Meet the Creatives of H.E.M
By Jiselle Santos
The impact of COVID-19 drastically changed how we go about our lives as we used to. Many are affected in the music industry especially since touring and live events are at a halt. However, as we learn to adjust and adapt with our situation and surroundings, it’s important to support and bring morale into helping each other and solidifying our communities. For those on the frontlines as essential workers, we applaud you and thank you for everything you are doing to support everyone during this time.
With that being said, we’re here as a publication using our resources to support our communities. We’re here to share your art, your music, anything really to help support creatives and anyone alike. With photography and illustrations being such a vital part of our publication, we want to feature some wonderful photographers that have contributed to Heart Eyes Magazine. Get to know our photographers, get to know our other creatives and let’s support each other if we can, if it’s attending live streams of their performances to purchasing music, merchandise and prints from other creatives.
Bella Peterson
Photographer
Bella Peterson (they/them) is one of our amazing photographers that is based in Saint Louis at the moment but is known to frequent the Kansas City and Denver area. You can also find them shooting for other DIY magazines on their Instagram as well. Their favorite band is COIN, so they’ve been listening to the new album “Dreamland” often over the last few months. However, they do enjoy the new Joywave record “Possession” and “Superfan” by Chelsea Jade as well.
Familiar with photography in general, Peterson tells us how they got started with their interest in music photography.
“After my first COIN show in early 2017, I delved deep into the fan culture around them and discovered the high volume of their fanbase that was pursuing music photography. I’d been toying around with photography for a few years at that point, but never thought of it as something I could consider seriously, and especially didn’t think I’d be able to pursue anything in the music industry without already having connections or, well, being a white man. Seeing so many young nonmen producing such amazing work heavily inspired me, and after shooting a few shows on film and bringing my DSLR along with me when venues would permit it, I put together a scrappy portfolio and fully dove in. Haven’t looked back since!”
As a music photographer, their love for music is essential. They tell us that their absolute favorite show that they had photographed was Maggie Rogers in September 2019. “Her record is one of my favorites of all time and her energy is absolutely unmatched. With risk of sounding a tiny bit narcissistic, I still can’t get enough of my photos from that show” Peterson says.
They were recently featured in Small Talks Magazine’s “Small Talks Spotlight”.
You can find Bella on Twitter, Instagram and print shop here.
Skylar Watkins
Photographer
Skylar Watkins (she/her/hers) is one of our newer photographers to our contributing team as well. She shoots shows in Philadelphia. The top three artists that she’s currently listening to are Pile, Mannequin Pussy, Childish Gambino. She got into music photography by sneaking her camera into shows that she should go to, since she grew up in the DC area, she started shooting shows at venues such as the 9:30 Club and the Black Cat. She then went on to shoot for other publications like ours but also run her own magazine, Sad Punk Press, and for other venues and bands around Philadelphia. It was hard for her to choose her favorite artist she’s shot so far because she loves shooting shows with bizarre visuals. However, she narrows it down to Gwar, Mac Sabbath, Mannequin Pussy and the Pixies. She tells us that the Pixies are big inspiration to her, and that “The Sad Punk” in relation to her social media handles is a Pixies’ song off the album “Trompe le Monde”.
Alex Liscio (Photographer)
Alex’s print shop here
Alex Liscio (she/her/hers) just joined our contributing team as a photographer recently. You can find her shooting in various cities in Florida such as Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Her top three artists that she's listening to at the moment are Demi Lovato, Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa. She got into music photography by accident, as she tells us. She brought her camera to Playlist Live, the year The Ready Set and Breathe Carolina performed and took photos from the crowd throughout the night and fell in love with it. It was hard for her to pick a favorite show she had shot so far but she tells us,”Demi Lovato was a bucket list dream come true, Panic! At the Disco are incredibly fun live and are amazing when it comes to photographers, and the 1975 have a great live show too. I’d say those three.”
Dana Jacobs
Photographer
Dana Jacobs (she/her/hers) has been part of the contributing for a while now and has been featured on our site and print issues. You can find her shooting shows in San Francisco most of the time. The top three artists she’s listening to at the moment would be Doja Cat, Dua Lipa and Harry Styles. She tells us more about her start into music photography and how it started originally with doing music journalism writing interviews, album reviews and long form pieces in her last year of college.
“I convinced an editor to let me try out shooting a show, and I've never looked back. It's been about three years, and I've been able to work with Capitol and Interscope Records, shoot festivals like Life is Beautiful and Bottlerock, and work with some of my favorite artists.”
Sarah Rodriguez (she/her/hers) is part of our contributing team of photographers that shoots mostly in New York City and Boston but occasionally in Philly as well. Her top three artists that she’s currently listening to would be Boston Manor, All Time Low and Dreamers. She got her start in music photography just a couple years but has been doing photography in general for as long as she can remember.
“I discovered that it was possible for me to combine concerts and photography together (my two favorite things) and so I contacted a few publications and did everything I could to get started and build my portfolio from there, I’ve been in love with it ever since.”
Some of her favorite artists that she’s shot so far would be SWMRS and Job Bellion.
Sarah Rodriguez
Photographer
EJ Jolly
Photographer
EJ Jolly (they/them) has been on our contributing team not only as a writer but as a photographer as well. The cities you can catch them shooting most often in is usually Austin and Dallas, Texas and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Music being something that many of the contributors share in common, they’ve been listening to Bastille, Local Natives and Bleachers recently. With being a writer for Heart Eyes Magazine initially, one of our other contributing photographers and friend of theirs, Ky Kasselman got them into music photography.
“She’s been like a mentor since day one, and I really wouldn’t be here without here.”
Having shot shows for recently, they had told us their favorite artist they’ve shot so far is half•alive.
You can catch them on Twitter, Instagram and check out more of their stuff on their site and print shop.
Becca Burroughs (she/her/hers) is part of our amazing graphic design/illustration team at Heart Eyes Magazine. She has helped put together and design the layouts for our print issues alongside our creative director, Jared Elliot. The top three artists she’s been listening to are blink-182, The Frights and Dirty Heads.
Becca Burroughs
Graphic designer and illustrator
