Conversations with Gary Gearhart

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gary Gearhart. 

Hi Gary, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always been interested in photography and music. When I got out of the Air Force, I went back to college studying Mass Communications with the goal of working in the music industry. I had a radio show on the college radio station and also took a photography class that rekindled my passion for photography. My professor for that class, Joel Springer, told me one day after class that he thought I could make a career in photography. Until then, I thought of it as just a hobby. After the next semester, I was offered a job at a commercial photography studio. I left school to accept the job and worked there for the next 6 years. I learned so much there, but ultimately that wasn’t the type of photography that I wanted to do. 

I left the studio and took a job as a bartender, and started doing photography on the side as a hobby again. One night a group of guys came into the bar, and we struck up a conversation. They told me they were in town for work. 

“Oh yeah? What kind of work?” 

“Music.” 

“Are you guys playing somewhere?” 

“Yea at The Appell Center.” 

“Oh! What band?” 

“Toad the Wet Sprocket.” 

As the night went on, Josh Daubin, who plays drums with them was editing video on his phone and we started talking about editing video and photos. He asked if he could see my Instagram and after seeing it told me he was putting me on the guest list and wanted me come photograph the show for them. 

The night of the show, I met another photographer, Shantel Breem, who runs the blog These Subtle Sounds. We ran into each other a few nights later at another show, and she asked me to start shooting and writing for her blog. 

A chance encounter and conversation led to another chance encounter, and I found my way into combing my two passions – photography and music. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
To be honest, since that night that I met Josh and the next night when I met Shantel, it has been less than five months. I am still new at concert photography. Coming from the commercial studio side, I had a very good grasp on fundamentals, so I felt comfortable in that sense. What was difficult for me was the feeling of ‘imposter syndrome.’ Feeling like my stuff wasn’t good enough. I feel like every artist goes through this. Even well-established artists. I’m still learning. I learn something new every concert that I shoot, every album cover, and every portrait. I hope that never changes. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in concert and portrait photography. I strive to make anyone that looks at my concert photos feel like they were there. Like they can hear the music and feel the vibe of the night. In my portrait photography, I try to evoke an emotion from the person in front of my camera. I am not interested in always making the person look their best. I want to tell a story in a frozen moment. For me, my subject and I are equals in the making of that photograph. 

Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Favorite books

-Going Into the City, Robert Christgau 

-Still Moving, Danny Clinch 

-Show Me the Picture, Jim Marshall 

-Exhilarated and Exhausted, Neal Preston 

Blogs/Websites 

-Pitchfork 

-Spin 

-Rolling Stone 

-Rock’s Backpages 

Podcasts 

-The Dollop 

-Sleep Magic 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://garygearhart.photography/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garygearhart_photography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garygearhartphotography
• Other: https://thesesubtlesounds.com/author/ggearhart/ 

Image Credits
Gary Gearhart Photography