Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hannah Hall. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hannah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
I was doing photography for ~4 years primarily as a hobby and occasionally for commission, the first two in and around Little Rock, AR and those last two in Nashville, TN. I don’t know that I really fell into the realization that I could do it as a career until a local band by the name of Wild Love, whom I’d done a couple of photo sessions for before, reached out to me asking if I’d ever consider directing a music video. I truly had never thought about making the transition to screen, especially since in my eyes I was just a barista that took photos for friends. In October 2020 we shot our first video for their song “Tuesday Night” starring Gatlin and Caleb Smucker. A few people saw the video and reached out about filming pieces for their projects. By the end of February 2021 I was a full time music video director. It was like a slap to the face (a very loving, gentle slap) but the demand for my work sky-rocketed. Looking back at those initial few months I think the fact that I had no idea what could or would happen from it was a huge advantage because the work that I made was the work I wanted to consume. It wasn’t biased, based on what I thought might be “popular” or launch my career but instead just purely and impulsively projects that I felt passionate about. And beginning in rock music making pieces for my friends I have had the huge privilege to become know in that genre and space and have had the ability to create videos and photographic arts for artists that I believe in and actively consume.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Hannah Gray Hall and I am a music video director, editor, and film photographer. I work primarily in music- music videos, visualizers, tour documentaries, artwork, promotional photographic work. Currently I am working through a creative agency based in Nashville, TN called Weird Candy which is a campaign focused creative service in which we sit with artists and brands and help craft the visuals for entire release cycles. Stylistically speaking I find that my work often tip-toes around subject matter that has been described to me as dangerous. Much of my life and personal work exterior of music rests in the Nashville motorcycle community, tattoo arts, and of recent on Tennessee’s death row. The things that I am navigated to photographing in my day to day life are based heavily in what some may call “outsider” community that informs much of my client and music work. Though, I think Nan Goldin summed it up perfectly in speaking of her work- “We were never marginalized. We were the world. Our own world.” My life exterior of my work is the thing that makes my work what it is- sexy, fast paced, hard in contrast and high in saturation. But soft. Intentional. Slow moving in practice but not in application. So in regards to a “brand’ I would say the brand is based fully in my daily life, pulling former experiences and characters into the pieces I make, the hard and the soft.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Growing up as a performer I think I’ve always had a fascination with the idea of embodying other peoples lives. Thus translates into a genuine curiosity in people. If you’re to ask me what my goal or dream is, it would simply be to have 2-3 bands that I do absolutely everything for. Music videos, photos, handling graphic arts. Then exterior of that I would love to ride my bike around and photograph the interesting people I meet along the way.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
There is a book called “The Americans” by Robert Frank, who in some spaces is known as the father of street photography. I’ve always viewed photographers as the observers, people who were flies on the wall. There is a specific image in this photo book that really struck me- the book was photographer in the 1950s/60s by Frank, who was a German photography student, who was charged with the mission of photographing the American people. The image in question is that of an African American mother crying over the body of what seems to be her son, his body in full clarity. Frank had to be standing at the end of the coffin. In looking at this image I remember asking myself HOW a skinny white German fella found himself at the foot of the casket of a black man in rural Louisiana just a decade or so after the second World War? Then I had the realization that to make intimate photographs you must first find yourself in intimate spaces. To sum it up- you have to be good with people. I can’t speak specifically to my reputation within my market, but when shooting I do like to take my time and get to chat with people. Especially shooting all film I maybe take 50 photos collectively on a shoot, but I’m not the kind of photographer that sets time limits on my sessions. I like to get comfortable with my subject and let me subject get comfortable with me! It’s all about people and the relationships at the end of the day, and to sound immensely pretentious, I feel like I shoot better when I feel like I really know my subject.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hannahgrayhall.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegrayhall/
Image Credits
That initial image of me was taken by Jesse Paul Lendzion, all of the others I took!