My Musical Playlist (A Photographer that Listens and Shoots)

You've noticed in a couple of blogs that I've talked about using music as tool to compose my images. It's a way to help me get into the zone and observe the scene in different angles. Before photography I was a musician. I was the one who was making songs for photographs. I would watch lots of movies, form images in my head, and listen to various types of music to combine a vision of a song I wrote. Before long the interest in photography became more prominent and I was the one shooting for the music. So what's been on my player as of late?






Freddie Joachim

Freddie Joachim is a hip hop jazz producer that is more about organically creating the sounds than using samples. He's well rounded when it comes to instrumentation. With the smooth licks of the guitar, catchy melodies of the piano, and when he can, colorize the song with the saxophone, Freddie Joachim brings it with the soul, the mood, and the freshest batch of cool that one cannot define.






Lautrec

As an emo kid from years ago I developed a love for bands that really utilize poetry and arpeggio driven guitar playing to their advantage. Skramz (a new term which replaced the tainted label "screamo") isn't for everyone, but to the ones who like screaming vocals with emotive hardcore like touch this is the band for you. From the first song I heard and the videos I watched remind me of how shows used to be when I was in a band. It's a head shaker, it's emotional, it touches hardcore, and it makes me feel young again.







Nujabes

It was my brother who had introduced me to him. His way of composing music just gives me this feeling of emotion and calmness that I cannot describe. Nujabes (Jun Seba) was a producer that collaborated with MC's such as Cise Starr and Shing02 and was the musical composer of the anime series "Samurai Champloo." Combining the atmospheres of piano, wind instruments, over a simplistic beat Nujabes was able to create a sound of his own. With the influences of jazz and classical these songs allowed the listener to become one of the landscape of sound and pre visualize a memory, an idea, or feeling alone or with others. Emotionally, it touches me with the slightest hint of happiness and the movement of a groove.


Nujabes - Windspeaks



There are more that I cannot think of at this time. These are a usual play on my iPod, but there are other sounds in there that give me a different angle on how I would approach a shoot. Give these people a listen and let me know how you feel about it. All I can say is that if you can groove it you can shoot it.