Sheri O'neal Photographer

I recently had an opportunity to shoot a few images at Gruhn Guitars, a downtown Nashville staple that was established in 1970. Owner, George Gruhn allowed me to look through the store and shoot what ever I wanted. It was overwhelming how many instruments he had in his inventory so I avoided the temptation of staying all day and focused on the private areas of the building in the different rooms above the showroom.

George has 25 employees, these include sales, staff and repair positions. As George walked me through a tour of the upstairs he shared with me that music was always a love but he went to college to be a Zoologist. His undergraduate studies were in animal behavior at the University of Chicago. He graduated from Duke with a degree in Zoology and did further studies in animal behavior at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.  His love of animals is evident with the fifteen snakes and the African grey parrot named Boid that reside in his office. At home he has two African serval cat’s, three Felis chaus cats and one plain ole cat I am sure feels a bit normal! When I asked him how he ended up in the guitar industry he said it was a hobby that turned into a lucrative business.

I started my moorning wanting to shoot from a journalistic prospective offering the viewer a vision of George, what goes on behind the scenes and showcasing some of my favorite instruments. Here are a few images from my brief visit…

(above) Fiddle peghead….

(above) Scott Kinsey repairing a 1930′s Martin acoustic.

(above) George Gruhn playing a 1970′s Martin OM-45 guitar.

(above) Greg Voros repairing a L-5 CES Gibson

(above) George with his parrot “Boid” who he has had since 1993 when she was 12 weeks old.

(above) Epiphone 1930 banjo…a very rare item.

(above) George with his bull snake, one of fifteen snakes that are kept safely  in aquariums in his office.

Although I am not much of a musician, I love music and I have a great appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into the creation and repair of vintage and high end instruments. I enjoyed my visit with George and his staff. In the end I can see the relationship of Zoology to the tracking, history and specific details of each item in George’s store! If you would like to stop in and visit George at  Gruhn Guitars (615-256-2033) the store is located in downtown Nashville at 400 Broadway and there is free parking behind the building.

I recently shot some images for a new client and now friend George (PORK) McElhinny. When I met him I was a little taken by the fact that he goes by the name PORK! Imagine talking on the phone to someone who goes by the name Pork not knowing what they look like, wondering if he might be a BIG guy and having to pre-visualizing shooting their pr images. To my surprise PORK is a good looking healthy guy, the shoot went great in my small studio and he can really play the guitar! I made him work hard for the right look on camera, there is no faking an intense guitar playing face! Here are a few images from the shoot and click here to see what Pork is all about. He is an awesome performer and you need to catch one of his shows! As you can see by the show announcement below he is playing with Travis Meadows, a great friend and awesome singer-songwriter whom I featured in my last blog post! One final note…PORK lives on Possum Trot Road, and no I am NOT making that part up!

I met Travis many years ago when I used to co-host a writers night at the “Hall of Fame Lounge”, here in Nashville TN. He first contacted me on myspace and then came in one night to play.  I will never forget the first minute of his first song he played for the audience, the place went completely silent and the old coots at the bar who spoke about music in Nashville back in the day actually turned and listened, that never happened. In that moment I knew I would follow and come to admire Travis for a very long time. Now, 6 years later, after years of friendship, following his career, personal life, becoming friends with his now ex wife and all the struggles they have faced over the years, I am so proud of where he is in his life with his music. Although his song “Black” will always be my favorite, the songs on his new CD “Killin Uncle Buzzy” are incredibly written and heart felt with his voice and reflection.

Last week I introduced you all to Nashville Architect Brad Norris, this week I wanted to share with you a recent project we completed called “The G Project”. In November of last year we were able to shoot a home in Franklin owned by the G family that Brad’s was finishing up on. My schedule was crazy that month but we needed to get the shot before the leaves had fallen off of the trees. Fall and winter generally have the prettiest skies on a clear day because the cooler temperatures help produce rich saturated colors (depending on what time of day I am shooting). We needed the leaves on the trees but didn’t want to wait to shoot after winter so I somehow fit a day of shooting into my week and went to work.

As summer approached this year we picked back up on the “G Project” that had been sitting untouched on a hard drive since November. Architecture is something I have started shooting over the past 3 years so I was eager to get started on the edit. I spent many hours in post retouching fallen leaves, layering multiple exposures, fixing perspective and details that are required in digital photography when shooting architecture. Although I am not one to enjoy long hours and day’s of retouch time on the computer I was eager to see what I could create from the images I had shot. It has become a part of photography so you learn to deal with that…a good cup (or many) of coffee helps!

My favorite images from the photo-shoot are posted below and I am proud of what we were able to capture at this incredible home!

In 2010 Nashville Architect Brad Norris contacted me in need of a corporate headshot because he was re-branding his business and putting together a new website.  We talked over the phone about what he was looking for, agreed on a price, decided on the location and I arrived looking forward to doing what I love best…taking pictures on location.

I love shooting corporate headshots when my client allows me to be creative. More and more I am finding that people are tired of the standard headshot on a boring backdrop. When given the opportunity to have something unique to what they do as opposed to something completely generic most often they will go with uniqueness. When I can come to a location that the client likes, perhaps their business or home, I am able to capture more about the person themselves and I believe it makes a better first impression to their clients. Business has changed, people want to know who they are working with and their corporate photo is generally an insight to that first impression.

Brad and I scouted the location upon my arrival and decided on several different set up’s that would give him a variety of different looks to use for his marketing efforts. He wanted me to somehow incorporate different backgrounds that corresponded to some of the materials and tones that are often showcased in his work. Here are the different images we were able to create from his insights and the location:

This is what he decided to use for his website:

This is part 1…an introduction to Brad. Next week I will share images from a recent project we just completed! Be sure to check out the July 2011 issue of The Art House Magazine, Brad and many of his projects are showcased there this month including a few we have worked on!

Recently I started looking through my gear for things I could possibly sell to regain some closet space. I found a huge box of polaroid (4×5, medium format and sx-70) that I had forgotten about many years ago with the change over to digital. I decided to take a day to just play, to set up a shot with the old untouched 4×5 I have contemplated getting rid of for years.

As I set up the tripod it amazed me how much I had forgotten in regards to using a 4×5 camera. I first had to locate the little screw adapter just to put the camera on the tripod, struggled with what lens I wanted to use and had to reacquaint myself to the swings and tilts of the camera. It was awkward focusing on the ground glass- upside down, backwards and dark. These were things that came second nature to me many years ago and as an assistant in my early 20′s, back then I was setting up 8×10 cameras to shoot for Macy’s and Red Lobster accounts.

Once I had my shot set up I had the realization that my polaroid might not even render an image! I was amazed (and embarrassed) that one box had an expiration date of ’88. Several boxes had been given to me by a polaroid rep because it had passed it’s expiration date back in the day. I felt like a kid as I put the first polaroid in the polaroid back, carefully placed it behind the camera’s ground glass and considered my exposure with the reciprocity due to the bellows being fully extended. I wanted to shoot with available light and I wanted a long exposure so I shot with the modeling lights on. As I determined my exposure “guess,” set the f-stop I cocked the shutter and clicked the shutter release to a count of 25 seconds. I removed the back from the camera, turned the lever from load to process and with a gentle steady pull I removed the Polaroid from the Polaroid back. I couldn’t believe how excited I was with the anticipation of seeing what might be, then as I pulled the black paper apart…nothing. I repeated this through most of the boxes and found that the chemical that develops the image had dried up in most of them.  As I began to loose my excitement an image appeared with a Polaroid from type 55! In the day this was a B&W Polaroid loved and admired by 4×5 adventurers everywhere for the ability to produce a negative & positive image from one sheet! Over the course of an hour I went through the bulk of outdated boxes. Most were no good but to my surprise I did have satisfactory results with a few boxes including type 55, 59 and 52. Most did not have good color or did not expose a full image due to the chemical pod being partially dried up but as an artist I was excited at what I did get and saw art in every image.

As I continued the process I kept the camera and subject the same. I decided I would scan each polaroid image and layer them on top of one another carefully selecting the parts of each that I liked best in photoshop until I eventually had an entire mix of an image I liked. These are the final images I chose to use for my scans…

By scanning the best of all the polaroids I would be able to incorporate the different flaws and colors into one final image.

My play day was wonderful, it tempted me, challenged me and inspired me! It teased my memory, and reminded me of the experience my past life as a photographer held before digital ever was. My senses came alive to the sound and feel of that old camera, something you don’t feel when shooting digital. The sound of the shutter as you cock it back, the sound of the click and the overwhelming size of the equipment. The smell of the Polaroid and the waiting…I now realize that there is a true excitement in the not knowing, the anticipation of waiting 30 seconds or more to pull that paper and reveal a surprise. What a gift to have been able to experience that era in my creative life, it is unfortunate that these polaroid films are no longer available. The last six Type 55 and the box of newly opened 59 are going to be used up soon once I decide what my next subject will be, I wont allow years to go by only weeks and when I finally pull that final polaroid back I promise to be sure to showcase what is revealed into a one of a kind art piece that will not only capture the beauty of the film but also an era that has passed me by!

Even with the recession and the technology changes that have robbed the print world of past success I am still shooting editorial pretty regularly. Recently I had the chance to shoot an anniversary cover for American Spirit Magazine/DAR and it involved a beautiful hand crafted cake by the notable decorator Jay Qualls, Murfreesboro cake king and contestant on TRL’s Cake Boss. Unfortunately it was not made to be eaten so I missed out on those calories!

To read more go here!

On Friday June 25 I made a visit to Joe Glaser’s instrument repair company to pick up some gear he wanted to donate to my ReTune Nashville project.  Joe’s expertise has been said to be the best around and after visiting his facility he certainly has the volume of work to support the claim.  Loving the ability to turn any experience into a photo opportunity, I took along my camera just in case.  Joe started by taking me through his entire facility pointing out the flood damaged gear he was currently working on by such names as Keb Mo, Vince Gill, John Fogerty and so many others.  I asked if I could take some pictures and he allowed me to do so although some items were off limits to photos. What a great hour of learning about musical instruments and what his business does to fix many of these damaged and broken items.  I love shooting documentary style and would love to go back and cover Joe’s business from an editorial point of view, I enjoyed my visit and I walked away with some great pictures!  Joe graciously donated 8 guitars to ReTune Nashville (read previous post) from prominent artist that were not worth fixing, all of these items were stored at Soundcheck, a facility  that house’s most of  Nashville’s prominent musician’s gear.  I was blown away by what he shared with me and so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet this talented man in person!  Below are some of the photos I shot on Friday…enjoy!

This guitar was estimated to be worth a hundred thousand dollars and Joe believes it can be restored to it’s original look and sound.  He has a special machine that can grind the fret board down eliminating any warping that occurred from water damage, the other repairs are all done by hand.  It is amazing to think of the talent these guys have to bring items like this back after such destruction.

Scott Holyfield works on a vintage guitar (bellow) that was damaged in the May 2010 Nashville flood while in a storage shed at the Soundcheck facility.  The Cumberland River crested over 50 feet and flooded the facility damaging millions of dollars worth of musical gear.

Thank you for visiting and I hope that you enjoyed reading about Joe!  If you need a photographer I can guarantee you will be happy with both the experience and with the outcome so please keep Sheri O’Neal Photography in mind for all of your photo needs .  Give me a call or drop me an email and lets do business!

Well…spring is here and I have this uncanny need to share.  I have decided that I will limit my time doing unproductive things, I don’t pay attention to the news very much anymore and just getting outside a few times a week makes me feel better as a human being!  I have surrounded myself with positive minded people who complain very little, are full of energy and seem to be not only happier but more successful.  It is rubbing off on me and that makes me feel better about myself which in turn makes me want to make others feel better through my process of sharing.

No matter what we allow ourselves to believe the fact remains that things are changing in business and in our world.  There seem to be more tragedies’ happening or maybe we just have the ability to know more about them due to mobile media and the internet.  We have to work harder for a dollar than we used to but we have an array of choices around us to potentially make our businesses grow wings. Due to this constant and aggressive change around us we need to be persistent in learning new things and often that may feel uncomfortable.  The biggest lesson I have learned in business AND in life is that thinking is not doing…ACTION is a requirement for any kind of change.  It is something I am working hard on because even with all of my marketing ideas in place I have realized that taking action is the most difficult thing to master.

I have embraced the internet because I see the potential it has to offer a business but it also helps me to feel connected.  Being single in my 40’s with no kids, self employed and working from my home I can sometimes feel very removed and lonely if I allow myself to stay in my bubble.  With the new world of internet marketing and social interaction, I have found a new way of not only making business connections but also making new friends and realize that in this new world taking ACTION is easier.  So many of these things were not available to us in the pre-internet social era and it was much harder to reach large groups of people with similar interest.  That being said I do believe you must interact in person to make those relationships feel real, for them grow and to take them to the higher levels.

I am a creative person living in a business world and at times I realize I fall short with certain business functions.  By choice I do not allow myself to focus on the things that I lack in a negative way, instead I choose to believe I can always be better at anything as long as I believe I can be.  I have noticed as a creative person when I refer to things like business marketing or advertising I feel tense but when I refer to the same things as social networking or social marketing I feel a little more at ease.   I love being social and it feels better to me when trying to build business relationships.  I want to be friends with my clients not just have them as a client.  This doesn’t necessarily mean I want to hang out with them on a regular basis or talk about the personal details of my life. What is does mean is that I care about them as individuals and I am interested in not only the success of their business but also that their son graduated from high school or their daughter had a visit from the tooth fairy.  These things help me feel connected and help to establish a relationship.  Although making money is the primary function of a business, in my business the relationship is just as important as another dollar in my bank account.

As I leave you I realize this post doesn’t really have much depth other than my ranting in a personal fashion about what makes me feel good with my business in the new world of social activity.  I love what I do, I have never felt I fit into the corporate mold yet no matter who I am working for I know I can carry myself in a professional manner.  Taking action with my ideas is key to gaining new clients and building my business.  Social media allows me to put myself out there hoping the relationships I build will come to be because I am a real person who cares.  It is not just about my happiness I love making others happy too!  Wishing you all the best and hoping you all are enjoying the beauty of spring time!

In my business I work hard to keep my clients coming back and their happiness is my number one priority!  I want them comfortable during the process and I want them happy with the outcome.  A happy client tells his friends and associates about your work and you begin to build relationships which is key to a prosperous business.  I make it priority to be sure my clients like the images we are getting while working so that in the end they will have no reason to be unhappy with the final result.  My track record is around 98% when it comes to “happy” but every once in a while there is that one shoot where the client may not be as satisfied as I had hoped.  When that happens it affects me deeply on both a professional and a personal level.  My work is a reflection on me as an individual and as a business owner so if the client is unhappy I do what ever I can within my power to fix the issue.   It feels great when you get praise for a good job but you always remember the unhappy client no mater what the situation.

Joe West of Gasoline Productions Inc. is the ideal happy client and a great example of one that I want to keep.  West is a producer and writer with multiple cuts for artist like Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Jimmy Wayne, Julianne Hough, Emily West, and Danielle Peck (among others).  After sending his artist Sarah Marince to me for a shoot in 2008 he felt confident enough with my work to send Joe Zelek my way earlier this month.  Zelek and I talked over the phone about what he wanted, negotiated a price that fit his budget and his needs on an upcoming music project he is working on with West.  Zelek spends his time between Ohio and Tennessee working on music and wanted something fresh and different shot outside with a lens flare affect.  West has a great piece of land out in Franklin, TN where we met to do the shoot one sunny March afternoon.  What I didn’t expect was the incredible shooting opportunity I had in the old house located on the property that is planned to be torn down soon and Zelek was open to all the additional ideas I had regarding backdrops throughout the house.  Zelek, West and I had a great time shooting that afternoon and I became a new fan of Joe Zelek’s music!  West shot some great behind the scenes images that are included in this post.

As I leave you I have to admit that loving what I do makes me often feel like I am cheating when referring to this career as a business.  I do know however, that it is a business and as long as I keep the client happy, knowing their needs come first, I believe I will continue to do what I love. If you need a photographer I can 98% guarantee you will be happy with both the experience and with the outcome so let me make you a “happy” client!  Give me a call or drop me an email and lets do business!