Photographer Jérôme Brunet picked up an instrument long before he picked up a camera. Born in Southern France and raised in Ontario, Canada, the young creative began playing cello at age four and then transitioned into guitar as a teen once he developed an affinity for rock and blues music. “My first concert was Santana and now I’ve gotten to shoot Carlos Santana. Life has a way of coming full circle,” explains Brunet who recently launched his Kickstarter campaign for his 20-year retrospective photo book titled Into The Light.
“My parents supported me in all of my artistic ventures, starting on the cello until now. I owe them everything,” says Brunet. The audio and visual passions collided when Brunet was gifted a used Nikon FM2 in high school and took up photography. He went on to study at the prestigious E.F.E.T School of Photography in Paris, France and has since built a formidable career as a live music photographer.
Among many others, Brunet’s award-winning photographs have been featured in Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Time, Billboard, Popular Photography, American Photo, Guitar World, Variety, Smithsonian and The New York Times. Specializing in the Blues, Rock, Jazz, and Soul genres, the photographer has shot Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, Tom Petty and more. “I started thinking about creating a book a year ago. I hope people will walk away with the feeling of having shared an insight into the artists’ soul that I photographed,” shares Brunet.
“I’m known to shoot what is referred to in French as shooting in ‘Contre jour’ or ‘Into the Light,’ where the camera is pointed directly toward a source of light,” explains Brunet about his signature style. The title of his book is three fold. It’s also a lyric out of a Peter Gabriel’s song “Family Snapshot” and he’s stepping “Into The Light” with this new venture. Here are a few more tidbits from my sit-down with the talented photographer.
You still play guitar. What’s your favorite song to play?
“’Lenny’ by Stevie Ray Vaughan.”
Have you gotten the opportunity to spend any time with B.B. King or any of your other famous subjects?
“I’ve met some of my greatest heroes backstage, too many to name but Steve Miller, Pinetop Perkins, Jeff Beck, Santana and B.B. King come to mind.”
Are there any other photographers you admire?
“The first photograph of a musician I can remember admiring was by Canadian photographer Yousurf Karsh of cellist Pablo Casals. Years later, while studying photography in Paris, I had the true honor of meeting masters Sebastiao Salgado and Henri-Cartier Bresson who lived down the street from me! Lastly after having moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, in early 2000, I had the life changing experience of meeting the Godfather of Rock Photography, Jim Marshall, who invited me to showcase my work alongside his at one of his last benefit shows in Los Angeles. One of the greatest honors of my life.”
What was the first concert you ever shot?
“I shot was B.B. King at the Banlieues Bleuses Festival in Paris in 1994.”
Do you have a favorite artist to shoot?
“My dear friends Vintage Trouble from Los Angeles. It’s always a party with those cats! One of my most memorable moments was shooting them on stage in front of forty thousand people at AT&T park in San Francisco.”
Would you ever consider being the personal photographer for an artist and going on tour?
“Of course, as long as I admire the artist!”
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
“As B.B. King would say, I’m gonna keep doing this 'til the day I die.’”
How does it feel to have a legend like Steve Miller write the forward to your book?
“The chance meeting with Steve Miller was one in a million. He was the headliner for the Santa Cruz Blues, where I was the official photographer for many years, and he was hanging out and taking pictures side stage for most of the opening acts. So I asked if he’d mind me shooting his full set and the conversation quickly turned to photography gear! We quickly became friends and kept in touch over the years and when I later asked him to write the forward to my book, he immediately agreed! He is by far the most generous and kind hearted rock stars I know.”
To order an advanced copy of Jérôme Brunet’s “Into The Light” visit his Kickstarter page below.
See more of Brunet’s work on his website at www.JérômeBrunet.com or follow him on his socials.