photos by Jeremy Charles

Last Saturday morning started off uneventfully. One of my favorite local bands Mayola was meeting me for a promo shoot. The band was hung over after a big show the night before. Did I just say a band shoot in the morning? Craziness, right? So be it. In other words we got off to a slow start, warmed up with some studio setups. I had some ideas to try, but they just didn’t work out. So what else? Drive around!

photo by Jeremy Charles

It didn’t take long. We found a busted old-school rear projection screen TV, moved it into tall grass. “Get inside it,” I suggested, then tested the base with my foot. Not happening - it was falling apart. Since it was missing it’s screen, it was an unconvincing TV, so I went back to where we found it, and I picked up a large shard of the plastic screen. We quickly realized that it magnified. You haven’t seen the last of this new toy, but I won’t use it in the same way again.

Listen to Mayola

View Mayola Photos

photo by Jeremy Charles

This is my friend Will Birckhead. He’s the bass player for Hanson. He is a badass. He plays Lakland basses. They are badass, too.

Regarding the shoot, I tried several different lighting styles, but leaned to the harsher, more dramatic lighting. Fun times.

photo by Jeremy Charles

View WIll Birckhead photos

A couple of weeks ago, we traveled to Toronto to do some work for our client Johnny Reid. Saturday was a busy day - an early morning video shoot at an old opera house, and a sold out show at The Music Hall on Danforth. (I will share video stills and stories with you after it is released).

photo by Jeremy Charles

Most Americans have never heard of Johnny Reid, the Platinum selling Canadian Country Artist who was recently named 2008 Male Artist of the Year. It’s tough to say he’s actually ‘Country’ though. With a big booming voice like Tom Jones crossed with Bruce Springsteen, his style ranges from folk to soul. Did I mention that he’s actually Scottish?

photo by Jeremy Charles

No matter what your musical preference, you know a great performer when they walk on the stage. Johnny has been able to build a loyal and growing fan base because of his ability to connect with his audience through his heartfelt songwriting and storytelling, warm stage presence, and bold yet perfectly pitched voice. I have to admit, a song he wrote about the passing of his dear old dog brought me to tears. I can’t believe I just typed that.

photo by Jeremy Charles

Anyway, here’s a link to View Johnny Reid Live in Toronto

And you can find him in the Music Gallery, too.

Excerpt from ‘Sass and style; Music icon Wanda Jackson earns Hall of Fame bid’
by Jennifer Chancellor, Tulsa World Scene Writer

JEREMY CHARLES for the Tulsa World

She’s lived in the same modest home for nearly 30 years. Crystal statuettes, awards, family portraits, paintings, fan art, framed album covers and candid shots of herself with celebrities such as Johnny Cash adorn the walls and shelves throughout the plush, cozy residence.

Rich red hues wash across walls and carpets, mixed with fuzzy white loveseats, metal-tinged wallpaper and smooth leather couches. Her jet black hair is done just so; her white sweater hugs her petite torso. She speaks softly, but with confidence.

“My life is a Cinderella story,” Wanda Jackson reminisced recently at her south Oklahoma City home.

She was born in Maud, Okla., to struggling, working-class parents during the Great Depression era. While in grade school, she told her daddy, Tom, and mother, Nellie, “I’m gonna be a famous girl singer someday.”

And that “someday” turned out to be more than any schoolgirl could ever wish for.

JEREMY CHARLES for the Tulsa World

Wanda Jackson still calls her parents Mother and Daddy. “Mother still lives here in town,” she said with a smile. She’s 94. “She lives right up the street.”

Jackson chewed gum and talked excitedly about her childhood. Her daddy bought her a Martin D-18 guitar from a pawn shop when her hands were barely big enough to grip the neck.

She quietly walked from the room and appeared moments later holding a battered, tan case. “This is the original case,” she said as she popped open its locks. In a classy scrawl, the words “Wanda Jackson” hug the bottom left of the antique guitar’s glossy spruce top. Gingerly, she pulled it out and held its neck to rotate the instrument. She felt its scuffed back.

“There’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears on that,” she said as she touched the back of the guitar. “The rhinestones and things from my outfits wore it through, so mother got some leather and put it over it to save it,” she said before swaying into a short verse of “Good Rockin’ Tonight.”

JEREMY CHARLES for the Tulsa World

She admitted that she’s saved this guitar — and a favorite fringe dress — in case she is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. Her nomination was announced in September.

Jackson remembers being discovered by her country music idol Hank Thompson when she was only 15, as she played songs live on Oklahoma City radio station KLPR.

“He lived in Oklahoma City at the time — I didn’t even know it,” she said. “I got a phone call at the station after the show. They said ‘A man is on the phone,’ so I assumed it was Daddy.

“I picked up the phone and it was Hank Thompson,” she said, a little breathless. “I nearly fainted.”

Soon, she was signed to Decca Records and had a hit single, “You Can’t Have My Love,” a duet with Thompson’s bandleader, Billy Gray.

“I was bigger than Elvis for about that long,” she said with a snap of her fingers. “But those were the early days.”

JEREMY CHARLES for the Tulsa World

View Wanda Jackson audio slideshow

Read the Tulsa World article by Jennifer Chancellor

photo by Jeremy Charles

This month’s Oklahoma Magazine contains several of my photographs. This particular assignment covered HB1804, simply described as anti-illegal immigrant legislation. Disney Elementary has a high percentage of Hispanic students, and teaches some classes in both English and Spanish.  The kids were great.

In other semi-related news, this website is listed as one of “75 GREAT OKLAHOMA WEBSITES” in this month’s Oklahoma Magazine.

“Jeremy Charles: www.jeremycharles.com. One of Tulsa’s busiest photographers showcases his work from various shoots at concerts, and for several area publications and clients.”

Pretty sweet, right?

This weekend I had the chance to travel to Toronto for our client Johnny Reid. More on him later. It was a very busy weekend, but I did get a chance to roam the streets on our last day in town. A whopping 3 hours! Here are the results: View Toronto Street Photography. I’ll share my perspective on shooting Street, and offer some tips below.

photo by Jeremy Charles

I set out in the late afternoon on an overcast day to take in the sights and sounds of Kensington Market and Chinatown. I find that it takes some time for me to warm up when shooting anything - but street photography takes a lot more chutzpah than your average endeavor. You have to get in people’s faces, often against their wishes and sometimes without their knowledge. I happen to love this kind of challenge, but with only a few hours, I knew I had to get in my groove quickly. To accomplish this, I sidestepped into a few alleys on the way to find some urban scenes to shoot - graffiti, grime, architecture. This allowed me to clear my head and figure out my exposures for daylight and shade. Then I headed into the thick of it.

photo by Jeremy Charles

Because it takes me some time to gather the courage to openly shoot people on the street, I started in places with a lot of activity going on and shoot incognito by letting the camera hang from my neck, and cradle it with my arm so my finger can click the shutter on the battery grip. The shots above are examples of using this method. It is hit and miss so I make sure and take lots of shots, move the camera around a bit for different compositions, and try to hold it still. By the way, I’m pretty sure that is the guy’s real hair, not a wig.

photo by Jeremy Charles

There is no shortage of interesting window shopping in Chinatown. Lots of roasted duck hanging in the storefronts, kitschy merchandise, gaudy displays. I am always looking into shops for interesting characters and settings. These are easier to shoot because people usually aren’t paying attention.

Found objects are easy to shoot too. Kensington Market is a counter-cultural / bohemian area of Toronto with lots of bustle, weirdos running amok, bands playing in the streets, impromptu parades, and funky decorations. I try to mix it up as much as possible.

photo by Jeremy Charles

The light changed dramatically because of an approaching cold front, cutting into my shooting time and requiring me to constantly adjust my exposure. I wish I had several days to spend exploring Toronto, but what I captured in three hours was pretty good all things considered.

View Toronto Street Photography gallery

photo by Jeremy Charles

John Tyler Hammons defeated the incumbent in the Muskogee mayoral race at 19 years old. That makes him the nations 2nd youngest mayor, and one of the youngest in US history. I trekked to his hometown for an assignment for the Urban Tulsa Weekly last week.

Many times, I don’t have a concrete idea of how I want a shot to look when I go on assignment. This time was no different, but when I arrived at  Mayor Hammons’ office, I had an idea.  The fresh faced young politician stood in stark contrast to Muskogee’s City Hall - a stuffy old building steeped in history and 1960s decor.

Using nothing but a spot grid, I went for a look that evoked authority, that seemed a bit out-of-place and lonely. When was the last time you saw a teenager (actually a 20-year-old) portrayed with the gravitas of a elder statesmen, a Donald Trump figure? I am pretty happy with the results.

View John Tyler Hammons photos

photo by Jeremy Charles

Each year, one of the top salons in the US, Ihloff Salon and Day Spa, hosts the Fall Masters Collection, a hair, fashion, and makeover runway show. This year’s theme Rock, Paper, Scissors chronicled the history of Rock and Roll through the evolving styles from the 50s to present. The proceeds of the event benefit Resonance, organization that helps women in crisis. It is worthy cause, and an amazing event. The highlight of the show was a performance of Michael Jackson’s Thriller complete with zombies that crawled onto stage from the audience.

Check out my faves from the Ihloff Fall Masters Collection

Photo by Jeremy Charles

Crooked X, the prodigious teen rockers released their digital EP ‘Til We Bleed last week. I became friends with the band and their families in 2007 while on a cover shoot for the Urban Tulsa Weekly, and we’ve been working together ever since. It’s been a blast shooting portraits, live shows, recording sessions, or just hanging out.

This particular photo is actually four separate portraits composited together. Each were lit overhead with a softbox similar to the P.D.A. “Bitten” shots.

I’ll drop more on Crooked X at a later time. Their full-length will be out in January ‘09 on EMI. Until then, check out the Crooked X gallery

photos by Jeremy Charles

Last weekend we shot new product photos of Dwelling Spaces‘ t-shirt inventory for their new site (still in development). The idea was simple - encourage the models to have fun, reflecting the good energy of owner Mary Beth. The lighting was also simple - a softbox in front and a highlight on the opposite side. With no assistant for the the day, the models - some of them my friends - pitched in to help by hauling gear and hand-holding the lights. It was an ideal situation. Everyone was relaxed, having fun, and contributing ideas for props and expressions. You will notice my friend Brandon Davis of My Solstice and Mercy Street below left.

photos by Jeremy Charles

And my beautiful daughter Lillian pitched in to model the onesies. She was perfect in her first modeling gig. (you can see her model in her gallery http://www.jeremycharles.com/lillian) Everyone should support Dwelling Spaces - it’s an awesome store with a local flavor. Stop in to see Mary Beth, and tell her I said hello.