Poetic Rage had mixed needs for their shoot. We needed to capture a fun, sexy energy for the print ads. Then for the look book we needed the energy of each shirt to come through. Here’s a sampling of what we came up with.

It’s cool to shoot someone as successful and talented as Akon. It’s even better when they are a classy guy and thank every member of your crew personally at the end of a fast paced shoot. We didn’t have much time to get the shot and his people had some major multi-tasking going. Akon was being interviewed for Jamrock Magazine, his tour manager was in the middle of securing a venue for a big show and the designs for his clothing line (Konvict Clothing) needed to be approved. The jacket you see here is part of the Konvict line. Here’s the kicker, after the shoot he was so stoked with the results that he hooked me up with this exact jacket (only mine is in bright green). Very P.I.M.P. Thank you Akon.

I get a lot of enjoyment working with people in the entertainment industry. Be it celebs, bands or even the people behind the scenes, the energy is awesome. When a label calls I welcome the challenge of producing something that will fit that particular performers style. One thing to keep in the back of your mind, especially when you deal with music makers, they aren’t as easy to shoot as say an actor/actress. Pulling out a performance from them is all about developing chemistry and making sure they trust you enough to let their guard down. Music can tell such a story so my approach to music photography is to do the same. I think the best way to honor an artists musical vision is to give them a cohesive story all their own.

Shoot for Universal, here’s the A-Team.