the album.

But, the fact that it's our debut album just puts the pressure on a bit too, makes you feel like "ok, we really want to get this right!"

On the writing process“Predominantly, Sam Bentley does the writing and then there's songs that Dave and I will co-write with him. With 'States,' we did heaps of rehearsing before we hit the studio and really workshopped and pulled apart the songs until we were all happy with the end result. Even though one might not have written a particular song, we all put ourselves into the full process and it became a band's song.”

On the timeframe where the lyricism came out“I'm pretty sure all the songs have been written in the last 18 months or so and I'd say most of them have come from different experiences or lessons from our lives - relationships, losses, mistakes. Just the usual life stuff....it's just that we've tried to make it all as pretty as possible in song version!”

On lyrics going through revision“Sam is an incredible lyricist and the lyrics rarely change from how he originally wrote them. That's probably a testament to how much time, thought and heart he puts into theM. Sam and I are brutally honest with each other. So, every now and then, I'll have to be honest and tell him when I don't like it.

Although, it's not usually like 'So Sam, that line really sucks!', it's more like 'hey, I reckon we can do better than that', and most times he agrees and tells me he wasn't sure about it either.”

On their song’s backstories“Most of the songs were written on one of Sam's two writing trips in Victoria. Staying at a friend's family home, it was in the middle of nowhere, as well, as a gorgeous house. It had this amazing 'shack' where Sam set up all his music stuff and wrote. “

“There's no mobile phone reception and the views were amazing. Certainly a good setting for some space and inspiration!”

On why their music videos don’t ever feature the band“Honestly, it's partly because we don't like being in the videos, I think we are kind of scared of it. We love creating what we hope people see as beautiful music videos that are a visual aspect to the song enhancing the experience of the music and lyrics. If we were in the videos, the focus would be on us and less on the video as a continuation of the art of music.”

On getting swept up in the moment while playing a certain song onstage“Ah, I get that heaps when I'm listening to music! As for our own songs, I don't think it happens as often.

That kind of emotional connection with the song is what I try to find when I'm in the studio recording, especially with my vocals. I'm also swept up in the moment when on stage and enjoy the connection with the crowd...and that people are actually there to listen to us.”

On the songs they feel really represent The Paper Kites as a whole and if it’s going to change when ‘States’ is released“It's hard to pick specific songs that represent us.

But, if asked, I would say the ones we have released as singles and made the videos for. When 'States' is released it will give people more songs to define and decide what 'The Paper Kites' is. There will be some songs that are just what you expected, and some that will pleasantly surprise you! That's what we're hoping for, anyways.”

“When 'States' is released it will give people more songs to define and decide what 'The Paper Kites' is. There will be some songs that are just what you expected, and some that will pleasantly surprise you! That's what we're hoping for, anyways.”

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Claire Vogel’s transition from a theater kid to a videographer / photographer happened when she was in high school. Now she is a Visual Content Creator working for Warner Bros.

Records, along with being a Music Video Director in her spare time, and is thankful to be a part of a company with such rich culture and history.

Since musicians have always been her biggest muses it’s fitting to her that she gets to collaborate with them daily.

UNITING VISUALS WITH SOUNDS

CLAIRE VOGEL

________ sites http://clairemarievogel.tumblr.com/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/oclaire/ http://vimeo.com/clairemariefilms

________ photos Portrait of Claire: Tessa Neustadt All other photos: Claire Marie Vogel

________ words Heather Hawke

Long before Claire Marie Vogel got into filmmaking she was into photography, but she says that they’ve both contributed to the growth of each other individually. As a child, her father let her shoot on his Nikon F3 (which she still has and loves) and he’d occasionally rent out a small darkroom in town where he taught her the steps of developing and printing the film. Although, it wasn’t until she was in high school that she became obsessed with photographically documenting her life.

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“The art and magic of editing was a discovery that allowed me to see filmmaking as a way to express and visually interpret my emotions.”

“This wasn’t because I thought I was extremely interesting, but more so because I worried I’d forget everything if I didn’t take a picture of it - down to the most mundane things. Digital cameras were not as prevalent then, so I often spent any money I had on disposable cameras. Between buying the cameras, developing and printing the film at the drug store, I usually ended up broke with a stack of poorly framed and underexposed photos. Ultimately this is what made me begin to consider how I was taking photos and how to better capture the moment. The photos slowly improved and the thing with obsessions is they offer you many occasions to learn and get better from your mistakes.”

Claire has always enjoyed the dark room because she could spend hours going through the meticulous process of timing and printing her film. She says she’s generally not a person who does well with following processes, but it turned off her brain and allowed her to get lost in the process which is a special ritual for her.

Growing up Claire constantly moved around, which definitely impacted her creativity and understanding of the world, but her one consistent home growing up was in Laguna Beach, California which is known to be an artist’s colony. “One of California’s first art galleries originated there, and many early film actors, photographers, painters and writers spent time there before anyone else thought to. Though reality television took over the town in my teen years, the foundation of the city was built on art making and many friends I grew up with have gone on to become incredible artists.” She, herself, even authored a pictorial history book of the town.

She started out as a theater kid in middle school through high school, but when her theater teacher moved on to teach the first video production course she followed, as she didn’t like the new theater teacher. “It has been the only time in my life when I’ve had that profound locking-puzzle-piece, mondolight-switch-moment when something makes sense in a big way.”

“The art and magic of editing was a discovery that allowed me to see filmmaking as a way to express and visually interpret my emotions. I then basically made CKY rip-off movies with my guy friends, so I can’t exactly say it was art off the bat, but this new direction was definitely my doorway to becoming an artist.” She continued taking film classes throughout high school and eventually the associated student body created a role for her as “School Historian,” in which she documented everything.

After four years at community college, she transferred to CalArts and got her degree in Film &Video. She mentions that while attending college she took a couple basic photo classes, but she mostly focused on filmmaking. ”I chose the school because they were one of the few that still focused on the use of actual film and hand processing techniques.

Once I read the description for a course called Alchemical Cinema, which is taught by the incredible Charlotte Pryce, I knew it was the right school for me.”

Although she can’t say whether any of the classes got her ahead in her field, they inspired her and helped her define how and why she makes her work.

“There are probably a lot of classes I should have taken or paid more attention to, like After Effects, but it can be really difficult for me to ingest and retain that kind of technical information.”

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Growing up with a camera easily accessible and around a lot of musicians (who always needed album covers or band photos) led her to shoot more regularly which she thinks made it turn into something serious. Although, she still considers photography a hobby as she’s always surprised when someone wants to hire her to shoot.

Just in the last couple of weeks she has; shot a friend’s wedding in Laguna Beach, performed at a wedding in Ojai, started prepping for a music video to shoot in Mexico, began an experimental documentary film project, and also shot Jackie Collins doing a dramatic reading of Cher's new single.

As for her job now, working at Warner Bros. Records she says that she never expected to work in the music industry the way that she does. “It’s a dream job. It’s a special, weird place I get to grow in.

Musicians have always been my muses, so it seems very fitting to work with them daily. I’m thankful to be a part of a company with such rich culture and history.” Although, working in the music industry especially at a label, she sometimes feels separated from other directors and photographers.

One of the first bands she started to work with on a regular basic at Warner Bros. was My Chemical Romance. She had just graduated and since they were just beginning to create art and music for their last album ‘Danger Days,’ she was put on a short term contract to make weird, post-apocalyptic, grainy visuals for a web project meant to tease their return. Recalling the moment when she knew that being a photographer & videographer was the right job for her, she states that there have been many moments with this band that have kept her in constant awe and joy. "Going on my first tour, Gerard allowing me to shoot the opening shot of their music video, running around the stage filming during their Jimmy Kimmel Live show, sitting in a near empty room while they rehearsed, collaborating on strange ideas, watching how fans reacted to them and work I made for them… “ Overall she states that there are many moments, but it’s the combination of working with a creative group of artists who trusted and collaborated with her even though she was barely out of college and had little experience. “The collaborative relationships with the bands I work with are what really make my job so special to me.”

A typical day for her working at Warner Bros. records as a visual content creator consists of first driving to Burbank from her home in Silverlake, California where she works in the Warner offices; a iconic wooden building designed by A. Quincy Jones. She states that although her days often vary, a constant is time spent in front of a computer editing videos.

“Other days I’m out shooting musicians. One week I could be in Venice Beach filming behind the scenes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers doing an impromptu performance on a rooftop, the next shooting photos of Neil Young at a private art event, or documenting Jason Derulo’s experience at the Teen Choice Awards. My job with Warner requires a lot of creative energy, so it’s important for me to have my own projects going on as well. The last two music videos I made were with good friends as passion projects. I’ll pull all-nighters and schedule shoots on the weekends in order to make it happen, but it works out. I play weekly with a ukulele orchestra, am taking a film course and just started French lessons.

Various stimulation is important to keep myself inspired.”

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Although, the biggest hurdle for her when setting up and working on photo shoots and music videos often stem from the musicians themselves she still loves working with them. She proceeds to say that any collaboration between artists will of course come with different visions and compromises, which can lead to creating something you never expected or planned on your own. “It can also be incredibly frustrating. You can’t always make everyone happy – yourself included. It’s taught me to be a more flexible person.“

Being a flexible person in this industry is imperative.

Claire explains that to successfully work with various kinds of people, while still creating something of your own vision, is something that everybody, including herself, constantly needs to work on.

Even though her job as a music video director and a photographer call for her to be around celebrities often, she states that it’s under false impressions that it’s a glamorous lifestyle. “Unless you are one of those celebrities or very well established and successful in your work, the reality is that you’re spending a lot of time alone in front of a computer.

Like, a lot. I often have to carry heavy things too. I rarely feel glamorous, but I do feel fortunate.”

Some of the other tasks required of her as a music video director range from only dictating what she needs from her crew, to wandering an Albertson’s alone at 2:00 AM purchasing all of the craft service food the night before a shoot. “With the budgets that the music industry is working with these days, I think it’s hard to say what typical tasks are.

Sometimes you gotta do it all to get it done. I’m trying to drop the habit of doing everything myself though. It’s draining and ultimately doesn’t help me focus on what a director needs to make their number one task – the translation of your vision of the music to film.”

“It’s a dream job. It’s a special, weird place I get to grow in. Musicians have always been my muses, so it seems very fitting to work with them daily. I’m thankful to be a part of a company with such rich culture and history.”

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Another translation which may be tricky when starting out in the photography industry, is knowing when to start charging for your work. Since everyone’s time is worth something Claire says that trading is a good starting point, but if you’re just starting out and you want to try something new and someone gives you the opportunity to do it with little or no pay then go for it. “Sometimes it’s easier to learn without the pressure of someone’s expectations and cash weighing on your shoulders. Of course, once people are approaching you because they like what you’re doing, there’s no reason not to charge for it.”

While talking about her favorite gear she mentions that last summer she bought a Leica M6 and although she debated spending the money on it she ultimately told herself that it was an important tool for her in the creation of her work. “If I was to take myself seriously, I’d have to feel like I deserved professional tools. I saw myself on hilltops in Iceland with that camera (and since have done).

It’s compact, solid, takes incredible photos and doesn’t look like a high-end piece of gear to the untrained eye.” Two of her other favorites are an autofocus 35mm Nikon from the 90s that she got off of eBay for seven bucks, in which those photos come out exactly how she in-visions them, and the Diana Mini. For video she adores her Lensbaby, “it makes everything more exciting.”

As for her favorite photos to capture she says that she’s always favored ones that are natural, the unexpected and impulsive shots that are more prone to happy accidents, but recently she’s been doing more studio sessions and she says that having fun in a controlled environment can be quite creatively exciting as well. “I always forget how much I like live photography until I’m actually doing it. Live photos can be so easily boring. You’re often stuck in a spot with bad vantage points, fighting fans who think you’re trying to take their spot, but it usually puts me in a position to challenge myself and find a unique angle or treatment.”

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When talking about what she thinks her greatest accomplishments are so far she says that "There are many projects I’m proud of, but it’s hard to say what tops honestly. There are so many factors. I always feel I want to do better than before.“ When’s it’s time to scout for locations for videos and photo shoots she has no specific routine.

“Sometimes a location inspires an idea and sometimes you have to seek out a place that fits what you envision, pending your budget of course, which is often its own challenge.”

The turnaround length for videos, from finding locations to releasing it to the public, is so extreme that Claire mentions that once she waited over a year for a video to be released, and another time she only had a few weeks to prep, shoot, edit and deliver the video. “It’s an unpredictable and ever-changing world, and that can be equally appealing as it is terrifying.”

Even before she was professionally in the music industry she had mentors helping her along the way, and she says that they’ve all been important in each step she’s made creatively, professionally and often personally. She mentions that she’s very fortunate to have found them, but she also thinks that they found her because of how passionate she was about her interests. “I was open to their help and therefore they offered it to me. My high school film teacher in Laguna Beach, Pam MacKay was a huge mentor, especially in terms of applying my interests to a community. She always had great patience and advice for me. My friend Mark Pellington is a fascinating and talented director who has allowed me to learn from him by shooting beside him and giving me feedback on my work. He’s also never shy to voice how I inspire him, which is humbling encouragement to keep moving forward with what I’m doing.”

“He’s an amazing person who has achieved success, but still allows himself to work in such open ways that most men of his level leave behind. You can see the honesty in his work because of that. My three parents have all been very supportive and grounding throughout my journey in different ways. I’m very grateful to be able to relate to them and speak with them about most anything. They’re exceptionally wise people. My current boss and good friend, Devin Sarno has been the biggest mentor in my life. He works in a business that is often completely chaotic with one of the most zen poker-faces I’ve ever known. He is an incredible mentor because he doesn’t tell me what to do, but instead (and probably unknowingly) leads me by example. He believes in me so much and I’m not sure where I’d be without him.”

As for her best advice for aspiring photographers / music video directors is to just keep doing what you’re passionate about. “Take every opportunity you can to learn and improve. Be tenacious and be driven. I’ve found that being passionate will win over technical skill in most situations. My professor, Monte Hellman just reminded me last night that technique is the enemy of creativity. This is true in many situations. Film school was very important to me, but you don’t need film school, a nice camera or lots of money to make something worthwhile. My other advice that I can’t stress enough is to be reliable. There is always someone else who will step up and do the job, but if you’re a reliable and relatively reasonable person, it will help you get ahead, guaranteed.”

“Take every opportunity you can to learn and improve. Be tenacious and be driven.”

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JUDGE AN ALBUM BY IT’S ARTWORK

KATIE MOORE

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________ sites

________

________

photos

http://thisnotthisdesign.com/

Portrait of Katie: Sarah Barlow

@K_80

All other photos: Katie Moore

words Heather Hawke

What began as just an interest in album design in high school art class has now become a full-fledged career for Katie Moore. She has designed albums for artists such as The Civil Wars, Ingrid Michaelson, Trent Dabbs, Chelsea Lankes, Leagues, and Young Summer.

Katie Moore majored in business and then proceeded to work four internships, one was an administrative internship in the art department at Sony Nashville. Proceeding a few years later, the HR department at EMI (now Capitol) saw “internship” on her resume and offered her a temporary admin position in Creative Services (which was originally for 3 months, but extended to 9 before hiring her full time as an assistant). During these experiences, while filing and copying, she desperately wished she knew how to design.

Her interest in design started when her high school art teacher (a very hip former flower child) had the class invent a band and create their album cover.

She mentions that she’ll never forget how insane it was to her that this could ever be a job. “It’s still insane to me that this is a job. I never imagined I could actually do it, but I knew it was the dream.

(For those interested, my fake art class band was called Schooner, they were the Blink 182 of the fake music scene of 2002.)”

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During the job she decided to use her time wisely, she began to ask questions and spent her lunch breaks playing around with the design programs. While she was doing that she recalls a wonderful, selfless inhouse designer taught her the basics. It was during this time that since the Creative Director believed in her (for which she says she’s forever grateful for) she got hired on as an assistant. She was at that job for five years and during her time there she got promoted, as well as art directed photo shoots and album packaging. “It was there that I met Nate Yetton, a charming A&R guy - he asked if I'd be interested in designing an EP for his wife. I said yes, not knowing she even sang, thinking that if it sucked no one would see it anyway. His wife was Joy Williams and people saw it.

One EP lead to another, which lead to more freelance work, which eventually lead to leaving the label and now full time design work.”

She mentions that since she’s never had formal training, she has only recently begun to call herself a designer. Since self-doubt can be crippling for creatives, one of the biggest challenges throughout the design process she says is getting past herself and feeling confident in her skill.

Everytime someone asks her to design for them Katie says she starts out with a mild panic attack. “I wish I was lying about that one. Every time someone asks me to design for them, I have a little meltdown, wondering if this is the one where everyone figures out this is a fluke.”

The duties of someone who designs album artwork range from; “meeting with the artist, learning their likes and dislikes, listening to the music, getting a feel for what inspired the music, brainstorming, comping (getting the rough ideas out there for the artist to see), either tweaking those comps or getting new direction, finalizing the cover, then fleshing out the album packaging and getting it ready for print.”

Katie says she’s insanely grateful for the fact that there is no “typical day” when working in design. The only constant she has in her work day is going to the gym every morning. Some days she works from home, some days she goes into an office and some days she just goes for joy rides.

“By nature, being a designer requires a lot of computer time. I get quite stir crazy if I don't see other humans; I could easily go multiple days and only see my cat. I take meetings at coffee shops and I try to grab lunch with friends as often as possible - I find that other people are my favorite inspiration, and Nashville is full of people who are incredibly inspiring.”

Her favorite thing about designing album artwork is having the opportunity to be involved with the creation of music without being a musician. “Being able to form a relationship with the artist and making something that visually represents what has been in their head for months. I'm forever grateful for that partnership.”

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Describing her design style she mentions that although she thinks she doesn’t have a specific style, because she usually just adapts to the wants/ needs of the client, if she had to label it she’d call it “modern dreamy”. “I've been told by other artists that they can tell when I've done a cover - which was an odd letdown. I liked the idea of surprising people with work I'd done.”

One of her most memorable design jobs has been for The Civil Wars. Since she’s been with them from the beginning, she says that it’s been an honor to work with them and help create their image. “It has been an incredibly emotional, rewarding ride.

Working on the new album has been hard for me, but it's easily the most inspired I've ever been. I left a big piece of my heart in that one.”

The limit of her creative freedom for the artwork depends on the artists. “Some artists enter the conversation with a very clear idea of what they want and the direction they'd like to go in. Some have no idea and give you complete control.” She states that generally her favorite is when the artist is looking to collaborate, giving her creative freedom but also constructive vision.

As for the best story behind an album cover that she’s designed happened when she did 'Southerner' for Trent Dabbs. He previously chose another cover to go with, but after Katie replied back to him saying “that’s disappointing,” he then chose her favorite cover to go with; which she says is probably the cover she gets the most comments on. “There are other stories - body parts that have been retouched, arguments that have been had, hundreds of comps that have never seen the light of day - but I'll protect the guilty parties.”

Katie states that the fact that she has now reached the point where she has to turn down offers for design jobs is an insane blessing. A friend once gave her great advice for the decision process that she consistently refers back to,” you have to ask yourself 3 questions: -Is this going to be good opportunity for me? -Is this going to be fulfilling personally/will it be fun? -Is this going to pay well? If you can't say yes to at least two of those questions, you kindly pass.”

Some of her favorite album covers from other designers are; James Brown 'In The Jungle Groove,' T.I. 'Paper Trail,' Coldplay 'Viva La Vida,' Etta James 'At Last!, and ‘Elton John 'The Greatest Hits 1970 2002'. Although her favorite cover by far is Elvis Presley's self-titled record. “That photo, the bold font - so iconic. Compound that with the way The Clash used it as inspiration for 'London Calling' showing the evolution of rock & roll through two album covers, it's easy to love it.”

If she could have designed an album cover from any era she says her dream list would be; “Otis Redding, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Sam Cooke, Hank Williams.” For a modern day artist she says she’d love to work with Jack White. “He’s incredibly thoughtful about what he does - I think it would be very easy to be inspired.”

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Sticking out as an album artwork designer Katie says is more than being the greatest designer, they have to have a good reputation. ‘People don't necessarily want to work with the greatest designer; they want to work with someone who comes highly recommended - someone easy to work with, who can be trusted to turn out a good product.”

She adds, “It never hurts to make friends and word of mouth is how I've gotten most of my work.”

She states that a biggest misconception about designing album artwork is that nothing is ever simple, even what looks like the easiest cover take time. “A basic cover with an artist image probably has a couple of hours of retouch work on it and has seen twenty font options.”

The standard turnaround rate of designing an album cover is generally a few weeks with comping and the back and forth, but she says the best covers usually happen at the last minute.

Although specific fonts come and go with the trend, an element of design that she says will probably never go out of style is clean white type.

As for speculating what is in store for album designing in the future, she mentions that since cd packaging is becoming more obsolete it’s a tell- tell sign that everything is going digital. Which for somebody that loves physically holding onto albums is heartbreaking. “I often design in 1 inch squares so I know how covers will translate on iTunes. I don't mind, I can see the value of it, but I will miss my jewel cases and digi-packs when the only thing I have are MP3s and PDFs. Picking out ink colors for CD plates is my favorite part of the print design process - what will I do with myself when I don't get to do that anymore?”

Her latest designs were the newest The Civil Wars album, intertwined with other fun projects like the Young Summer album. As for her future plans she says that while she’s thankful to have work, she’s hoping to take off some time to refuel.

For her last words of advice towards aspiring designers and creators she mentions that since her Dad is a football coach, having a conversation with him about feeling uninspired is basically an SNL sketch waiting to happen. “A lack of inspiration doesn't seem like a real problem to anyone who doesn't create for a living. As a creative, it's close to impossible to make anything of value when your well runs dry. It's important to take time to see the world, foster relationships with other creatives and live a life that will fuel your ability to create great work. Be kind to yourself, don't beat yourself up when you're not inspired, go and do and it will come.”

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LINDSEY

BYRNES

FROM YEARS OF WORKING FOR PUBLICATIONS, TO HAVING HER PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASED IN PUBLICATIONS Since professional photographer Lindsey Byrnes didn’t grow up in an artistic family she had no knowledge that being an artist or making a living off of doing art was even an option. She originally went to college to focus on things along the lines of business, communications, and marketing, but dropped out because she was excited to start working and wasn’t interested in postponing.

She immediately got a job in sales at a skateboard company which led her to move to San Francisco. While at the skateboard company she somehow got into writing music reviews. “Basically I was the receptionist, super entry level, and I was writing all these kids back fan mail. I was super in to writing kids that would write fan mail, and that somehow got me into writing music reviews. I don’t even know how it happened so all of a sudden I was like “I’m a writer!”

During her time at the skateboard company, she met somebody that worked at one of the three magazines that High Speed Productions, Inc. published called Thrasher Magazine, so out of curiosity she went in and interviewed. “I go to Thrasher and I show them my writing. The editor in chief looks at my work and looks at me and he’s like “so you’re obviously not a writer, but we like you, so call us back”. So for months, every time they’d be like “call us back”, I would like call on the day. One day they like said “Hey we got this opening come in”.”

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________ sites http://www.lindseybyrnes.com/ @LindseyByrnes

________ photos Cover portrait and inside portrait: Mel Barlow All other photos: Lindsey Byrnes

________ words Heather Hawke

Lindsey is an accomplished photographer with years of editorial experience, having worked on the staff of publications like Thrasher and Juxtapoz. She’s also been behind the band and skate photography in a Vans’ book, ‘Off the Wall: Stories of the Sole’ and Tegan and Sara‘s three-book series ‘On’, ‘In’, ‘At’.

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When she went in they didn’t reiterate that she wasn’t a writer, but they did tell her that she was a sales person. Since she started out at the age of 15 doing phone sales, they offered her the position of Ad Sales Director for their art magazine, Juxatapoz.

“It was really small at the time going into its second year, and nobody knew what it was. The offer that they made me seemed great, I was like “Oh my god this is amazing, everybody I know is going to college and I’m like making money!”

Being in charge of Advertising Sales for a small magazine she had to figure out a way for people to start noticing the magazine and since they didn’t have an official promoter she took it into her own hands. After a couple years of doing promotion, with events and sending out magazines, she inevitably started doing stuff for their other magazines Thrasher and Slap. She recalls that it was during this time that she went to them with a job proposal to do the marketing for the whole company. They accepted her job proposal but told her “because we’re giving your job to someone else, if this doesn’t work then you’re out.”

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She then started taking pictures on the job. “I’d be taking meetings in New York and I’d come back with pictures of these events and then they’d put them in a magazine.” She recalls that when she saw her photos in a magazine it felt the same as when she used to see her music reviews inside a magazine.

“Strength was the first magazine I was published in.

It was a skate/ surf/ snow type of deal. I thought oh my god this is so cool, seeing my name in print. I felt so important, I felt like I had a sense of purpose which was, something I was looking for.”

Lindsey grew up really fond of magazines, “I didn’t read a lot I didn’t find my escapes in books. Maybe it was that my attention span was so short or I couldn’t find books I liked. When I realized that there is basically a magazine for everything I liked I became obsessed. “I had a subscription to Surfing Magazine and every day check my mailbox, every day, just waiting for the new issue to come. Same with Seventeen, I was so into my Seventeen Magazine.”

“I remember the first issue I got, it was Milla Jovovich on the front cover she was like 12 years old.

I remember getting those magazines in the mail and it was the first time something cool was coming for me; it was like a present every month. I mean I’ve always been in love with print, and so working at a magazine was just so cool, I finally made it, I arrived.”

Her first live show photographing experience also came when working for High Speed Productions, Inc. A band she liked ‘The Vines’ were performing and she told her work that she was going to shoot them and they said “ok, you can”. “I really wanted everything to look good and be good, and I got the photos back and there was like three frames that turned out and I was in tears. Luke Ogden, who’s a really great photographer, he was just like “Do you even realize? This is great, this is a great shot, you’re great, don’t worry about it! Do you know how many rolls of film I have to go through to get that shot that I want?” He was really encouraging, like “don’t stop, just keep doing it, this is great!’

After that first live show she was hooked. She started learning more about light and film and what you have to do to make something show up on film with no flash. “There was no digital then, I’m so grateful for that kind of learning, because I don’t know how people learn on digital. I don’t know how anybody can really truly have a concept of ISO and aperture and shutter speed and all of that without understanding what’s really happening. All those things on a digital camera are just mimicking what film was doing, without that tangible feeling. I would have a hard time conceptualizing, I have to do something and see, to develop the film and see how something works to really understand what’s happening.”

Since Lindsey is now an experienced photographer in the industry she says it can sometimes make her a little judgey. “I feel like I can really tell good live photography versus bad live photography now, then maybe I couldn’t. I also didn’t have as much of an opinion, I wasn’t as confident in my work so I didn’t feel like I could criticize other’s people work.”

She also says that as her opinions grew she also had to deal with others criticizing her more. “For an example I have this photo that I love of Flea, and I turned it in somewhere and the outlet I was shooting for told me they didn’t want to use it because he was making a weird face at the camera.

Flea is the bassist for Red Hot Chili Peppers, and if anybody is familiar with Flea or his performances, that’s what he does, he makes a weird face. That’s his thing you’re not going to get a shot an awesome shot of him not kind of making this serious crazy face. They came back to me and they’re like we didn’t really like that one, and he was looking straight at the camera, and it’s awesome and I love this shot and I feel like I’m pretty hard on myself, and they’re like “he’s making a weird face” and I’m like “do you know who he is?” She proceeds to say, “Photography is subjective to people’s opinions and I can defend it and argue it, but I am learning to just keep my mouth shut too.”

After ten years of working for High Speed Productions, Inc. Lindsey was starting to feel a little antsy so she moved back down to Southern California and got a job working as a Marketing Director for Goldenvoice the promotor of the acclaimed music festival Coachella. “I’ve always really loved Coachella, I shot Coachella for a couple of years and, I was like ‘this is so great.” I realized that doing marketing for a promoter was very different than doing marketing for magazines; I didn’t have the creative canvas that the magazine provided. I hadn’t quite connected the dots yet, though.”

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“I had two big job interviews and one offer at this agency, and I came to that moment where I was like, go on tour with this super awesome band and take photos of them and do something creative, or go work another office job. I was like 'this is totally scary' as someone that always had a job and always worked for someone else. This is really scary but I’m going to do it.”

After working for Coachella for a year, she applied for a Marketing position for Vans. “I went through like three tiers of interviews and finally they chose someone else and I was devastated because it’s you know Vans’ and their so cool and I was so upset.”

She thought that going back to work in the action sports industry was the answer and what she had been missing while working for Goldenvoice.

About a month later when Vans was in the works of putting together their ‘Off the Wall: Stories of the Sole’ book, author Doug Palladini reached out to her and proposed an offer. He asked her if she’d like to photo edit the book because of all of her licensing experience. Unsure about the offer she took a month off and went to Europe.

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When she returned home they made her another offer that she liked, so she took the job. “In the process of doing that, I started looking at a lot of the old photos that I had, I picked all of the photos that went into this book, and it was a big deal. I started looking at some of the archives I had from Warped Tour and things I shot and I was like “oh wow, this is kind of cool.”

For the Vans book she had put forth some of her photos, since she was the photo editor it seemed completely appropriate. “I had put some of my photos in the pile, I feel was subjective. They were really good. I mean, I had put maybe two photos of mine in the whole book, and Doug and Jeremy, the designer, loved them so it gave me a little bit of confidence. I was like, ‘okay, I guess, I guess photography is choosing me, let’s see what happens.’ – Dots finally connected.

Lindsey says photography chose her because she has never had a specific point in time where she said “photography is my career.” She says that in a way, just like with her other job where they told her “you’re a sales person,” photography found her.

“Honestly, I didn’t know it was going to be a career, I still don’t even know if it’s a career. You know, I definitely looked at other photographers and was like ‘oh my god, your job is so awesome, like you get travel all over the place.’

She was just about to finish the Vans book when Tegan and Sara asked her if she wanted to go on tour with them and shoot. “I had two big job interviews and one offer at this agency, and I came to that moment where I was like, go on tour with this super awesome band and take photos of them and do something creative, or go work another office job. I was like 'this is totally scary' as someone that always had a job and always worked for someone else. This is really scary but I’m going to do it.”

From there, a friend of hers asked her if she would like to go shoot a wedding with her if she paid for everything, including plane tickets, for a week in Mexico and all Lindsey had to do was shoot for two days, Lindsey said “sounds good, I’m in”. “Things just started happening, and it wasn’t out of the blue, I was interested in her job and I had volunteered and had helped her put together some stuff an and been working for her a little bit, and she was like 'do you want to come shoot with me?,' and I was like ‘Mexico I’m in!’ She’s so cool, and she’s so talented, her name is Mel Barlow she’s such a super talented woman, and really inspiring.”

Although she was shooting weddings to subsidize money for a couple of years, she stopped shooting weddings more for political reason than anything.

“The fact that the gay rights, civil rights movement is kind of like the biggest movement of our time, of my generation anyway, I just couldn’t. I stopped shooting weddings, because I couldn’t participate in something that wasn’t including everyone.” I didn’t want to make money off of something that was ultimately making myself and so many other people feel bad. To be honest I stopped attending weddings all together.”

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Even though it was a really hard choice for her because wedding photographer was accounting for a substantial part of her income she made a political decision and took a stand in what she really believes in and quit shooting weddings. She says that the only time she even entertains the idea of shooting weddings is in states, or countries, where it’s legal for everyone to get married. So now that same sex marriage is legal in California, she says “bring it on!”

Being a freelance photographer, Lindsey has a wide variety of clients she works with. She says that when it comes to getting a job it’s a mixture of clients approaching her with direction along with herself approaching them with ideas. “This is something that I really want to address is freelancer fear.

Freelance fear is real, it’s really hard not knowing where your next job is coming from. I used to envy freelancers so much, I’d be like ‘you’re a freelancer that’s so cool you get to do whatever you want,’ but now I realize that as a freelancer you’re constantly working. You don’t get weekends. You don’t get to clock out at five. You’re constantly working, and when you’re not in town you’re turning things down, not knowing where your next job is, it’s scary.”

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As a photographer you’re constantly creating, you constantly have to be updating; you constantly have to be working on your craft. It’s not about the money; it’s about being productive and staying inspired.”

Not knowing where or when your next job is leads to scheduling and travel conflicts, which she says are some of her biggest hurdles. “Then would be the team, and putting whatever team together you need. A lot of times it’s just me, but I love working with a team, I love doing bigger things. So then with a team not only is it selecting who you want and who the artist wants and who the label wants, or if it’s just something I’m doing who I want.”

“No matter what you do, no matter what you try, no matter what filters you put over it, they just look better in person. I mean have you seen celebrities that you meet even, who are really, really, über famous, and then you see them in person and you’re like, “Oh, my god you’re so beautiful.” They’re so much more beautiful than I ever thought, and then they’re like, “Whoa … how, what?” like I can’t believe that people would let me take their picture.”

Another thing she tries to prioritize is finding the balance between everything. She says that although there are a lot of photographers that are doing ten times as much as she is who don’t ever take time off, she does. Even though she just took a month off and she had to turn down stuff left and right she says that she has to live her life.

Lindsey says she now feels like she’s gotten to the point in her career where she can be more concentrated on the things that she finds inspiring, but before that she wasn’t saying no to anything.

“When people asked me to do stuff I would just do it. To a certain extent I still do, but I can be a bit more selective now. As a photographer you’re constantly creating, you constantly have to be updating; you constantly have to be working on your craft. It’s not about the money; it’s about being productive and staying inspired.”

She acknowledges that it’s a totally privileged life that she leads and she has empathy towards the people who absolutely detest what they do. “I feel fortunate. It sometimes feels unreal that people like what I’m doing! Every day I’m like, “Really? You want me to do that? Oh my god thanks!” You know? I’m so appreciative. I’m so grateful that people choose to hire me. There are so many great accessible artists out there, when I get a job it really feels like a win every time.”

Lindsey doesn’t like being photographed herself, as someone who doesn’t think they’re photogenic she understands the trust people have to give photographers to make them look good. “Some people just don’t look as good in photos as in real life.”

She mentions that at the moment she feels really lucky because there’s a lot of word of mouth which leads a lot of people her way, but she still reaches out a lot. An example being when she was down at SXSW earlier this year a guy who works with the band Twenty One Pilots approached her and told her she really needed to watch them play. After she saw them she absolutely knew she wanted to work with them. “This is the first time I had the confidence to do this, but I reached out to the label ‘look here’s, what I want to do’, and they took it to the band to see if they were interested.

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As it turned out they were, and the label gave me a budget. Which, you can pitch ideas, but it doesn’t mean that anybody is going to fund them. I’m mean like I could have pitched it, but they could have been like “great, go ahead try and make that happen.” Not only did they give me a budget, but they gave me the band.”

She says her craft (her bread and butter) is press photography. She mentions that she’s really happy that she has the business mind that she does coupled with what she wants to do, or what she is doing, because there’s a lot more to press photography than just getting a cool photo. “You’re not necessarily just getting the best image. The best image or the image that’s picked can be totally different than what I think. You’re translating a sound into and image, into a personality. How do you take somebody’s personality and their music and translate them into one visual image that’s going to be presented over, over and over again?

There’s a lot of pressure not just for the photographer, but for the artist.” She says it’s especially a lot of pressure for musicians. “If you’re taking photographs of an actor, you’re just doing head shots and they’re presenting the smiling man, or the serious man, but with press shots for musicians it’s not just about them looking good, it’s about them looking like how they want you to feel through their music.”

When people go to Lindsey stating that they want an iconic image she tells them that they are going to create it together. She says that it’s all about collaboration, “not only do you create the image together with the artist, you gotta know how to work with the label too.” An artist has their own relationship with their label, or whoever it is that’s working with them. It’s also different working with an independent artist compared to an artist signed to a major label.

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“For a major label artist you’re not only dealing with the musician and how they want themselves presented, you’re dealing with the label and how the label wants to package everything together. A lot of times, I feel I’ve been really lucky, we can all meet together, but there’s always that fear, that they are not going to like it. I have a tendency to over-shoot and over-send, because I want them to pick the ones that they like.”

She draws inspiration for her press photography from her subjects’ inspiration and from other photographers and their work and everything around her. Since there are so many different factors that come together there is no single formula for inspiration, it’s different with every client. If she was known for having one specific style of how she shot, like all of her photos were black and white and heavily re-touched, then her clients would just come to her for that one thing; but that’s just not how she works. “Everything kind of happens together. Even with Twenty One Pilots, I came to them and I was like ‘how about this, this and this?’ They were like ‘yeah, we love those ideas!’ Then we do the ideas and then the images that end up getting selected aren’t even the weird ideas that we had, that we loved together. Because, maybe after the shoot’s done they’re like ‘yeah, maybe we should go with these one.’ Or maybe it’s this, so we’re shooting like a million different ideas.”

“If you’re taking photographs of an actor, you’re just doing head shots and they’re presenting the smiling man, or the serious man, but with press shots for musicians it’s not just about them looking good, it’s about them looking like how they want you to feel through their music.”

For that Twenty One Pilots shoot, the pool idea was a total collaboration. “The idea was to use a real pool, but I couldn’t borrow someone’s pool and also do studio shots in the same day due to time restrictions so I ended up finding a giant kiddie pool to use. They have their guy Mark , who does all there amazing videos and works with them on all aspects of their visual creative, he and I got down on these ideas together.

It was so much fun.”

Lindsey photographs a wide variety of bands, but the band’s that she’s most familiar with include Fun., Tegan and Sara, and Paramore. When asked if it puts more pressure on her to photograph the bands that she regularly photographs, given the close relationship, compared to photographing people that she barely knows she mentions that it’s the opposite of what people would think. “People think that when you’ve been shooting a band for a really long time that it’s easier, and easier in that it’s less pressure. In a way, and this isn’t slighting any of the new bands cause for instance, new bands are my new business. In a way I’m so attached to Paramore and Fun and Tegan & Sara. I’m not only attached because we created together, and they’ve invited me into their studios, and I’ve done videos, and I’ve gone on tours. I think that what happens is I want them to love everything like every time I click the clicker. Then it becomes this combination of things.

Are they going to love everything, or do they want new eyes? Do they, want a new thing? It’s just like this whole combination thing, of where I’m so absolutely invested, and love them and their career so much and I just want everything that I do, to be better, every time. It’s not harder or easier, it’s different. It’s just different when you’re closer to a subject.”

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Along with photographing Lindsey has also been interviewing people for a long time, and she says the same can be applied to that, that it’s almost easier to interview people you don’t really know. “I’ve interviewed celebrities that I knew and I don’t want to ask the questions that I know that they don’t want to be asked, because you love them, and you care about them, and you don’t want go to place with them that they don’t want to be. It kind of makes you a worse interviewer. It’s easier to interview people you don’t really know. Sometimes you’re not as conscious of people’s personal space when you don’t know them, so you can kind of warm into their personal space as a photographer. Then it’s like a catch-22 because, a band like The Black Keys I was not approved to shoot them. They have like very select photographers that they’ll let shoot them because they don’t want people warming into their personal space. They want to have their relationship. Totally not harder, totally not easier, just totally different.”

Lindsey had the opportunity to shoot one of those band’s she’s most familiar with (fun.) for Rolling Stone last year at the MTV Movie Awards. She recalls the experience as being one of the best things ever and states that when she was growing up watching MTV, there was never a part of her that thought she would ever be anywhere near that in reality. “I feel that now with the internet and Twitter and all of these things that there are no boundaries.

They’re like, “Yeah I totally am going to do that.” Not me, I did not. I was telling Jack that day “I used to watch these shows and look at people, and you’re those people I would look at. Now it’s you and here I am and I’m on the carpet with you and you’re my friend and like this is unreal to me.”

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She says that that experience was a total dream come true for her, and not the kind of dream come true that comes true and then you’re looking for the next best thing, or one that comes true and it wasn’t as good as you’d hope. ”It was awesome, totally awesome, such an honor. The only frame of mind that I was in was, “This is rad. This is so cool!” It will never get old. Never, not in a million years.” She states that the reason this kind of stuff doesn’t get old to her may be because she’s a very excitable person, “when I go to SXSW, the night before I go I can’t sleep. I’m an excitable person and none of this stuff gets old to me. Can you believe it? Like Paramore took me to Bali and all these places, like “What?”

For that Paramore ‘Pacific Rim’ tour in 2011 Lindsey filmed & edited a behind the scenes documentary of them touring in Jakarta, Bali, Hong Kong, Singapore and Honolulu. She states that if she could have she would have put every minute of footage into the video, but since most people’s attention spans aren’t that long and the ideal video to put up is around three minutes, she somehow managed to get it down to ten minutes.

As we began to wrap up the interview Lindsey mentions that there are so many people in her profession that she’s so grateful for, people who have helped her or gave her a chance or people who will give her a chance in the future. Although her list is so long it would take all day to thank everybody she just really wants those people to know how much she appreciates their help and their encouragement. “You don’t get to do things that you love unless other people help you along the way.

Everybody needs help and I feel pretty fortunate that I’ve learned to receive help and give help. You don’t always want to do stuff, and things don’t ever come back to you the way that you think. You do something for somebody and you expect something in return and you’re never going to get it. You’re never going to get it from them, but you’ll get it in another way or maybe you will get it from them, but you can’t expect it. You just have to learn that it’s like a really growing process. Whenever I get down on myself or I’m always like, “Just remember, you’re lucky.”

“You don’t get to do things that you love unless other people help you along the way. Everybody needs help and I feel pretty fortunate that I’ve learned to receive help and give help. You don’t always want to do stuff, and things don’t ever come back to you the way that you think. You do something for somebody and you expect something in return and you’re never going to get it. You’re never going to get it from them, but you’ll get it in another way or maybe you will get it from them, but you can’t expect it. You just have to learn that it’s like a really growing process.”

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ISSUE 3