Tag Archives: Utah Advertising Photographer Adam Barker

BTS Video: Album Cover Shoot with Bass-Baritone Bryn Terfel

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BTS w AdamBarkerPhotography and Deutsche Grammophon from AdamBarkerPhoto on Vimeo.

I was approached several weeks ago by German music label Deutsche Grammophon about possibly shooting some work for an album cover for one of their classical artists, Welsh opera singer Bryn Terfel. It all came together very quickly, as the shoot was just two weeks away or so upon initial contact. The work would be primarily environmental portrait work shot on location. I quickly pieced together some scouting images from a number of different locations and, upon a scouting trip with the VP of DG, we settled on Antelope Island State Park. In my opinion, it offers some of the greatest sunset light anywhere on earth! Despite hoards of biting gnats, the shoot went off without a hitch, thanks in large part to great planning and preparation with producer Samantha Mitchell.

The pressure was on! Especially given the fact that Bryn would be available for only a VERY limited amount of time. Between album recording sessions with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and many other commitments, I only had about 90 minutes total with Bryn on this shoot. However, when everyone is firing on all pistons, and Mother Nature cooperates, 90 minutes is more than enough to produce the goods. Check out the video above for an exclusive ticket behind the scenes at this particular shoot!

Environmental portrait shoot with photographer Adam Barker and opera singer Bryn Terfel. p: Shane Thomas

Environmental portrait shoot with photographer Adam Barker and opera singer Bryn Terfel. p: Shane Thomas

Environmental portrait shoot with photographer Adam Barker and opera singer Bryn Terfel. p: Shane Thomas

Environmental portrait shoot with photographer Adam Barker and opera singer Bryn Terfel. p: Shane Thomas

We’re Back!

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Skier Parker Cook rallies some classic Alta powder.

Skier Parker Cook rallies some classic Alta powder.

Or maybe, I should say…I’M back. Funny how so many of us photographer/entrepreneurial types throw that plural form around like it’s half-cooked noodle–just waiting to see if it sticks. “We” like to make you think that there’s a huge entourage of bustling interns working themselves to the bone each and every day while this well-oiled machine of a photography brand is in cruise control, taking the world by storm while I field calls from clients that want to overpay me for work that is far easier than it looks.

The truth is, the “we” that I throw around so often is basically me, my wife and my three boys. There. I said it. SURPRISE!!! The other truths?

1. I could never work this hard for anyone else but myself.

2. I’m not rich.

3. But I make a fine and decent living.

4. I have a quality of life that far exceeds anything I could have ever imagined in my wildest dreams.

5. I have a creative appetite that must be fed whether it’s being paid for or not.

6. This means I love what I do, and I do what I love.

7. I drink way too much Coke.

8. I abhor mediocrity.

Every day I wake up and think that I must be one of the most fortunate people on this planet. I wonder, for a moment, what my life would be like were I not to have taken that enormous leap of faith and chosen to follow my heart and pursue a career that would make me happy for the rest of my life.

I have been pushed to the brink of sanity and then welcomed back with a nugget of success. I have progressed at alarming rates, only to then face the same simple challenges I did as a rookie. I have achieved and I have failed. I have been buoyed up and I have been incredibly let down. And through it all, I continue to believe that the path of photography as a career is viable, noble, engaging, feasible, crazy and super cool.

So why the introspective diary entry of a blog post??? Why the hell not? As in so many other cases, I do it because I can. And on this Tuesday morning, it felt right. I have many, many of you to thank. You really do know who you are. I have many that have inspired me, and in turn, I hope to have been a source of inspiration and aspiration to many of you at some point in time.

Whatever pursuit it is in which you are engaged at this moment. If it is worthy, don’t ever stop. Go till you can’t manage another labored breath, and then pick yourself up, and go some more. It is all worth it.