My night with Danny Clinch

As a kid, I would enjoy going to music stores just to look at the album art of some of my favorite artists. I loved music, and particularly loved listening to Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Tupac, and Michael Jackson. As soon as one of them?dropped a new album, I would rush to the store to hold their CD in my hands and examine the album cover and design. I've always had an interest in seeing music through the lens of album art; how a body of work can be represented through a series of photos.?I vividly remember being amazed while looking at the images for Nas's "Illmatic" album. I was stunned at how the photographer was able to capture such powerful images of Nas that represented his identity and his environment.?Being from NYC, Nas’s environment was identical to mine. Not only could I relate to the lyrics of the album, but I saw myself in the photos of the album cover.??

One can only imagine my excitement when I learned I would have the opportunity to sit down and interview legendary photographer, Danny Clinch, the man behind the iconic “Illmatic” album. Danny has photographed some of the biggest figures in the entertainment industry, so I was honored to?interview one of the greatest photographers of our time.

Danny and I had an immediate connection when we sat down together, because we learned that we had much more in common than our love of music and photography. While growing up in New York City, I participated in a program called "The Fresh Air Fund." This program provided free summer vacations to NYC children from low income communities so they could see rural America and explore the world around them.

Attending these vacations was the highlight of my childhood, because I got the opportunity to get out of NYC, see new places and make new friends. To my surprise, Danny mentioned that his family was one of many that would participate in the program and host kids in their homes. To know we had that connection was incredible, and I appreciated his desire to give back even more.

Being at the UBS Arena for the opening concert was electrifying - the energy was high and the excitement was contagious. The real fun was watching Danny in action, capturing images of a sold out show at the arena. I feel so lucky that I got to sit down with him and ask him questions about his career and what he wants to be remembered for. Check out the full interview between Danny and me here.