^{By Mitch Tousley}

 In any music scene you’ll find many different kinds of creatives that make up the whole of the musical ecosystem. From the musicians themselves to the venue owners, promoters, producers, engineers, journalists, record store employees, and countless other individuals involved in music, there are unnumerable people in any given city who make the scene something special. In this article, I’ve included short profiles on a few noteworthy photographers in the local community. Photographers’ work helps craft the visual language of the scene. These creatives are all experts of light, color, and movement and do an excellent job of matching vibe to music.

There are scores of incredibly talented individuals that could’ve been included here, so recognize that this list of five photographers is a very small sampling of the many great talents in the state.

Savannah McKenzie

Savannah first learned to use a camera when her mother taught her how while she was in high school. While attending school for photography, she became more involved with the local scene by shooting bands. Some of her clients have included Dad Bod, Nicole Canaan, Toothpicks, Beeson, Tomper, and Brother. Her client-driven approach often yields photos that are colorful and dreamy with an analog feel. She certainly has some stylistic trademarks, but her favorite part of the process is getting to hear the artist’s concept and bringing the creative vision together with them. This includes asking artists for mood boards and reference points before the shoot, and then using light and space as a creative tool to fulfill the shared vision. Most of her work is in portraiture, but she would love to do a project that involves shooting something for an album cover that won’t feature the artist in the photo and is more abstract in nature.

When contacting Savannah, an artist should already have an idea of where these photos are going to end up (posters, album art, Instagram posts, etc.) so she can shoot and deliver the best files possible. She does a lot of work through Instagram, but her email is the best way to contact.

IG: @savannahphoto.co

Email: savmacphoto@gmail.com

Website: https://www.savannahmckenziephotography.com/

Harper Graham

If you have a loud, energetic band with wild crowds to match the sound, then Harper is the photographer you need at your shows. Back in 2021, she went on tour with God’s favorite band Backhand and has worked with them consistently since then. Backhand and the other hardcore acts Harper has shot have infamously energetic live performances and she captures the energy well. She started taking photos to get more people to come to local shows and would use the movement of the audiences and performers to draw attention in. Most photos she’s done heavily utilize motion. Most of her work is in concert photography, but she also likes to do studio work. 

Harper is easy to get in touch with, primarily communicating over Instagram DM’s and her email. Interested artists should know beforehand, however, that while Harper can capture incredibly visceral and high-energy moments well, you need to have that energy to begin with. So, if that’s not the kind of show you put on, either adjust the show to match the energy you want or recognize that difference before contacting Harper. No matter the band though, she will be able to capture great photos of the performance. 

IG: @harper.jpg

Email: harpergloriagraham@gmail.com

Diego Rizo

Diego first got into music photography back in 2018. It initially started as a hobby but grew into a greater passion with time. His photos are vibrant and heavily feature green tones and warm colors. He focuses his efforts on shooting concerts and aspires to tour with an artist or shoot a major festival like Governor’s Ball or Rolling Loud. Even when not shooting concerts, Diego does a lot of street photography and portraits outside. Some notable local clients include rapper and activist C. Valenta, Pale Dream, and AfroTribe.

With regards to balancing his own creative vision and the needs of the artist, Diego feels he has found his stride in using a combination of light, color and the concert environment to both satisfy the artist and his own creative impulses. Diego is reachable on his Instagram and through email. 

IG: @pure.nation.visualz

Email: diegorizo1999@hotmail.com

Zachary Konecki

Zachary has been a professional photographer for 13 years. He started as a staff photographer for Ke Alaka’i (BYU-Hawaii’s student-run periodical) which often involved him shooting musical performances. With his background in photojournalism, his best photos come out when his subjects are doing what they’re supposed to be doing. For musicians, that usually means playing live. He’s shot The Bombshell Flowers, Thurl Bailey, and Kaskade recently. His style works best with singer-songwriters, rock and EDM artists, but as long as visions and personalities mesh well enough, Zachary will work with any artist with a passionate drive to do their story justice.

Zachary seeks to collaborate with the artists he’s capturing while maintaining his position as a professional who is ultimately there to fulfill the client’s vision without his own creative ego interfering. He offers free consultations to any prospective client, so there’s no harm in reaching out to see if it would be a worthwhile collaboration. You can reach Zachary through his email.

IG: @koneckimedia

Email: sales@koneckimedia.com

Website: www.koneckimedia.com

Cassilyn Anderson

This photographer started working professionally at age 15. Through an early The Backseat Lovers show at Kilby Court, Cassilyn was introduced to other bands like The Moss. Other clients of Cassilyn’s include Angie Petty, Del Water Gap, Sunhills, and Cage the Elephant. She shoots both digital and on 120 mm and 35 mm film now, and potential clients should be aware of that if they want that style of photo. She likes to capture the nostalgic, “in-between” moments—green room and fan interactions. To her, music is about so much more than the sounds itself, but the actual feeling of a concert and the atmosphere created by the band and its fans. 

Cassilyn likes when artists are upfront with their creative eye and that bring ideas to the table while also trusting her eye. She recommends people looking through her portfolio on her website to see if she could match their vision. She’s best contacted through email.

IG: @cass.ilyn

Email: hello@cassilynanderson.com

Website: https://www.cassilynanderson.com/

Once again, this is just a small sampling of the incredible talent in the local scene. Just like with the music, we could write for days on end and never even come close to covering all the fantastic photographers here!

Be sure to give all these photographers a follow on Instagram and give a listen to “Heartbreak on Film” by Pale Dream!