Posts Tagged: Official photographers for Merlefest
Merlefest Memories, Part I – the people
Back before we knew how bad it was going to get with the Covid-19 pandemic, we did know that rough times were on the horizon. The delay and ultimate cancellation of mass gatherings started in mid-March and we were not surprised that Merlefest 2020 was one of them.
It was the responsible thing for organizers to do, but we are certainly missing the crowds and energy this year. Merlefest would have been this coming weekend (April 23 – 26) and we long to be there.
So many new faces come each year to sit outside and enjoy music, play music, camp, sing-a-long and escape for a weekend. And, even more joy-producing, we see many familiar faces year after year. There are some serious fans, vendors and beloved musicians who just cannot stay away. We are part of that cohort, as official Merlefest photographers since 2015.
I mentioned energy before and it’s such a key to what makes Merlefest so special. Everyone wants to be there. It’s not some business conference; it’s a festival. It is a party. Music lovers swap stories, multiple generations show share the experience together, musicians show off their instruments and songs in progress, laugh, collaborate and “pick” together. There’s nothing quite like it. My heart isn’t broken, because I know cancelling was the absolute right call, but it’s a little bruised not to be there to soak up all that wattage. Still, it’s important that we all do our part.
One way that you can do your part this year is to contribute. MerleFest is asking for donations and ticket contributions to raise funds toward incurred expenses. Nearly 90% or more was already in place when it was clear that the shows would not go on. If you can and would like to make a donation, it would thrill us to no end. Go to the Merlefest site and do what you can with our gratitude.
We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden. Pixels on Paper photographsnewborns and families, special events and portraits of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States LicenseAll photos are ©2020 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
merlefest 2019
Another year in the books and we returned with more great memories, stats and gratitude that being Official Merlefest photographers is a part of our business profile.
At this year’s festival, Ryan and I shot approximately 30 bands and performers. We’re always amazed by the talent… never surprised, but amazed, you know? I get why there are so many television shows dedicated to singing, songwriting, finding musicians with talent and the like. They are everywhere. Each year the line up is diverse, but 2019 seemed more so than ever before. It was incredibly inspiring to see and hear bands of all different cultures, races and genres. Traditional bluegrass, Americana, Afro funk, Celtic, blues, country, Indy rock, etc.
Merlefest is a little bit like going to camp. You get there and remember the things you love about your time spent and see faces you love that you’ve missed all year. I realized how much I missed the work itself, and how much I love the crew we work with throughout the event. Seeing them only once a year feels like being cheated, but it makes it more special when we’re all together again.
For Ryan’s part, he missed the atmosphere of live music and live performances. Like me, he can get lost in the sounds on stage while capturing both performers and ambient crowd fun. He also said he missed the late night editing sessions when he and other official photogs would process and laugh and swap stories.
I also felt a bit of remorse for how “out-of-focus” I was last year while juggling being a new mom to Finley. There’s some negotiating when trying to breastfeed between photographing stages, getting the work done but then wanting to make it home to tuck the little guy in by bedtime. Whoa it was hard! This year held much less pressure and felt normal again.
And on that front: Finley is no longer content riding on my back in the carrier for 10-12 hours. He attended the fest on Thursday with Grandma KeKe. He spent the majority of his day on the playground, in the kids area sand box and playing with rocks in the VIP seating. What we became even more aware of because of this kid is just how incredibly family-friendly the fest is. With an entire kids area, activities and even stages of entertainment specifically for children, it’s a huge draw for families.
Another revelation was realizing that I was approaching an A-list performer with a pre-conceived notion only to have that perception completely changed for the better after watching, listening and meeting that artist. I love those personal shifts that come with professional growth.
For Ryan – it was about being up close and personal, on stage even with musical talents and feeding off their energy during a performance. That’s what turns him on.
Each year, the fest challenges our photography skills and takes them to a level of creativity and demand that’s unlike anything we do all year. We love how much our relationship with other photogs on the team has grown. It’s fun to be in the upload room together throughout the event comparing our work, sharing experiences, laughs, and exhaustion. It truly feels like summer camp.
We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden. Pixels on Paper photographs, engagements and weddings, brides, and special events and portraits of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States LicenseAll photos are ©2019 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Our Merlefest 2018 – Part 2
So much of being event photographers and particularly musical event photographers means being flexible, running around like a crazy person, knowing when stop, drop and roll and when to snap…. not like a maniac, but when to snap a moment. Sometimes it’s random and lucky, sometimes it’s absolute precision and experience and sometimes it’s a function of the reverie of music, memory and fun.
Ryan and I happen to be big time music fans which comes in handy when asked to return as Official photographers for Merlefest and asked to spend a long weekend capturing singer-songwriters, trios or bands we love. We can find the right moment to capture their instruments, collaboration or groove. We’re aware of our jobs, but transported by the music too, you know? As a job, it doesn’t suck. We love the lighting, the venues, the crowds and all the angles that allow us to bring these portraits to you.
Here are more of our favorites from 2018 Merlefest. See 2018 Merlefest Part 1 here.
We Banjo 3
We Banjo 3
Mandolin Orange
Town Mountain
Robert Earl Keen
The Mavericks
The Barefoot Movement
Jamey Johnson
Cliff Ritchey
This year’s Merlefest was not only a blast of great tunes, it allowed us to watch some favorites, see some new faces and capture dynamic moments and crowd-pleasers.
Doolin’
Misty McGuire Case’s photo of Rhianon Giddons performance on Saturday at MerleFest is featured on the Wilkes Journal Patriot.
Ryan Case’s photo of the band Doolin’ caught in mid air at MerleFest is featured on Wilkes Journal Patriot.
The Barefoot Movement on the Watson Stage
We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden. Pixels on Paper photographs, engagements and weddings, brides, and special events and portraits of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License
All photos are ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Our Merlefest 2018 – Part 1
You know there is a through line – a connective line that runs through your story – when you can link times of the year and events as if looking back at a journal from childhood or college or even a few years ago. Like the seasons bring the exciting and inevitable, Spring for us brings Merlefest. It is an example of that through line for us. We have been official photographers for Merlefest since 2015, making this our 4th year and since our first venture, we’ve had so much other life, including the addition of a child.
For 2018, it was a reclamation and revisiting and – poetry aside – a crap-ton of work – and this time, Finley was with us. We found ourselves again, remembering what we love as event photographers and serious music-lovers. Below is just a selection of some of our favorites!! Stand by for more in a couple of days!
We Banjo 3
Elephant Revival
Cane Mill Road
Kruger Brothers
Lindsay Lou
The Barefoot Movement
Piper Jones
Midatlantic Band
Nu-Blu
Rhiannon Giddens
Scythian
The Mavericks
We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden. Pixels on Paper photographs, engagements and weddings, brides, and special events and portraits of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License
All photos are ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Merlefest 2017 | 30 Years of Exhilarating Music | music festival photos by Pixels On Paper
Another Merlefest is in the books, you guys and it was epic. Hot as one of the circles of Dante’s Inferno, if you’ll permit me to put too fine a point on it <smiling>. It was epic. So much to see and so much to share. This was the 30th anniversary and our 3rd year as official photographers. We covered 26 bands, plus the 12 who performed in the annual Chris Austin Songwriter’s Competition and we each walked 15 miles over the 4 days we were there. Frankly, we loved every second of it.
As previously mentioned, the temperatures were not springy. It was always a minimum of 80+ with two of the four days posting at just below 90 degrees, because Mother Nature has an audacious sense of humor. We usually layer clothing and then put items back on in the evenings. Nope. This year, a couple of morning showers added to the humidity and we wore just what we needed. The weather wasn’t going to stop us and it did not stop 80,000 other visitors from coming to enjoy the festival atmosphere we were all basking in. God Bless water and sunscreen. 
The crowd size for this celebration of 3 decades of music and merriment was comprised of every age from infants to 80 years olds and the age range of the performers was expansive too. The youngest performer was 8 and of course there were veterans of Merlefest who’ve played every year since 1987, like Sam Bush and Peter Rowan. 
Highlights for Ryan were seeing James Taylor (who drew one of the biggest crowds) and the Avett Brothers (who also attracted the hoards) and he relished the Bass Workshop with Bob Crawford, since he’s fascinated by all things bass. (Their combined set with the Avett Brothers blew the place up.) Finally, the crowd noise as they announced that Linda Jean Stokley was the winner of the Chris Austin songwriter’s competition was a thrill. Linda Jean – of The Local Honeys – played her winning song for grateful fans. “Cigarette Trees“ is about the destruction of coal mining and is positively beautiful.
For me, the top moments were watching and listening to Sam Bush, who’s not only an incredible musician, but loves to surprise the audience with guests he brings on stage. And Sarah Jarosz is another performer that I looked forward to seeing for months. I’d listened to her streaming online, so I was jazzed to see her perform and she did not disappoint!
We both always enjoy seeing Chatham County Line, the Avett Brothers, Mandolin Orange and Scythian. This year we discovered Sierra Hull, Mountain Heart, Mipso, and The Steel Wheels. We hope to see them again next year.
Every year, we try to store up our energy and prepare to throw ourselves into Merlefest. We are fans. We were fans before becoming official photographers in 2015 and have enjoyed the experience more than we can say. It’s hot, it’s busy (we’re working from when the first eye opens until we crash late at night), it’s exhausting and it’s a blast. We come home spent but grateful and with songs, notes, riffs and phrasing in our heads to remind us. It’s one of the coolest gigs we work all year. Till 2018, Merlefest fans!