2015 was the year where I founded my love affair with being behind a lens. The very first year I would actually consider calling myself “a photographer” and not just a guy who owns a few cameras. A big part of what Red Line Roots has evolved into is the photo and video work I am blessed to get to do with insanely talented musicians and songwriters.

I have been lucky enough to be invited to photograph at festivals like Newport Folk and Freshgrass in past years but this year in particular found me really diving further in the art.  Thinking about composition rather than just snapping “cool shots” of performances, delving into the world of portrait photography, and toying with film instead of simply utilizing digital formats. I have a lot to learn and a long road to travel, but now more than even I am excited to go further and further down the rabbit hole of making photographs. Luckily, there are a host of folks out there who are an inspiration everyday that I see their work. Many of them I met through the conduit of festivals like Newport and became an immediate fan of their work as a result.

Here are seven of the folks who’s work truly influenced me and inspired me in the realm of photography in 2015…

Giles Clement – Giles is the king of large format photography. His tintypes are becoming a thing of legend and his work in particular with Newport Folk and the artists who perform at it have been shared all over the interwebs. There is something that Giles is able to capture in people’s eyes in his portraits that you just don’t see elsewhere. The fact that he also hauls around that giant set up with him and is able to capture everything from beautiful desert landscapes to the very soul of the person that is sitting in front of his lens. That is something incredibly rare and special.

Emilia Pare – Emilia was a name that was new to me this year at Newport, though she was running round with a lot of folks that I already knew. She has an innate ability to perfectly capture the intimacy of the moment. It seems that her camera is pointed in the right place at the right time to capture incredible human moments…but in reality she is just on top of all that is around her at all times. Her work has a very natural feel in how she frames her photographs and utilizes light, but also manages to draw attention to things without making them obvious. Subtlety seeps its way into her work and its incredibly engaging time after time.Joshua Black Wilkins – Joshua’s work is f*cking heavy. He is able to draw emotion out of a person and capture it in his photography unlike most folks I have ever come across. There is a grit and dirtiness to his art that is balanced by the sexiness of it all. His work is very “people” heavy. I think there is an underlying desire in Wilkins to understand people through the use of portraiture. The human condition, what makes people tick, what makes them sad or joyful or any emotion. He portrays that in his work very strongly and each and every piece he unveils is a work of art.

Laura Partain – In the museum stage I saw a girl with a hat darting back and forth with a Hasselblad through the course of the Wildwood Revival set at NFF. The intensity of her expertly lining up the perfect shot with the smile of friendliness that followed was a wonderful juxtaposition. Laura is another artist who dabbles in multiple formats and the output is fantastic. I was in wonder when I found out she shot the majority (or all) of the event in film. She is as versatile as they come and seems to be constantly challenging herself. There is an incredible timeless quality in her work.

Brian Lima – Brian has a very clean and crisp style to his shots. Every detail is present in his stage photographs of Newport Folk and I remember beign drawn to the vastness of how deep his photographs seem to go. His “backstage looking out” shots (one this year in particular of The Tallest Man on Earth) immediately captured me when I first heard of him and he continues to impress. A sea of people standing in front of the sea, it almost seems endless. His use of color is also incredibly beautiful and impactful. His portrait work is great as well…you can tell that he takes the time getting to know a person and pull those good vibes out of them and into the camera lens.

Josh Wool – There is something very fashionable about a lot of Josh’s work. His pieces could be popping up in your instagram feed or hanging in a gallery, and each way is equally as moving. I mean, it is hard to describe his work as anything but absolutely gorgeous. His work is able to balance warm and cool in a way that I find almost impossible. He evokes moods. He makes you feel what the subject in his portraits are feeling. Incredible stuff.

Kaitlin Chow – Kaitlin had a series (a collaborative series with Eric Tsurumoto (@fthatnoise on instagram)). this year using dancers and flour that was absolutely breathtaking. Something simple, but executed in way that captured movement in a way that was exceptional. I got to know that work through her work around Newport Folk. Another lover of music who attends the fest to shoot year after year. Her NFF work includes some great portraits and capturing the grounds and atmosphere of the festival and she rolled out some cool double exposures as well…and she even did some incredible illustrative sketches around Newport this year too that really caught my eye. The gal is like a triple, or even quadruple threat when it comes to creativity.

***I am fairly certain each and every one of these artists have work for sale on their sites. Photographs and prints make wonderful last minute Holiday gifts, so hit those hyperlinked names about, check out their portfolios and buy something from one of these incredible talents today!***