Rick Hawkins Photography

The Buttreys

I always enjoy photographing the Buttreys. It's been fun watching this girl grow up through my lens.
<><><>>
<><><<<><

live shots from bonnaroo

><<><><>><><<><><><><><<><><><><><><><><><>><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> I have shot photographs at Bonnaroo the last 3 years. It's been an interesting experience. Bonnaroo has elevated it's status among music festivals becoming the largest festival on Earth. It's been a great exercise as a photographer and music fan hoofing about trying to get to any number of shows playing at the same time. It's hard work and demands much energy and stamina. Being older than the average patron I have to dig in the well sometimes to keep going. Often times in the middle of the four days I find myself questioning my sanity. Then I'll witness a show that reminds me of why I'm here. It's a crash course in music performance and learning how to wrangle a photograph in the first 3 songs of a set. This is the common rule in live music photography. You have 3 songs to get it and quit it. One of the things that makes Bonnaroo special among festivals is they are beholden to no genre. You might see a great bluegrass band and turn around and get your mind blown by amazing hip hop. <><<><>><><<><><<><><><><><><><><><><><><<><>><>><>><><><><><><><><<><>><><><

st. Vincent put on a great show. She is very innovative and coaxes amazing sounds out of the guitar. The first is a double exposure which I used a lot at 'Roo.
This was my favorite performance I saw this year. Tune-yards is this one woman dynamo. She had a bass player and a couple of horns. Simply amazing show with very original music!

I saw the Red Hot Chilli Peppers several times 20 years ago. They put on great shows back in the day. I'm pleased to announce old guys only get better. They worked up the crowd into a ball of party and dancing. Plus how many rock and roll hall of fame inductees can still take their shirts off on stage?

I've always wanted to see Radiohead. I'm a big fan. Their show had incredible light design and they took the show in a direction which I'll call trance. Dreamy and atmospheric they delivered a great set.
The smaller tent stages were the most intense crowd wise. This is the crowd at the Bad Brains show.
Ben Folds always takes a photo at every show with his Hasselblad. I've seen him do this several times. He usually has the crowd flip him off which is pretty humorous.

The Roots brought it to the main stage. They opened with an old Beastie Boys song. Now that's savvy showmanship.
Alabama Shakes was the hot ticket on thursday night. The other stages were empty so everybody came and the photo pit was a nightmare.
Local legends Glossary were at Bonnaroo this year. Fantastic American music!
I even got my Metal on! Monstro actually impressed me.
Mos Def and BlackStar filled me up with killer hip-hop. I saw a few other rap acts but I've always liked the BLack Star record so it was cool to see them. I took over 1200 photos at Bonnaroo and even did a large amount of abstracts there which I'll try to get up here soon. Thanks to American Songwriter for supplying the photo pass and publishing my work. Til next year!

water and rock

I take frequent trips to the river. It's actually by go to place when not busy and I need to get away from the house. Sometimes I photograph and sometimes I fish. I'm always trying to find a way photographically that speaks to how the river makes me feel. This is a double exposure of the ever present limestone found in these parts and the river itself.

the silo project continues

I'm up to 10 silos in the archive. What started as a simple idea has turned into an interesting personal project. My idea of going after silos came about quickly while working on abandoned farms series. Silos are interesting architecturally but they offer more in the exercise of practicing the craft. I mean they all are very similar in design. I try to approach everyone different but the perspective is limited. I have found though that each IS different. Maybe it's the size or simply what time of day I find it. A big part of it is the sun. I plan on collecting for this project indefinitely. I feel it's good for photographers to have little projects there always collecting for. It keeps your eyes open whenever your on the road. It's surprising what you can find right in town when your looking.
><><><>><>><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
More in the Dispatches from the road folder

double exposure...spring

new photos in the double exposure folder

time machine at my finger tips

I love having a photography business of long standing and history. I have a great group of clients that have called on me for years. I hate to even refer to them as clients because they are also friends at this point. I have a rare oppurtunity to be involved in their lives as a chronicler of time and change. I often keep all their photos stored in one folder and have a pictorial time machine at my fingers. I have some ideas on how to work a group of photographs that were taken over a long period into a interesting sequence that shows the dramatic growth of young folks. I've been experimenting with books and video clips. I'll be working on fine tuning this idea over the summer.
This is Harper. I think the photos are about 8 years apart. I'm looking forward to working with the Kates soon. Note to Jennifer, I'd like re-shoot the boys next to the front window copying the photo of the boys at the window. Note to everyone else, this is the kind of "business" I'm looking for. We can all watch each other get old and hopefully have some proof that we enjoy the process.

summer portrait time....going for the timeless

It's the time of year that I start booking summer portraits. I've had a portrait "season" for about 15 years now. So much has changed in the time frame with me and with the business of photography. Ny first ten years in photography was spent trying to learn how to use the camera in a creative way and this pursuit led me into the world of band photography and album art. I didn't really start doing portraits professionally until after I got my photography degree. At that time there was about five portrait/wedding photographers here in town and not many more in the county. But as high end photography gear got more economically viable and digital editing became a much easier thing to accomplish due to effect plug-ins, the number of people calling themselves photographers went through the ceiling. The effect of so many folks entering the market has driven down the fees of photographers and more than that it has changed the way that many folks see photographs. The current trend is heavy on the editing and colors have become very washed out. They often appear more like an advertisement than a family. But I can't help but wonder how this look will wear with time. I remember in the 70's that double exposure was often used at weddings with the bride super-imposed in the corner opposite the groom. Usually a candle was involved. Now these photographs are snickered at. Now, I'm not implying that the current popular "look" is destined for a future of jokes but every trend in "style" does always have a shelf life. After trying a few times to get the plug-in look I had the realization that in order to maintain a fresh look I just needed to focus on making my photographs as good as they could be with as little editing as possible. I think the straighter the photograph the better chance it has of becoming "timeless".


What I enjoy about doing portraits is the importance of it. While it may seem like a pretty picture of loved ones it has a historical context within the framework of a family that adds another level of depth. My goal is not just to take pretty picture but also to capture some element of a persons personality that will help the photograph transcend it's background or the outfits folks are wearing. Photography through time has always been mainly about keeping a memory. I want that memory to hopefully say something about the person and sometimes that thing is unseen outside of the people close to that person. I've found that the photographs between the smile and say cheese shots are often the strongest in this respect. Of course I have to get those shots as well but more often than not people comment years later not on the posed shots but the photographs where the kids are cutting up.


The photo above is a good example of subtle personality in a photograph. I didn't realize when I shot the photo that the boy's shoelaces were untied and later while editing i was talking to the mother and I was actually worried about it. "Oh, he never ties his shoes", she said. Years later she told me that it was her favorite photograph of him. " He ties his shoes now" she said with a sad look on her face. I thought that I had messed up at the time and instead I was able to deliver something important and valuable to her memories. Lesson learned and not to be forgotten. I've been thinking about writing this blog for awhile and more than it being informative for clients it was something that I needed to cement into my own mind by putting it out there in a public way. Every so often I have to rededicate myself to my craft and have an idea on how to proceed and market. I will always experiment and be playful when attempting portraits but I want to rededicate my self to looking at the portrait as more than just smiling folks looking at the camera. I have clients that I currently use a journalistic approach with. We often photograph at their homes and capture real events instead of creating an event or doing things that they never do outside of having the their picture taken. I hope more people will be interested in the idea. I'm very open to projects and or events as vehicles for a "shoot". Well...I think I'm done here...I appreciate you taking your time to hear my thoughts. I'm looking forward to my summer shoots. Let's talk! I'm booking now! Also all fees include ownership of files and no silly rules about my photos having to have my name water marked across them when displayed on social media.

Child portraits.....black and white

I've never thought black and white was my strong suit. I've always loved good black and white prints and have been awed at some photographers ability to use the process to a grand and often poetic effect. When I first began shooting and for the 20 years until I went digital I had to use black and white film. That forced me to view everything I was shooting with that roll as a final black and white product. This was a good exercise for me but more often than not I was carrying a couple of rolls and seldom using them. I did make it a practice of shooting at least one roll at all my portrait shoots but the processing of the film and getting proper prints made it difficult. Although I love what digital photography has done for me, sometimes I miss being constrained by choosing a certain film type or even speed. Shooting film was a very expensive ordeal for a person who loved to shoot all the time. I was more careful and deliberate with my actions with the camera. I'm glad I have this in my experience and I'm trying to keep that mode of operation in mind. I continue using black and white now and would love for a client to request an all black and white session. I think it would be a neat way to approach a shoot. You could plan for it as far as locations and dress. Hint Hint...anyone?




The photographs above were all made with film.

shaking the camera at spring

I'm loving this early spring. I hope the summer is full and green with this extra grow time.

in camera double exposure but quick

I'm fascinated by the in-camera double exposure. It allows me to play around in the world of abstraction. With film it always allowed me to court serendipity. I was tricking the camera into thinking I had advanced the film. Since I couldn't view on my camera much was left to luck. I was kind of worried that in shooting digital some of the happy accidents would be lost and that to me was the true magic of it. But as I've continued to explore this world digitally a new wrinkle emerged. When shooting the first image my camera only holds that shot for about 30 seconds in it's memory after which on switches out of the double exposure mode. This is an interesting problem because it means the second shot has to be close the first and the entire thing must be made in that short span of time. This being the case I'm stuck with whatever is right there..It's a fun game to play and a good exercise in viewing the surroundings. This particular shot is a decorative wind mobile hanging at a horse stable and the woods directly right behind. I'm thinking...put it on a shirt and sell it at music festivals.
More in the in-camera double exposure folder

Jimmy Hendrix Tribute

I recently shot the Jimmy Hendrix tribute tour at TPAC in Nashville. I met up at the show with Evan from American Songwriter The show featured several renowned players. The line-up was: Dweezil Zappa, Jonny Lang, Robert Randolph, Keb Mo, Kenny Wayne Shephard and Buddy Guy. There was guitar pyrotechnics all around. I was only allowed with the press pass to shoot the first song of each persons section in the show. This made it an intense experience. I wanted to get my standard journalistic shots right off and still have a few minutes to experiment and try some double exposures. Consequently I also got to watch the show as a member of the audience. Which often I feel removed from...unfortunately. The show was great. The sound was clear and not overbearingly loud. Robert Randolph really blew me away on the pedal steel. His guitar parts sometimes seemed to emulate background vocals. Buddy Guy was a real dude. He has a real understanding of "owning" the stage. I really feel fortunate that music photo-journalism has found me. It gives me the chance to go out and see music and photograph. Two of my favorite things, but at shows I'm "working" there an added level of intensity that I enjoy. Theres a heightened sense of atmosphere and more attention to the energy of the show. Now if Evan can land me the Roger Waters pass then it will be on. Oh yeah...then theres Bonnaroo.

dispatches from the road

I went on a river trip over winter break. The idea was to get some time in hunting up some winter trout in the Caney Fork river. When we got to the river we found it very high. At the dam they were running the sluice gates for flood control and two generators producing electricity for the TVA. The water was fast and we were out of our element. Our expectations remained high because another fisherman near us was catching all kinds of fish and several of them were huge. We studied what he did and then did it. It wasn't for lack of trying. After three days and about 14 hours on the water I went to the car and got the camera.

shaking the camera on the caney fork river

The river was up in the trees. The fish weren't biting. Time for photography. Photography and fishing are darn near the same thing. They're both the act of fishing. Shaking your camera is like taking a blind cast.

Granville Tn.

Driving the backroads looking for another access point on the Caney Fork river I stumbled on to the little town of Granville Tn. It was quiet during the day except for the man on the ladder who was removing the Christmas wreaths from the street lights. It's a interesting little place tucked right up to Cordell Hull lake. It was an odd exercise shooting a place that wasn't abandoned. I seldom ever stop on the rode to visit an inhabited place. Still, after I looked at what I shot I still felt that feeling and heard that man on the ladder, alone.


More in the dispatches from the road folder.

Fall portraits

I had several fun photo shoots. It's been cloudy most of the days I've shot but I kinda reveled in the flat light and windows.






Heres a few. More in the portraits folder.

more double exposure

I get alot pleasure from playing with the camera. In-camera double exposures have been a longtime fascination. The serendipity appeals to me.


More in the in-camera double exposure folder.

TV on the Radio

I shot several great concerts in late Summer and Fall for American Songwriter magazine. Elvis Costello, Wilco, Tv on the Radio and Broken Social Scene. It's been fun getting photo passes to the Ryman. Heres a few from Tv on the Radio.

shaking the camera on the caney fork river

Hanging out on the river is good for me. This bridge is on the Caney Fork river. I fish down here for trout. There are a couple of other photos of this area in the Dispatches folder. Heres the "shake" versions.

Olivia

Olivia is growing fast. This was our second photo shoot in 6 months and it is quite evident that she has grown. She is more alert now. Big eyes take in the world. Its hard to get a unique shot of children this age. Many folks go for the baby in a bucket shot at this stage but thankfully not the Branch family! Plus with the last name of Branch the baby on the tree works! In other information this site (for reasons unknown) is not accurately reproducing the colors of my photographs. I am suffering a loss in the richness of color. I have sent them an inquiry into this issue. The photos here are not looking like the photos I am uploading. They are for some reason somewhat muted. I'm putting this out there because I may have to soon change and upgrade this blog. It may be time for a big change!

CCL 50 years young

This year marked the 50th birthday of a place near and dear to my heart. As young boy I gained new perspectives and insights from my time spent at summer camp. I was an awkward camper. I was somewhat intimidated by some of the other boys. This is not a negative on my fellow campers, it is simply a recognition of my shortcomings in youth. Camp helped my shortcomings but in ways that would not become obvious to me until later in life. Every persons experience of camp is different I'm sure. This was evident at this years alumni reunion. Stories were told and boys became legends and heros. I wasn't that camper. I was tied to the place as much as the people. I have always belonged outdoors so camp was a realization of what I am in that respect. My place as a camper came later as I took my photography there and attempted to catch what I had always found magical. It was and is through my camera that I can express to current campers and alumni my understanding of the magic. The action of boys and the green glorious summer of the cumberland plateau. Thank you Malcolm and Patsy for retaining the integrity and simple magic so that we can all continue to learn and pull from our experiences that came from our time in your place.
More photos can be found in the CCl folder and available for ordering on http://pictage.com/1098194