The Deal I Made with Kent

Warehouse 29 in Greensboro, North Carolina was where my education in people photography really began.

Taylor Knight-Addams had introduced me to Kent, the owner, and I came to him with a proposition. I needed to learn how to photograph people across varying degrees of light and movement. He had shows and pageants that needed documenting. We struck a deal: I would turn over the photos I shot in exchange for entry to the club. He agreed, and for close to two years I was there at least once or twice a month with my camera.

What I found inside was a community of performers who took their craft seriously. Macaria Rage, Envee Sinz, Rita Reefer, Jessica Chanel, Paisley Parque, Arione DeCardeza, and Felicity Knight-Addams were among the performers I photographed in those early months. Each one brought something different to the stage, and each one taught me something different about how to find the shot when the light is low, the colors are mixed, and nothing holds still.

These photos from January 2009 are among the earliest from that run. The eye is getting sharper.