Projects: Seattle DJs

I took a photo of a DJ at Bait Shop in June 2017. I didn’t have the appreciation for DJs then that I do now. I just like taking photos. I shoot a fair amount of live music, and I wanted to branch out to other parts of the vibrant music and arts scene in Seattle. I thought DJs were interesting subjects, and I figured that many of them would be open to having their photos taken. That’s a good thing for a photographer who finds it difficult to approach people about taking their photo.

On a whim I sent a note to PHNK asking if I could take photos at a Columbia City gig of his. He said sure. its_tr3nt and letmesmash were also DJing that night. I had a lot of fun, and I appreciated how cool they were with letting me snap photos.

Not long after that I met DJs Explorateur, Pepperazzi, and Vice Diamond. I started catching a lot of their sets at Corvus, Fred Wildlife Refuge, Linda’s, Nacho Borracho, and Revolver. I loved getting peeks at their vinyl collections, hearing them talk about music, and seeing how they tailored their selections for different nights and different venues. I was definitely late to the game in terms of appreciating the artistry, hard work, and knowledge that goes into being a good DJ.

I was hooked, and I kept taking photos. About a year ago I realized I had the makings of a small, accidental project. I wanted to gather what I had into a small collection, but I kept taking more photos. I decided to cap Round 1 at the end of 2018. I slipped a bit and have added some photos from 2019. I’d love for you to have a look. The first few are individual photos, and then I’ve added a slideshow below those. I have a few photos that need to be developed, so I may add those in here later. (Important Note – I haven’t credited the DJs yet. Before I go back through tons of Instagram posts to find their DJ handles, I figured I’d post the photos and ask Valerie, Victoria, and Vi (that’s a lot of Vs) for help identifying them.)