JD Souther

This was my first big music assignment. Cowboys & Indians magazine asked me to photograph JD Southern for a story they were doing on him. I wasn’t familiar with him at the time and my research revealed he wasn’t a fan of the press and really didn’t like having his photo taken, so I felt like I was in for a challenge – especially considering this was my first big music shoot. It took place in Amarillo, which was a nine-hour drive from Austin. I was supposed to tag along with the writer and get some shots during the interview, but at the last minute the writer cancelled and was doing the interview over the phone. The magazine called to ask if was still up for doing the shoot. I was up for the challenge, so I made the trek to Amarillo on my own to meet JD. I was a little nervous to say the least, but the instant we met we just clicked. We spent the entire day shooting and listening to his stories with the most intriguing when he worked with The Eagles. While scouting for locations, I ran across an old gas station that had this vintage motorcycle out front. I asked the owner if I could use it for a photo shoot, but of course he was a little apprehensive. I told him it was with JD Souther for Cowboys & Indians magazine, and as luck would have it, JD was legitimately his all-time favorite musician and Cowboys & Indians was truly his favorite magazine. Turned out to be a great day.