Dallas Commercial Photographer: Capturing the Energy of Gospel

So what do you think of when you hear the word Gospel? Soul? Power? Energy!?

Yes.

Now imagine that powerful, soulful music that makes you want to jump up out of your chair, dance around and start singing, then add some delicious food. Do this all on a Sunday right after you get out of church, and what do you have? Well that would be the House of Blues Gospel Brunch, led by none other than Gospel powerhouse Kirk Franklin.

I had the pleasure of working with Mr. Franklin and the House of Blues as the Dallas commercial photographer for their latest promotional campaign of the Gospel Brunch. This was definitely a fun set of shoots, as it required me to shoot across several genres of photography. There were fun production shots, of the choir, promotional portraits, shots of all of the food, and of course, action shots of the Gospel Brunch itself.

First were the shots of the choir, then shots of the choir with Kirk Franklin. I’ve always admired Gospel music for the power and energy it contains as a form of worship and gratitude towards God. There just really isn’t any other style of music quite like it. We had a great choir assembled, and had a blast working with them. I can say with certainty that it was my first time to help direct a choir of any type, as we had to really zero in to get the specific shots required. That’s one of the great aspects of being a Dallas photographer: you never know what kind of situation you will be involved in next. After getting the choir by themselves, Kirk came on to get photos with them. He is quite the professional, and hit the perfect look right away.

Mr. Franklin also has a super hip wardrobe. We didn’t have to have a stylist on set, and for good reason; he styled all of his own looks. He had some great color combinations that gave great punch, and wore cool socks. In case you are wondering, I am all about the funky socks, and have a nice multi-colored stripe number on right now. Oh yeah. Throughout our various locations that we shot at in the House of Blues, I made sure the photography looked as polished as he dressed.

Then there was the music. I love music of all types, and truly enjoy the energy that moves through it. As such, I was definitely rocking around during the performances. I don’t let myself get too into it, as I’d probably end up doing air guitar or similar onstage, no matter what the music was, but I had fun for sure. The group they had assembled was very talented, which made it such a joy to document them in action. 

Finally, there was the food. I am a native Texan, and though we typically aren’t considered part of the South (Texas seems to have it’s own category), we definitely love our comfort food. Between the heavenly brisket, mac and cheese bar and the chicken and waffles, I was all set. Now one of the major perks as a Dallas food photographer, though it is anything but to my waistline, is the fact that I often get to sample the food that I shoot. I can tell you with certainty, that they have an amazing brunch going on over there, and the brisket was seriously some of the best that I ‘ve ever had. Given my affinity for quality Texas barbecue, this speaks volumes in my mind. I hope you enjoy the images, and better yet, go enjoy some Gospel Brunch!