Check Out Colleen Brent’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Colleen Brent. 

Hi Colleen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was always an “artsy” kid. I vividly remember, as a child, being frustrated that the images that came out of my cheap Kodak camera weren’t as beautiful as what my eye was seeing and wishing there was some way to create photos that were as close to being there as possible. Eventually, I shifted from the visual arts to music, performing in honor bands in Georgia, marching band competitions, and even marching in The University of Alabama’s Million Dollar Band. It wasn’t until I transferred schools and moved to San Antonio, TX that visual art made a comeback in my life. My new social circle in SATX spent a lot of time going to concerts and one of my friends was in a small band. I would bring my point and shoot into his shows and click away. Eventually, I started bringing it to the smaller club shows we would go to, but again, would be frustrated at the limits a small point and shoot had. I vacationed to San Diego with a friend who was falling in love with photography and owned a DSLR, and she was kind enough to let me play around with hers and that’s all she wrote… From there I bought my own camera (I will never forget you Canon Rebel T4i) and started figuring out how to apply for photo passes for shows and somehow landed myself on tour with The Color Morale in 2015. I’ve never lost the love of wanting to create photos that transport you back to the moment. I’ve been fortunate enough to complete three tours, shoot countless show, photograph a safari in South Africa, and numerous other travels – all with a camera in hand. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing about the music industry is a smooth road and the struggles along the way vary from minor inconveniences and I’ve got a few that felt like the end of the world. On my first tour, my laptop died on me. I remember sitting in our BandWagon freaking out and pulling batteries off the back and playing with different things…fortunately I got it back. I don’t know what I would have done otherwise – my life for both my merchandising and photography roles on the tour existed in that computer. Days later my primary lens broke, we were in New York City, and camera shops told me it wasn’t worth the price of the repair. Fortunately, I learned to adapt with other gear in my bag. I was the victim of a sexual harassment case on another tour. At the moment that felt like the end of the world. Being a woman in the music industry, still establishing my roots, and standing up for myself? I will never regret it, but at the time, it was terrifying and felt like a life-ruining moment. And then there’s the whole pandemic thing…where the industry in which I spent most of my time ceased to exist. Fortunately, I have another career in childhood development, so I was taken care of, but watching all of my friends in the industry go from doing well to unemployed was gut-wrenching. But I think that’s part of the creative mentality, we go into this knowing it’s not going to be smooth sailing and there’s going to be some wreckage along the way – it’s how you deal with that and get back on your feet that matters. If it’s a smooth road, it’s boring. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I classify myself as a concert photographer, but I’ve dabbled in wildlife, scenic, portrait, and wedding photography. My proudest moment of my career was booking my first tour – I had dreamed of it for what felt like forever and truly couldn’t believe I got an offer, and I’m even more proud that, despite the fear, I showed up on the first day of tour. Had the time of my life, too. 

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Happiness, food on the table, and a roof over my head. People try to brace you for life as a “starving” artist if they hear you want to go into a creative sector. So, I braced myself and took inventory of the things I DO have in my life that are important. If I’m able to create and enjoy it and I can provide for myself and, one day, my family – whether I do that through photography work or my childhood development work – if we’re happy and cared for – I’ve been successful. 

Pricing:

• Portrait Mini-Sessions – $125 (1 look, 1 location, 15 edited images)
• For concert pricing, inquire by email – dependant of budget, time commitment, size of venue

Contact Info:

• Email: sightsofsoundphoto@gmail.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/sightsoundphoto
• Twitter: twitter.com/sightsoundphoto

Image Credits:
Erin Reas Creates