Last week, my sister, the creator and front woman of the band Lip Talk was passing through town on her way to play the Waking Windows festival in Winooski, VT with Annakalmia Traver (Kal) of the Kalbells, and Daniel "Dandy" McDowell, of b o t.

I happened to be trying out a camera (a Fuji GFX 50s, for my fellow photo nerds,) and I asked them if they wanted to stop by my house for a quick photoshoot. Hoping to spend a little time with my sister and her friends, practice with this awesome camera, and provide them with some images for their personal use.

I have actually been photographing a lot of musicians lately. I'm finding that many of them are pretty comfortable being photographed, which makes my life easier, but also lends a fun collaborative aspect to the shoot that I really treasure.  I think that might be because music is a really collaborative art form, and these artists are used to tuning into each other on a regular basis. This is something that I often miss in my current work. Working for myself, and often by myself, I really appreciate the opportunity to work with other creative individuals. 

Even for people who are relatively comfortable with a camera in their face, having a portrait taken is never an initially natural situation. But there is something so beautiful about the moment when the subject lets their guard down, often I feel like this happens in a millisecond, and is easily missed between frames.  It takes patience on the part of the photographer, and concentration, and sometimes quite a bit of coaxing. When it happens, at least for me, it can give me chills, or a spark of electricity. It is palpable, and one of the experiences I live for on a daily basis.

On this particular day, these lovely people were open and available to me from the start. Accompanied by my 4 year old, we hung out in the yard, played a short concert on toy instruments in the kitchen, and took a walk down the alley near my house.  

Sarah, Kal and Daniel all live in Brooklyn, so it was also really fun to see these city kids embrace nature as if their lives depended on it. They climbed trees, smelled flowers and were really present with the experience of walking though this alley which was in full blown, gloriously springy, wonder.  Experiencing it through their eyes reminded me of a quote by Pablo Picasso that I remember hearing as a young child, "All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”

Below are some of the images from our time together.  If you would like to learn more about the beautiful music these folks make, follow the links below. 

http://www.liptalkliptalk.com

http://kalbells.space

https://www.instagram.com/bot_speaks