Crossing Creative Boundaries with Celebrities as Photographers
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Usually on this show, we talk about the intersection of photography and music and how it fuels one another, but today I want to widen the aperture a bit. I want to talk about the crossover. We often put creatives in boxes. You're a singer, you are a shortstop for a baseball team. You're an actor. But true creativity rarely stays in one lane.
Recently. We've seen a massive [00:01:00] surge in celebrities, people at the absolute top of their game in one industry stepping onto the sidelines or into the pit with a camera in hand. And I'm not talking about snapping iPhone photos for Instagram. I'm talking about credentialed high level, I know how to use
the exposure triangle type of photography. From Benson Boone at the Super Bowl to Leonard Nemoy and his controversial fine art. Today we're gonna look at a list of unexpected photographers who prove that sometimes the person in front of the lens is just as talented behind it. Let's get into it. Since this is Lenses, & Lyrics, we have to start with the musicians.
If you were watching Super Bowl 60, you might have caught a glimpse of a photographer on the sidelines for the Seahawks. Long hair, focused. That was Benson Boone, the Beautiful Things singer was literally documenting the biggest game of the year, and he is not the only one [00:02:00] Method man was recently spotted on the sidelines for the Jets vs Browns game as part of the NFL Celebrity Photographer Series,
rocking a professional Canon glass and hunting for end zone shots. But let's go deeper into the history here. Take Seal, the man is a serious Leica enthusiast. He's often seen capturing street photography and candid moments while on tour.
And then there's the late great Lou Reed. Before he passed he published books like Romanticism and Emotions in Action. He wasn't shooting rock stars, he was photographing landscapes and architecture with high contrast. He had a photographer's eye for the light that was just as sharp as his ear for sound.
We also have Moby. Moby's Photography is fascinating because it captures the isolation of fame. He released a book called Destroyed, which documented the sterile lonely side of touring empty hallways, airport terminals at 3:00 AM and crowd scene [00:03:00] from a huge distance. It's haunting stuff. Now let's pivot to a group that I find fascinating, the athletes and TV personalities.
The discipline it takes to be a pro athlete translates perfectly to photography. The king of this, Randy Johnson. The big unit. Hall of Fame pitcher, he studied photojournalism in college, and now he's a fixture on the NFL sidelines. His logo is a dead bird, a nod to that infamous pitch, and he photographs concerts for bands like Metallica.
We're seeing this trend explode in the NFL with guys like Marshawn Lynch getting involved. But here's my favorite story in this category. Drew Carey. Yes. The star of the Drew Carey Show and the host of The Price Is Right. Drew is a massive soccer fan and a legitimate sports photographer.
For a long time he shot the US National Soccer Team under the pseudonym Brooks Parkenridge. He didn't want the celebrity treatment. He just wanted to sell his [00:04:00] photos to the wire services based on their merit. That is respect for the craft. Finally, we have actors. These are the storytellers, and honestly, some of these names might shock you.
Like Leonard Nemoy, Mr. Spock himself, he was a profound fine art photographer. He wasn't just taking snapshots, he was doing serious thematic work. He published the Full Body Project, photographing Women of different Body Types and Shekhina, which explore the feminine aspect of God. It was controversial, brave, and technically brilliant, black and white work.
Then you have Jeff Bridges he's famous for using a Wideluxe, that panning panoramic film camera. He documents the behind the scenes moments of his movies. Like Ironman and the Big Lebowski. Speaking of the Wideluxe, Gary Oldman is also obsessed with that camera, but Gary goes even further.
he experimented with wet plate collodion photography. If you know anything about wet plate, [00:05:00] you know it is messy, difficult, and requires serious chemistry. That is dedication on the lighter side. We have Henry Winkler, the Fonz. He's an avid fly fisherman and he published a book called, I've Never Met An Idiot on the River.
It's Full of his nature photography, Trout, rivers, landscapes. It's incredibly peaceful, the exact opposite of the Hollywood hustle. And finally, Drew Barrymore. She has a book called Find It In Everything. For years, she has photographed heart shapes that she finds in everyday life, A shadow, a stain on the sidewalk, a cloud.
It's a simple concept, but it shows that she's always looking for visual patterns. I should end with one more, I think, and that is Ben Folds. If you don't know anything about Ben Folds, look up his photography. He. Has photographed his children while [00:06:00] on tour, and one of my favorite things about it is his children are rarely looking at him.
They're typically looking out of the tour bus out of the van, out the hotel rooms. It's typically the back of his children's heads. He's documenting his children while he's on tour. So why does this matter? Why list these names? Because it proves that creativity is a muscle, not a job title. Whether you are Method Man, Drew Carey, or a software engineer listening to this podcast on your commute, picking up a camera changes how you see the world.
For these celebrities, photography is the one place where they can control the narrative. They're usually the ones being watched, but when they hold a camera, they become the watcher. They get to decide what is important, what is beautiful, and what is worth keeping. I hope this list helps inspire you. To get outside of your own box.[00:07:00]
If you're a musician, grab a camera. If you're a photographer, try writing some lyrics. You never know how one will feed the other. Thanks for listening. Keep photographing and keep creating.