Behind the Camera: Get To Know Photographer Jordan Kelsey Knight
Atlanta, GA native Jordan Kelsey Knight has had a passion for photography since she was 9 years old. Jordan has bloomed as a lifestyle and music photographer, on tour with Tonight Alive around the world. We spoke with Jordan about her influences, her recent Vans Warped Tour, and her advice for young female photographers. View Jordan’s portfolio and Instagram.
What inspired you to take up photography?
I got my first camera in my first year of high school and used it constantly, taking photos of any nature I could find. I fell in love with photography the moment I started taking photos. I ended up photographing a lot of my friends for their senior portraits for school and a lot of family photos. Unfortunately, many people told me that i’d never make a living doing what I was doing so I started in a different career path. A few years ago I picked up another camera and started taking photos at shows and eventually led to second shooting at weddings. My favorite style to shoot is lifestyle, so naturally weddings were my forte. When I was on tour with friends I would take photos as a hobby and eventually had enough of a portfolio to put together to send to labels and management. They must have liked what they saw because I was hired on my first tour which was Warped Tour 2016 this year.
Which shots are you particularly proud of?
The shots that I tend to be the most proud of are moments that someone doesn’t know i’m catching and their emotion is so visible in the photo that you can feel it.
What photographers/artists have influenced you most?
As a younger artist I was always looking on flickr for inspiration. I found this young guy named David Uzochukwu who is so incredibly talented. I also love the work of a friend of mine who photographs weddings and landscape, his name is James Frost. Andy Staley is also one of my favorites. As far as music photographers go, I have always looked up to my friend Thomas Falcone, his work is phenomenal. My great friend Ashley Osborne is also someone with beautiful work! I don’t shoot much of it myself, but I tend to draw to the darker much more emotional photographers. I think that’s where I like to get most of my inspiration from.
You’re also skilled in other types of photography, such as landscape and portraits. How is working in these formats different than live music photography?
To be honest, I think because I do work in these different formats it helps me to form my own style of music photography. Because i’m somewhat new to the music world I never want to take styles from anyone else. I strive to have my own thing going. I like to bring the background and the lifestyles of bands into my photos.
What is the most memorable show that you have been able to shoot?
I believe my most memorable show that i’ve shot to date would have to be a more recent one, Reading Festival. It was the last show Tonight Alive was playing on an almost three month run of shows. I’ve grown extremely close to these guys and it was perhaps one of the biggest crowds they’ve played to and the crowd was absolutely loving it. I think seeing their faces during the performance and seeing how emotional it made them after the show made it forever memorable.
Warped Tour can be a demanding environment. What do you do to unwind? Do you ever get homesick? If so, what strategies do you use to cope?
Warped Tour was extremely busy. From the time I woke up until the time I put my head back on my pillow I was trying to think of creative ways to get new photos since it was the same setting everyday. I think I even dreamed of it. I didn’t really get homesick since I was having fun with my friends. I would often miss having organization and a good shower, but these things I could cope with. Warped Tour is like a summer camp for adults (that don’t often act like adults) so even when we were working we were most likely having fun. Maybe because it was my first Warped I was stoked and never really got tired of it.
Do you have any advice for young women that want to pursue photography? Most recognized tour photographers tend to be male.
My advice to young women trying to pursue photography is to not let anyone push you around or make you feel inadequate. There are so many fantastic female photographers who are getting so much credit so its quite common now for recognized talented photographers to be girls. There’s hope!
Make sure to stay connected with Jordan:
Tumblr | Website | Instagram
Thank you to Jordan for allowing us to feature her. All photos courtesy of Jordan.
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