Photographer: Emily Quirk

Emily Quirk August 22, 2024

Anyone else feeling intense clarity after that full supermoon on Monday? It’s been a while since I’ve shown up for myself on here, and I’ve been wanting to get back to making the blog a more consistent component of my life, so here’s a little reintroduction and some updates on life. 🌕

In a recent eye-opening chatgpt roast, with some tough love, it said my Instagram feed shows a strong visual narrative and can tell bold, eclectic stories, but I’m a bit inconsistent — and you know what, it’s not wrong! This *year* has been inconsistent for me — I’ve had job changes, I’ve traveled (quite a bit and more to come), and I continue exploring new avenues of photography.

For the past couple years, I was in a position where I couldn’t showcase my daily work, and my page became super personal — a lot of me, the boy, and @hernameiscowboy on our road trips.

Now, I’m back to shooting what I find beautiful, thrilling, and captivating and deciding how to showcase it all. I shoot film and I shoot digital, and I love them equally. I’m no longer documenting a gritty rock scene like I once was — I’ll certainly document a show, but I’m looking to shift my focus to portraits, lifestyle, travel, documentary. I will always cover music and festivals.

I’ve also been continuing to deep dive on my practice and exploration of architectural photography, and I’m kind of obsessed. I get giddy every time I have the opportunity to shoot it — I’m excited to start sharing more of that with you.

I’m also excited to get back to wedding photography—maybe you didn’t even know I do this! I’ve photographed a handful over the years and I’d love to be there to document yours. It always felt a bit off to juxtapose an intimate wedding with a rockstar jumping off the rafters, but I get to make my own rules and my range spreads far and wide because life is expansive, and honestly, shooting a wedding sometimes feels exactly like shooting a music festival.

I’m eager to explore everything that fascinates me. I’m here to capture the big moments, I’m here to photograph and document people, and I’m here to experience life LOUD.

While the subjects of my work may feel “inconsistent,” I am consistent in that I’ve had a camera in my hands for over 15 years. That’s something worth showing. So here I am, consistently myself 📸

and yes, you bet I’m still going to throw in moments of sipping wine on a camping trip, somewhere on a beach in our camper van with the dogs, too.✌🏻

📸 : Photos by my dear Katie Lee Sullivan, near the beachfront of Lake Michigan

PODERE ROMBOLINO IN VAL D'ORCIA, TUSCANY, ITALY,

Architectural Photography at Podere Rombolino, Italy, with Mike Kelley, APALMANAC, & Doublespace

Emily Quirk August 21, 2024

I had the spoiled privilege of studying architectural photography under the legendary wisdom of Mike Kelley (@mpkelley_), APAlmanac (@apalmanac), and Doublespace (@2spacephoto) at Podere Rombolino in Val D’orcia, Tuscany, Italy, in April of this year. 🇮🇹 A truly unparalleled and unforgettable experience that will undoubtedly shape my life and work moving forward.

Eleven photographers united together from across the globe, and convened at the 25 Hours Hotel in Florence, Italy, where we were summoned to either to a night in Paradiso (Heaven) or Inferno (and I was in Hell, twice). Come morning, after indulging in buttery croissants, fresh meats, cheeses, and juices from the breakfast buffet, we piled into black minivans racing down the Italian highways to our dreamscape villa. Arriving nearly carsick, our stomachs were soothed and comforted upon arrival as we were welcomed with homemade panzanella and fresh, Tuscan pizzas. Together we chased sunrise and sunset, and feasted like royalty, with three sumptuous meals per day by our incredible and gracious private chef and culinary master of the kitchen in the villa. We exchanged knowledge and shared our living and working experiences over fresh espressos by morning and bottles of wine by night, while exploring every inch of the villa, photographing its beauty from top to bottom, as collaboration flourished and we shared perspectives, insights, and points of view.

The villa was our homestead for three solid days, never once leaving the property (and never desiring to do so). We all slept peacefully in our own spacious bedrooms, all uniquely designed and differently appointed. I won best hand and was treated to the honeymoon suite where I had North, South, and West facing views of the surrounding valley landscapes out my windows from where I laid on my bed. My very own balcony overlooked rolling hills with volcanic mountain views out my doorstep. The sunset-chasing infinity pool below that overflowed onto the western hillside served more purpose as a reflection pool (or cold plunge, for some!) during this eye-opening experience.

I’ll return to these images and memories for the rest of my days 🌞

“The incomparable Podere Rombolino in Val D'orcia, Tuscany, was essentially restored from a crumbling ruin to one of the most incredible projects I have ever photographed. A lesson in timeless design mixing the contemporary and classic by @ilaria_miani_studio.”

- MIKE KELLEY
@mpkelley | mpkelley.com

“Endless vineyards and olive groves rolling over the hills. Iconic cypress trees standing tall. That golden Tuscan sunlight glowing over it all. It's like being in a fairytale! The kind of place that forces you to slow down and savor every moment. An absolute feast for the senses.”

- ALON BARHOM
@alonbarhom.photographer | alonbarhom.co.il

📍Podere Rombolino
Tuscany, Italy
🍇

*Billie Eilish & Finneas recording Live in the Blue Room at Third Man Records*

Shhh... Billie Eilish Intimate Secret Show at Third Man Records

Emily Quirk November 13, 2019

FEATURED IN :

Words combined from stories by Charilie Zaillian (Rolling Stone) and Laura Hutson Hunter (Nashville Scene)

“On Wednesday night, the 17-year-old pop phenom born Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell played a secret show at the Blue Room in Jack White’s Third Man Records. It was an invitation-only affair that brought out lots of music-biz insiders and performers — among them Jason Isbell, the Watson Twins, Bully’s Alicia Bognanno, Michelle Branch, Vanessa Carlton, Tristen and others — as well as a smattering of superfans who gathered near the front of the stage.

As with many of the Blue Room shows, Eilish and O’Connell’s performance was recorded direct to acetate for a record to be released via Third Man. The vinyl version of the recording will be available in December at TMR's locations in Nashville and Detroit, with a limited-edition version (featuring splatter paint artwork by Eilish) available to the attendees only — the invite-only crowd — a Venn diagram of local scenesters, industry types and mom-and-dad-of-the-year-candidates with kids in tow.

When Eilish looked up into the audience, her posture changed, her eyes sparkled. Onstage she isn’t a timid teen — she’s an international superstar. Her brother and collaborator Finneas O'Connell was at her side, switching between guitar and keys throughout the set.

Where a full-scale Eilish concert is a maelstrom of macabre visuals, seizure-inducing lights and screaming teen admirers, at Third Man she was freed from having to simultaneously work a giant stage, hype up an audience and sing the songs. The Blue Room’s “recording” light flipped on — the stakes got higher, the safety net was gone, and it was time for the audience to share responsibility for making the record. The stage lights turned red, and Eilish moved into elemental versions of the mischievous, vaguely menacing “All The Good Girls Go to Hell” and “Bury a Friend”, which elicited rapturous call-and-response from those up front; for the neo-soul-styled “idontwannabeyouanymore,” meanwhile, and “Come Out and Play,” a heartstring-tugging standout, there was pin-drop quiet.

She laughed her way through a minor flub in the chorus of “Bad Guy,” and the front-row fans cracked up with her as she brushed it off with ease. Calling that one an audience favorite might be an understatement — members of Eilish’s young, rabid fan base down in front reacted gleefully (and loudly) to that one. But instead of trying to manage the crowd, Eilish leaned into their wildness, no longer a performer in a high-stakes recording session and instead an increasingly charismatic show woman.

During the break between recording her A and B sides, Eilish turned to the audience with an awareness of how awkward it felt to pause a performance right in the middle. “So, how’s your day?” she asked. Her face changed as she recognized a fan in the front row: “Oh my God, you brought me a puppy once! How’s he doing?” Another fan said this was their 11th time seeing her perform.

In a September issue of The New Yorker, Michael Schulman wrote an article about fandom. A line from that story — “At its core, fandom is a love story” — kept coming into my mind throughout the show. Billie Eilish is an incredibly talented singer with an uncommon range and vocal control. The vocals on set-closer “When the Party’s Over” span three octaves. “I Love You,” which Eilish described as “long and sad,” has a climbing melody similar to that of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” But she’s not Celine Dion-ing her way through these songs, laying on melismatic flourishes. Her songs are more complex than most pop music tends to be.

Before closing the show, Eilish thanked Jack White for “inspiring a whole generation to do what they want.” I can’t think of a more succinct affirmation.”

Set List

Wish You Were Gay

All The Good Girls Go to Hell

Ocean Eyes

Bad Guy

Idontwannabeyouanymore

Bury a Friend

Come Out and Play

Copycat

I Love You

Bellyache

When the Party’s Over

Starcrawler Casting Spells at Third Man Records

Emily Quirk November 7, 2019

SEASON OF THE WITCH x HALLOWEEN AT THIRD MAN RECORDS

STARCRAWLER | JACUZZI BOYS | BBYMUTHA | KENT OSBOURNE | HEAT TAPE

Full story + gallery over at Nashville Scene !

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S T A R C R A W L E R

T H I R D M A N R E C O R D S

N A S H V I L L E , T E N N E S S E E

Delorean 1982: In Honor of Dee

Emily Quirk August 12, 2019

In honor of my grandmother, Dee Quirk

Thanks to my dad, Jaan, and Robbie

a dream vision becomes reality

shot on 35mm film

nashville, tennessee

it's

BILLIE

Emily Quirk August 12, 2019

B I L L I E E I L I S H

WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP TOUR 2019

NASHVILLE TENNESSEE

Shot for the Nashville Scene, all photos online

Tame Impala ~ Nashville

Emily Quirk May 16, 2019

Tame Impala swimming in daydreams in Nashville, Tennessee, diving into an unforgettable Thursday night performance.

“You guys look beautiful, the city looks beautiful, you smell beautiful.”

Photos by yours truly up on the Nashville Scene and in the May 9th weekly print issue.

Cut Worms x POND Mag

Emily Quirk May 9, 2018

Cut Worms recently did an "interview" with POND MAG in the style of a playlist, my photo is included from an afternoon during SXSW in Austin, Texas.

"I love film and television. Throughout my life, it has often been through these mediums that I've been introduced to a lot of the music I love. In high school I used to rent movies from Blockbuster all the time and watch them in my basement and sometimes play guitar and write at the same time. I got really into David Bowie after I saw Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic for the first time. I delved into girl groups and early Rolling Stones records after watching Scorsese's Mean Streets. Lately I've been really interested in how music is a huge source of power in film and TV. The music often makes the film or show and, in my opinion, doesn't usually get the lion's share of credit."

- MAX CLARKE