PORTRAIT - Eric Hirsh, Jazz Pianist - 2025

Working with musician Eric Hirsh on documenting the energy of his new musical work was such a creative ride. A jazz pianist, Eric's come a long way through self-exploration experiments. We talked at length about paradoxical concepts and how to bring them into images: hiding while showing, inviting while remaining mysterious, softness with edge. I wanted to lightly challenge the traditional head-and-shoulders portrait while keeping some of the classic focus. It's amazing working with other introspective artists--during our process (my photography style is intentionally very involved and personal, if the client will let me!), he made a visual mood board, a vibes playlist, wrote journal entries. We also rented the studio at Yours Durham to have a flexible blank slate to build on (highly recommend their space!).