I know Julia and her family through our dogs. Our Cera and their Rudy are siblings. You might remember this post where we got the whole family together for a shoot at the studio. Good stuff!

I had heard that Julia was an uber-talented singer/songwriter, but it wasn’t until this summer that I had the chance to see her perform live at Natasha’s in downtown Lexington. I once fancied myself as a musician, too, so I’m speaking from experience here—she’s the real deal. Julia has a perfect balance of old-soul and fresh youth. Stage presence. Lyrics that speak to a deeper understanding of life than you might expect at her age—15. And her work ethic? Wow. She inspires me to work harder at the things I’m passionate about.

Julia’s mom Gina contacted me to help out with the photography for the first album being released. So one sunny fall afternoon, I met up with them at an empty, older farm house in Paris (thanks Kris and Molly!). I love how this session turned out. It’s such a tricky thing…I wanted the images to reflect that juxtaposition of youth and maturity that Julia embodies so well. She’s thoughtful and poised one minute, then light and spontaneous the next.

Here are some of my favorites from that session:

Fast-forward to January 5 of this year. Julia’s fans packed Natasha’s for the album release party. Standing room only. Julia sold and signed albums, and then took to the stage to perform both some solo numbers, and well as some with her musical friends who’ve been so supportive along the way.

David McLean is her guitar instructor, mentor and friend.

Julia surprised him with a new look.

Victoria is not only a supportive younger sister, but she’s also quite a talented artist. Some good genes in that family!

Raw talent is essential to grow a successful music career, but equally important is the unconditional support from those who love you most. Steve and Gina are great role models on how to motivate your children in the pursuit of their dreams. In this shot, they presented Julia with a framed copy of her album.

And I got a signed copy. Pretty dang cool.

You can follow Julia’s musical journey HERE. Thanks for stopping by!

I miss music. I used to play out quite a bit when I was younger. Geez…feels like a lifetime ago. That was before I found photography, though, before I realized that I was better suited professionally to be behind the lens instead of the microphone.

Not so with Julia, though. She’s an ubertalented singer/songwriter with an amazing presence on stage. Julia will be able to take her music quite far. And she’s at SCAPA for dance and drama. Talented girl, right?

I recently had the chance to see Julia perform live at Natasha’s. Awesome. If you’d like to check out her shows, you might wanna connect with Julia on her Facebook music page HERE.

To Julia—You rock. Looking forward to staying in touch and seeing all the cool things you do with your talents. You’ve got a great group of family and friends rooting you on. Best of luck!

Ever had an out-of-town friend you can feel 100% reconnected with instantly when you see each other?  Like you never missed a beat?  It’s like that with my friend Logan.  We literally get to catch up with each other maybe once a year.  And usually for about 10 minutes.  Logan’s a well-loved dude, so when he’s in Lexington visiting, tons of his friends get together to visit with him.

I’m not trying to write an Ode to Logan here—he’d hate that kind of attention, but I think it’s important that I brag on him.  Not for being an awesome guy–which he is.  Not for being a tremendously talented musician—which he is.  But for being bold in life.  Here’s a guy that lives with passion.  He’s always loved music and has wanted nothing more than to do it full-time.  Seeing that Lexington wasn’t a big enough venue to do that, he packed up and took off for New York a few years back.  No plans for employment, no strong leads for musical connections.  Just a van full o’ gear and some courage.

We should all be so bold with our dreams.

He’s now the drummer for The Stationary Set.  I listen to them all the time while I’m editing images.  You can download their newest EP here, watch their first music video here, and check out their website here to stay connected.

The Stationary Set’s recent tour brought them through Lexington, so we all went out to Buster’s to check them out and catch up.  Here are some shots I grabbed from their show:

Hope you enjoyed the images!  You can connect with me by Facebook and Twitter.  Leave some comment love below if you feel so inspired.  Stay in touch, y’all!  -shaun