On any given Friday night, there is a good chance that you will find Tripp and me downstairs in the basement watching TV. And because there isn’t usually anything we want to watch on regular TV, we often end up watching YouTube videos.
Now, Tripp knows that I have a very “delicate sensibility” and so therefore a very strict policy about the kinds of YouTube content that I will watch: no politics, no crime, no bigfoot sightings, no doomsday/end-of-the-world predictions, no creepy/paranormal shit. So basically that leaves out the majority of his YouTube algorithm. LOL
But the one place where our interests do actually intersect is music, so for a while we were on a kick of watching vintage Journey concert footage. And I also appreciate a good reaction video to some of my favorite classic 80’s songs. Because apparently now that I am in my mid-fifties, the music of my youth is “classic” and “vintage.” Which is probably another post for another day.
Anyway, a few weeks ago, Tripp was sifting through his (“unapproved”) YouTube suggestions and then finally stopped on a video from Rick Beato, one that he knew would speak right to the heart of his Gen-X wife:
If, like me, you were unfamiliar with Rick Beato, he is an American YouTube personality, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, and educator. Since the early 1980s, he has worked variously as a musician, songwriter, audio engineer, and record producer; he has also lectured on music at universities. Rick’s success and popularity on YouTube is due in large part to his viral “Top 20” videos as well as his “What Makes This Song Great?” series where he analyzes popular songs to explain their musical structures and compositional techniques. (Wikipedia)
Since “discovering” Rick on YouTube, he’s been in regular rotation for our Friday night entertainment for the past couple of weeks. And while I have really enjoyed all of his content, there were two videos in particular that really spoke to me as a photographer.
Right. So if you’re wondering “What does music have to do photography?” the truth is that I have always believed that these two artistic mediums share a very special connection. In fact, two of my favorite blog posts speak to this very thing.
But back to Rick Beato’s videos, the first one that stood out to me was his list of Top 10 “Drop D” Songs of All Time. Beyond an interest in the songs themselves, I was fascinated to learn how guitar players (especially those in rock and heavy metal bands) will sometimes change the standard tuning of the lowest string on their guitars to create a grittier or heavier sound.
For me, it’s not a long stretch of the imagination to think of my camera as a kind of instrument, and so therefore, using this an analogy, it made me think of all the times I intentionally deviate from the “standard tuning” of a “proper exposure” to produce images that are lighter and more ethereal….
…or darker and moodier.
The other video of Rick’s that I found interesting was his deep dive into the U2 song, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” During the course of the video, Rick goes into detail about each of the band members’ musical contributions to the song: guitar, drums, bass, vocals. But towards the end, he points out that the song that we hear on the album is actually a slowed-down version of the original recording. This was done in post-production which not only lowered the key by a half step, but also added to its melancholy feel.
When I heard this, I couldn’t help but think of my own practice of “post-production” and the way I enjoy editing my photos in Lightroom. From a few tweaks to exposure and contrast or by going all out with presets and profiles, I love how post-processing can transform the whole look and feel of a image.
As I’ve been thinking about these videos, it just confirms my belief that music and photography are both vehicles for storytelling and sharing our life experiences. The only difference is that where musicians use notes and and chords to communicate, photographers sing their songs in the key of light.
As always, thank you for letting me share my stories and my songs with you.
Love, Kelly
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