We had an idea for a scene and made it. Little did we know this photo would take me all the way to the legendary Abbey Road studios.
Sometimes great work comes to you unexpectedly. That was exactly the case with this photo shoot. My husband and my creative partner, David, and I found ourselves with the unexpected idea to create a photo session around the concept of an artist’s dream.
So many musicians, with undeniable talents, often find themselves having to do unsatisfying day-to-day jobs to pay rent, while their minds wander to the big stages they dream of performing on. That became the inspiration behind our photo shoot.
We built a forced perspective stage to bring the vision to life and painted it with a classic color palette, related to my personal favorite musical era. We painted the walls black, evoking a void – representing a lone thought floating in someone’s imagination. We gave our model a mop to use as a prop in relation to the normal work she was doing in reality. Honestly, the setting and the shots from the shoot looked even better than David or I expected, which is always a great feeling. We are quite proud of the photos we have taken.
By chance I found out that Abbey Road Studios was holding the Opening Ceremony of the Music Photography Awards. Without thinking much, I decided to put this photo in the “Undiscovered” category of the contest.
I entered the photo contest in February 2022 and completely forgot about it. Then, in April, an email came from Abbey Road Studios. It says our photo has been selected as one of five finalists in our category and they have sent us an invitation to the awards ceremony in London at Abbey Road Studios in May. We were blown away. This competition features some seriously highly qualified judges, including Rankin and Sacha Lecca from Rolling Stone. Not to mention, the invited category finalists include an exceptional team of photographers, including the likes of David LaChapelle.
Going to Abbey Road Studios for the awards ceremony is a surreal experience. We were shocked to see our photos, along with all the other finalists’ photos, plastered on the iconic front wall of Abbey Road Studios. They have laid out the red carpet and backdrop for you to take photos before entering the studio. This is no ordinary awards party. It was a flashy awards party, sponsored by none other than Hennessy.
As we entered Studio One, we were surrounded by printed and displayed photographs of all the nominated finalists. It felt like we were strolling through an art gallery of some of the best music photos we’ve ever seen, and one of our photos was included in the mix. It was a wild experience. Not to mention, Studio One also happens to be the space where the soundtracks for Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Return of the Jedi, and Skyfall are recorded.
We mix and mix. The highlight of the evening was listening to Rankin, one of my greatest inspirations, share his wisdom and experience. The opportunity to speak with him afterwards was an absolute honor. Then it’s time for the awards ceremony. Although our photo didn’t win the top prize, just being recognized felt like a huge achievement given the size of the competition.
After the awards ceremony, we ventured to Studio 2 for the following party, where we were treated to three live performances by incredibly talented artists. This legendary space is also where The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Oasis, Adele and Ed Sheeran recorded some of their most popular songs. Stepping into the very room where these legends once recorded their unforgettable songs is an incredibly surreal experience.
The basic message of my story is this: when you have a photo idea, seize the moment and make it a reality. You never know when you’ll create some of your best work. There are a lot of photo contests out there that can lead to some really great opportunities, so don’t be afraid to take a chance and get your work out into the world. You never know what could happen.
