Photographer, Alexa Campbell

From a small town in Illinois Alexa Campbell started out with her mom’s camera and now she has already captured special moments in time for country artists and fans alike. Campbell has photographed for artists such as; Carly Pearce, Jon Pardi and Kip Moore amongst others. Coming off of Lady A’s “What a Song Can Do” tour with Pearce and going right back on the road for Pearce’s “29: Written in Stone” Tour, we were able to catch up with Campbell to learn more about her career as a photographer, her influences and what must haves she needs on the road.

Photography by Alexa Campbell || Carly Pearce

When did you first start getting into photography?

AC: “I was around twelve or thirteen. My mom had a camera that I loved to play around with it. I would have all my friends come over and we would do photoshoots. I would pose everybody, take photos of everyone and would edit them. After, we would all look at them. I loved the whole process of making people feel important.” Campbell says. “I loved giving my friends photos of themselves and them loving what they see. It all grew from there.”

Why is photography so special to you?

AC: “It’s so special to me because time moves so fast and the fact that the camera has the ability to capture moments in time that you can look back on is so special. I’m always so honored to get to capture live shows for the artists I work with. I know if they want a photographer there it means a lot to them. I always try and go to every show I do with that mind set - I’m here to document this the best I can.”

Photography by Alexa Campbell || Carly Pearce and her band

Who has influenced the work that you do?

AC: “John Shearer - I remember looking through a lot of his photos throughout the years. I loved how they all looked so personal, especially his backstage work. It’s very authentic. He has the great ability to capture a person’s personality very well. I feel like that is something a camera can’t do, but a photographer can.”

Do you prefer capturing backstage moments or do you like live work more?

AC:“I love both! With shows, it’s always the same show every night, so I’m always trying to look for the moments that make the shows unique. I think it’s fun to capture a moment on stage where you can tell the artist is really happy. Something that I’ve learned working with artists is that it takes a long time to get to that place. To see them living their dream is so special. I love capturing what artists do before they go on stage as well. That’s something that I’ve always wondered - when they’re backstage alone, and the pressure is high. I love both for different reasons,”

Photography by Alexa Campbell

BC: Since you take photographs of so many country artists, is Country Music your favorite genre?

AC: “Yes! I love country music so much. I grew up in a really small town in Illinois, where we only had one radio station - 97.3 WREL. I always remember being in the car, riding in the tractor with my dad or swimming at the pool with my friends - country radio was always on. It’s the soundtrack I grew up on, it’s always felt so special to me.” Campbell explains. “It’s always been music I can relate to. It’s about small towns and songs about dirt roads. I love the authenticity of Country Music and how a lot of the songs tell a real story.”

Who are some of your favorite country artists?

AC: “Every time I think of country music I always think of Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, George Strait, and Brooks and Dunn. They are the artists I’ve been listening since I was born.”

How did you get into this industry?

AC: “A couple years ago I was working at a gear rental house in Nashville. Directors, Producers and VPs would come in and I would help them. I liked working there but I really wanted to expand my work and shoot things for myself. My friend, pop artist, Josie Dunne asked me to go on the road with her for a weekend. She was singing at Lollapalooza and doing small club shows on the way. I remember not even knowing what Lollapalooza was but I went anyways.” Campbell laughs. “At the time I had one lens for my camera, I didn’t really know what I was doing, I was just trying to figure out as I was doing it. It was such a fun experience. She’s from Chicago so we got to stay at her house with her family and drive to the shows from there. I remember thinking ‘I really want to do this again.’ and I’ve been doing it ever since!”

When you’re on the road, what are some must have gear you need for your job?

AC: “My pelican case which has everything - my cameras, lenses, hard drives and my laptop.”

What kind of live moments are your favorite to capture?

AC: “I love any live moment that is really unique. If it’s raining at a show and the artist runs out and sings in the rain, or if there’s a special moment with a fan - anything that feels really special. The moments that aren’t ever going to happen again - those are my favorite things to capture.”

Photography by Alexa Campbell || Jon Pardi

What do you like to take pictures of when you aren’t working?

AC: “I love to go hiking! I’ll take my camera with me and take pictures of waterfalls or beautiful landscapes. I also love taking pictures of the sunset. To me, every sunset is different even if it’s in the same place. Anything with nature where I can look back on it and think about how beautiful that day was.” Campbell says. “I also love taking pictures of my nieces and nephews. I don’t get to see them as often as I’d like to so capturing moments with them and noticing how they look different every time because they grow so fast is special.”

You not only do photography but you also direct, what does that job entail?

AC: “I first listen to the song and write what’s called a Treatment which is just the video on paper; what it’s going to look like and what they’re going to be doing - every detail in the one document. If the team picks it we have to execute the whole thing which is when we work with the producer who helps it bring it to life. The producer will read my treatment and figure out what we’ll need (a house, a field, a truck etc…..) We will then hire the cast and get wardrobe ready. We work with the DP and we’ll work together in terms of what kind of camera we want to use, what we want the framing to look like.” Campbell explains. “To watch the treatment come to life was probably my favorite thing I’ve ever done - work wise and creatively.”

You recently directed Carly Pearce’s new video, “Never Wanted To Be That Girl”? what can you tell us about that?

AC: “It was amazing! I got to work with a group of amazing people. Ryan Byrd was the producer and she’s also one of my good friends so it was so fun to work with her on it. The DP was Dylan Rucker and he’s also another one of my good friends. In this video specifically we did a lot of match shots so Carly would be looking here and the younger version would be too. Dylan and I worked together on that to make sure they look as close as possible. Our set designer, Lily Kap did an amazing job - she transformed the house in the music video. The scene with Ashley (McBryde) and the guy in the bar was actually a garage and not a bar at all. She built that set.”

Before you were asked to direct this video did you listen to the song and imagine what you wanted this music video to look like?

AC: “Yeah, I was with Carly when she recorded this song in the studio back in April. It was my first time ever hearing it. “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” made me want to cry because it was so good. One of the lines that really stuck out to me was, ‘I never wanted to be that girl, never wanted to hate myself,’ and I thought of my niece. She has all these big dreams of what she wants her life to look like, what she wants to be when she grows up - she’s so innocent and sweet. I was thinking of her and how no little girl wants to grow up and be a heartbreaker or heartbroken. It’s never in us to want that but life happens. So, when that moment of realization hits it’s a heartbreaking moment. I remember having that idea in the studio and I wrote the treatment with that being the main theme. Carly and I were talking about the video and she had an idea about her in Ashley (McBryde) being separate the whole song and at the end meeting at a grocery store. I remember thinking it was really cool. Later that night, I was in my bunk on the bus thinking of the grocery store concept and I couldn’t see it. The song builds and I knew there needed to be movement in the video at that point in the song. As we were driving down the road I thought what if they were driving and met at a stoplight. I wrote the idea down and worked backwards on the story, thinking - how could they end up there while keeping that theme of them as the little girls.”

Photography by Alexa Campbell || Jon Pardi

Do you prefer directing or photography more?

AC: “I love both so much for different reasons. I love directing more because of the story telling aspect and that you get to work with a team. With photography you can say I took that but with this music video you can say we did this. And, The whole process of seeing something in your head and having the journey and challenge of getting your work onto a screen is so fun. The ability to bring an artist’s song to life is amazing. There’s nothing like filmmaking.”

Amongst your works, what would be one of your favorites?

AC: “I would say I’m most proud of the “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” music video, because directing is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. My favorite show I have ever shot would have to be Jon Pardi at the Faster Horses Festival in the rain.” Campbell tells us.

Aside from doing photography as a career, what motivates you to keep going?

AC: “I love it so much. The simple fact is really because it makes me happy! But, the idea that maybe someday I could create something that is timeless that people still watch for years after I’m gone means a lot to me. The thought of my grandkids sitting around, watching movies I created - or a special Christmas movie they watch every year is just so cool. Also, just the ability to make people feel something or look at the world a little differently motivates me.”

Other than creating timeless photos which is something that I believe you have done, is there a dream that you have as a photographer or director?

AC: “To create something for George Strait, Brookes & Dunn, Tim McGraw or Kenny Chesney - any of those legends, would be fun. I would also love to shoot an album cover.”

What do you want to say to aspiring photographers/filmmakers?

AC: “Create as much as you can and shoot what you love. The jobs will follow that.”