The first time I heard my brother-in-law sing was about 5 years ago. I was prepared to smile and nod, or pop in some earplugs during what would surely be an extremely loud show (his big brother used to play in a glam-rock band after all, and isn’t LOUD the main priority for 19 year-olds’ music?). But what came out of his mouth and from his acoustic guitar was heaven. This kid can sing! (And make young girls swoon at his feet). He’s also an incredibly talented writer, and after playing us songs he’d written, I knew he had to be part of our wedding. I’d never forgotten a ceremony in Colorado (when I was Regina’s photo assistant), when a friend of the couple’s stood up and sang a Jeff Buckley song. Regina & I were bawling behind our cameras! So I convinced Greg it wouldn’t be awkward, and we had Marty sing an edited version of my favorite Bright Eyes song, “This is the First Day of My Life” during our ceremony. It was beautiful!
Anyways, long story short, Marty left Sarasota 2.5 years ago to pursue his dreams in Los Angeles (can somebody smart please give this kid a record deal!!!) and along the way met a talented redhead named Jillian. If you don’t know her, she stars on MTV’s scripted show, “Awkward”. Picture “My-So-Called Life” meets “Freaks & Geeks”. It’s a totally charming & witty show and I have to say Jillly shines through. But maybe I’m biased.
Ok, get to the photos, right? Marty wrote a song for his new album called “Believer”, he & Jillian sing on it together. It is beautiful and haunting, inspiring and sorrowful all at once. Marty describes it as being about lost dreams and frustrations, but I hear words of hope and fulfillment. So when the two were in town a few weeks ago, Marty asked me to take some photos that he can use to promote the song, and of course I said YES. We set up at my in-laws’ house/ranch and sat in clouds of hard-core mosquitoes & humidity to capture these images. They may seem a bit more dramatic and less happy/romantic than most of my shoots, but Marty had a clear direction for the photos & I hope I got there.
“Make a believer out of me, so I don’t have to make believe…”
Of course, they broke character a few times and I snapped a few smiling/romantic shots. I just can’t help myself!
And of course, a “selfie” at the end of the shoot. HUGE THANK YOU to my mother-in-law for all of her help that day! She was running around, spraying us down with horse-grade mosquito repellant, and keeping an eye on my feet to make sure I didn’t step into ant piles (which I do ALL THE TIME while shooting).
