Photography by Sarah Jurado »

Some days are glorious because you expect them to be. A wedding, a birth, a promotion, a big event. Then there are the do-nothing days that sucker punch you with their goodness. Today was not shaping up to be a stellar day. Too many errands, random knee pain making me question my “I’m 30 yet still invincible” take on life, impatient, and possibly ready to chuck ‘creative suite’ out a window.

Then I got an email from my sister - an interview for school on being an artist. It is still a gift to me that I get to make art for a living, and to have her choose me as someone worthy of talking to [sibling or no!] was an honor. As I sat down + answered her questions, I reflected on why I first picked up a camera. At the time, I knew - LITERALLY - nothing about the technical side, but I was just so in love with the music community around me I HAD TO capture it. Cait’s interview timing was perfect. Rather than continuing to feel ‘less than’ [see: morning mental status] I could instead be stoked on how many amazing moments I’ve been a part of in the past few years.

A few hours after that boost, I got one of those calls that make freelancing so worthwhile - a middle of the night, deadline tomorrow, ‘can you go shoot this band’ moment. Yes! I can! In fact, I love to. I take photos of a lot of different things now; I am so lucky that that’s the case. But music photography will always be my touchstone + my catalyst. It has created a whole new life for me.

My interview with Caitlin, and a few imperfect but beautiful + treasured moments, below.

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ONE. I know you take a lot of photos of both live music and of wedding/families… is there a common objective theme that connects these, or are they your focus because they are two passions of yours?

Photography began, for me, out of wanting to capture the shows + parties I was attending. It was a love of music that ended up exploding into this whole new way to view the world and tell a story. I just wanted a keepsake for myself in the beginning, but as I progressed I fell in love with sharing those visions, with helping others covet + keep their best moments. This is absolutely as true for a bride as it is for a band.

TWO. What have your experiences photographing these cultural events been like (emotionally, physically)? how have these experiences differed in different locales? (Here, I am mostly referring to the music photography.)

Live music photography is an interesting animal. I’ll go out on a limb and say almost everyone [ok, everyone I know] who is a music photographer is also a fan. So there you are, front row for something you love, but you’re no longer just present or just listening to the songs. You’re metering, you’re framing, you’re cursing the tall dude who keeps creeping in front of you. You end up walking away with [let's hope!] some gorgeous moments permanently captured, but are you ultimately compromising the thing you loved in the first place? Are you losing that power of emotion?

Physically I lose a lot of sense of self while I’m taking photos. I feel like I’m an extension of my camera, not the other way around. That said, I sometimes reach too far or crouch too awkwardly, and have on at least one occasion been hit in the side by a cohort in the photo pit.

For the record, even as I question whether photographing a show makes you be less present for the songs, I have to acknowledge that I can hardly stand to see a show without my camera now. It makes me picture all the things I would’ve captured, if I’d only had it there.

THREE. What drives you to take photographs, as opposed to creating art by some other medium?

My photos are about wanting to share my story, or tell someone else’s as I see it. If I could paint, oh man, would I love to paint. If I could sing? Same thing. But I can’t. As it turns out, what I CAN do is take a photo. Even that skill… well, I didn’t explore or recognize it until I was in my late 20’s. I felt like art was something you had to have permission to create. I didn’t feel like I would be ‘enough’ to deem myself a photographer. Sometimes I’m really bummed at my younger self, that I limited myself for so long. Mostly I’m just grateful that I know my previous limitations were bullshit, and love every minute of it now.

Am I allowed to say bullshit?

FOUR. How does your photography reflect your own personality — how do you put yourself into your photos?

I actually try to stay out of my own photos. I don’t do a lot of ornate setups or costuming, at least not for 99% of what I’m shooting right now. I like a very photojournalistic approach - telling the story that’s already there, but just as I see it. I guess my narrative and my perception then enters in, but hopefully the person in front of the lens is the one driving it.

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