We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joe Lynch a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Joe, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

So back when I was a new photographer I worked with a band called Mallory Run. Most of the band were at one time an Edinboro college student and that’s how I met Dan. Dan, the lead singer, introduced me to his band mates Tommy (Drummer), Albert AKA Bert (Bass), and Joe AKA Ern (Guitar). They would have shows locally and in Cleveland, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh. They didn’t have a band van, and they didn’t all have a big enough car but I did. I would always volunteer/TELL them that I can get them there and I was going anyways to photograph them. I did that for months for them and happy to do so. One day while loading up the cars to head out they called me Mean Joe, I said “What the heck I am not mean!” They said we know that’s why it works. You come and take us to our shows and you take pictures of us. You are a nice guy but we are going to call you Mean. Also they gave me that nickname because Mean Joe Green is a big man and a football player. At the time I was a tall twig with long hair, no tattoos, looking like there’s not a mean bone in me. I have also been told I take MEAN photos. So a few weeks later I named my photography account Mean Joe Photos.

Joe, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was an education major but friends with photo majors. Took a few classes and got hooked on photography. Was new to the music scene and saw a photographer at a show once and thought that’s what I want to photography. Got my first camera as a Christmas gift in 2017 it was a Cannon Rebel T6. This camera has taken me from East coast to West coast and parts of Canada on tours with friends I’ll never forget.

I enjoy concert photography because there’s different types of music and different ways you can capture it. The way I do it is with light drags, double flash exposer, and right timing. To me it’s like the music is the light drags. My friend Madison said it best “Your pictures are interpreting sound into visuals.” and I couldn’t agree more. When you look at my work it helps to listen to the bands music in my opinion as well.

My business and craft is concert photography, sometimes video. I do live performances/ promos/ posts/ video/ collages.

I am always here to help out newer bands with getting photos for their social media and profile pictures.
Touring bands that come through my town get free pictures if I am at the show.

Most proud of how much my work/craft has grown in the last 8 years and the places it has taken me.
I love it when other photographers ask me how I do it, I always tell them and to watch their posts get better each time is also fun to watch.

I have worked with many local Pittsburgh bands, I have also done work with Rob Van Dan the Pro wrestler from the 90s.

Smile? Not for Mean Joe. Just stand still and deal with the flash!
Stage lights don’t scare Mean Joe… he paints with’em.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I want to create a book on Mallory Run but I want to hit ten years of working with them first.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Be you show what you are here to do. Try new things they might not work but one day it might.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Meanjoephotos
• Facebook: Mean Joe Photos

Image Credits

I took them all