People aren’t as self-directed as they like to imagine, our interests, careers, and hobbies coming just as much from opportunity as decision. Photography is like that for me, though like anyone else in this little slice of existence, I increasingly guide my path.
My wife scrapbooks. That’s important, I promise.
I like to write, to chronicle the months’ passage, and have always enjoyed adding the occasional photo. Increasingly, she asked me to take more photos, and I developed an eye for and interest in perspective, framing, and playing with light. So we bought a better camera. I took more photos for her scrapbook. And then we bought another camera.
And then I started taking it to shows where I wouldn’t need permission. Boot and Saddle in Philly. The 8×10 in Baltimore. WTMD First Thursday from the crowd. At the September 2018 iteration of First Thursday, as I excitedly framed a shot of Wild Child with the exploding clouds behind them, a man tapped me on the shoulder. He asked me why I wasn’t shooting from behind the stage like the other photographers. I told him I didn’t have permission; he gestured to hold on, diving headfirst into the weathered van behind him, hurriedly exiting with a pass that said, Artist. “Take mine, man, and get some good shots.” I thanked him and promptly did what he asked, photographing Wild Child and Jackie Greene, as well as meeting a host of photographers.
After that, I reached out to write and shoot for a local blog and covered my first two shows in October (Tyler Childers at the 8×10 and Glorietta at Rock and Roll Hotel). I haven’t looked back. Over time (and thanks to Shantel, who runs TSS), I’ve expanded both my photography and writing repertoires, exploring what it means to cover music.
My parents raised me on rock and roll, folk, and soul, with smatterings of pop and modern rock. That grew into an interest in the massive umbrellas of indie rock and Americana, which has more recently expanded to include the bluegrass family. Some of my favorite acts are Wilco (see my Solid Sound coverage for proof), Hiss Golden Messenger, Gregory Alan Isakov, Lindsay Lou, Strand of Oaks, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Craig Finn (and The Hold Steady), Kurt Vile, and Cris Jacobs, though my list tends to changed based on the acts I’ve seen most recently.
Check out some of Matt Ruppert’s contributions to These Subtle Sounds here and enjoy some of our favorite photos by Matt!
