Now a self-described “lawyer in recovery,” Atlanta-based Jeff Guyer spent fourteen years in courtrooms representing all walks of life before deciding in 2002 that it was time to start photographing them instead. A graduate of Wayne State University (B.A. in journalism, 1986) and Emory University School of Law, Jeff has been able to take his life-long love of photography and tap back into his creative side on a professional level. Spending most of his time photographing weddings, portraits, food, special events, and sports, Jeff also launched his photography class for kids, “Digital Photo Challenges,” two years ago. When not photographing for his clients or teaching what he knows to a new generation of photographers, Jeff– still an avid film shooter– can usually be found somewhere on the streets of Atlanta, chasing light and telling a story.
Toronto-based photographer Jon Blacker knows a thing or two about music, having shot live shows, location portraits, and editorial work for clients as widely varied as bands, musical instrument companies, wire services, The Canadian Press, and The New York Times. With two forearms covered with ink, he also knows a thing or two about tattoos. It is at the intersection of his passions for music, art, and self-expression that his new book “Musical Ink” was born.
At first glance, “Musical Ink” is a very cool collection of musician portraits, along with a photo of and first-person story about one of their tattoos. Jon’s 63 subjects end up in front of his lens from a broad spectrum of musical genres (I’m talking about you, Andrea Gruber from the New York Metropolitan Opera with the first phrase of Turandot’s opening aria on your back), but most of them come from the worlds of heavy metal, hip-hop, rap, and rock & roll. Getting them there wasn’t always easy, but once artists like Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead), and others got on board, they shared not just a piece of themselves, but also the story behind it. As you would expect, the artwork, styles, and stories are as varied as the personalities of the living canvases themselves. From Papa Roach drummer Tony Palermo’s tebori-style tattoo of his son’s name, to Bill Kelliher of Mastodon whose cat Grover passed away while he was on tour, to Sammy Hagar– who just wanted to publicly tell his former band-mates to fuck off during a reunion tour. This book has stories of love, loss, discovery, redemption, heartache, joy, laughter, and tears.
Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead)
Blacker, once the kid in high school who never went anywhere without a camera, has been shooting professionally for over twenty years, and in 2008 found himself in a situation familiar to most of us at one time or another who earn our livings with a camera. He got bored. “I had been working a long run of corporate work and needed a project that could really spark some creativity. I have always been a huge music fan and have always had an interest in the art of tattoos.” But just another coffee table book of photos wasn’t going to cut it. It had to be different. It had to be infrared.
Inspired by a 2006 series of IR portraits by Minnesota photographer Tom Dahlin, Blacker had a Nikon D2X converted to full-frame IR by LifePixel near Seattle. I’m not going to bore you with the science, but here’s what you need to know about “invisible light.” We all know that a certain amount of light reflects off our subjects– daylight, studio light, street light. All of it. Infrared, however, almost completely reflects off of skin. At the same time, however, it is actually absorbed by tattoo ink. The result is a black & white image with very high contrast between skin that almost seems to glow, and the deep blacks and grays of the tattoo ink.
Butch Walker (Butch Walker and the Black Widows)
To be perfectly honest, I find the IR portraits to be a little distracting. Some of the skin takes on a lighter-than-natural look, giving many of the subjects a milky, almost ethereal look. I also found many of the tattoos to be too dark, losing some of their texture and detail. As much as I enjoy black & white photography, part of me feels that a book about tattoos should be in color. After all, the decision of whether to get a tattoo in color, black & gray, or even white is part of the back story also.
but, But, BUT–
Having said that, it’s only my own personal preference, and this is not at all “just a book about tattoos.” It’s a book about a photographer’s vision and his passion for artistry and creativity, and truth be told– I respect the hell out of that.
Rev Jones
While Blacker refuses to say which image/artist was his favorite (“That’s almost a ‘which is your favorite child’ question.”), he is definitely partial to the spread on pages 130-131. “I would probably have to say Dave Navarro was the toughest [to make happen]. We had been logistically close as many as half a dozen times over the course of three years or so, both here in Toronto and in Los Angeles, and it just never came together. Finally in February of 2012, Jane’s Addiction made another tour stop in Toronto. His management partner Riss Swan arranged with Jane’s tour manager for us to make Dave’s portrait either before or after the show; he would call me when we were good to go. I waited until the opening act was getting ready to go on when I decided it wasn’t going to happen before the show and my phone rang and we were on. I had to drag my gear up a two-story fire escape at the back of Massey Hall and set up in a tiny warm up room. After we quickly shot Dave’s portrait (where after a little grumbling, he did exactly what I asked) and I was tearing down, he and drummer Steven Perkins started warming up, so I sort of had my own private Jane’s show right there.”
Dave Navarro/Portrait (Jane’s Addiction)
Dave Navarro/Story
Also not willing to pick a favorite tattoo back story, Jon pointed out to me that the act of collecting the stories was in some ways the bigger feat. “The stories the artists shared with me, for some, almost seemed cathartic; it was almost as though no one had ever asked them to tell the stories before. Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith may have had the most animated story, about actually NOT getting tattooed because his recent hernia operation hadn’t yet healed and the artist refused to tattoo him. Slayer guitarist Kerry King’s story about a small memorial tattoo to his close friend Dimebag Darrell Abbott who was killed onstage by a deranged fan was surprisingly touching.”
Kerry King
As photographers, we spend a lot of our time documenting other peoples’ lives, events, and stories. Some we choose, others pay the bills. But almost all of us also have at least one meaningful personal project brewing inside looking for a way out. Another hurdle from the Dave Navarro portrait, however, sums up both the challenge and the reward. “He really wasn’t interested in the idea at all, but that I was able to turn him around in the few minutes we had available to shoot was a personal victory and I think the portrait speaks to what you can accomplish with a little personality and persistence.”
“Musical Ink” is available from Amazon.com.