My name is Tracy, some know me as Tracylynn. I’ve been artist my whole life. It began at age 9, my father having placed his prized Canon AE-1 in my tiny hands to photograph the migrating sand hills cranes across a cornfield deep in the heart of the Nebraska plains. Watching carefully as those birds took flight, each click of the shutter capturing their movement to a new home; I was hooked. From then on there wasn’t a moment I wasn’t provided with a roll of film, a camera, or even a paintbrush. The world around me was a fascinating story I was eager to tell to others.
Many years later, in college, I found myself inside the darkroom of a college newspaper. The smell of chemicals, the feel of photographic paper was intoxicating.
10 more years, in my 30’s, I had all but abandoned my photography. But, upon a return to theatre studies school, an illness left me unable to return to the stage. I sought solace in the art studio. By now the world had turned digital. I dove in, studying and photographing everything I possibly could. It began with a small camera, then I graduated to my firstDSLR. Before I knew it, I was being invited by musicians to their stages small and large. From smoky crowded blues clubs, to large arena venues, I was there. My “in your face” aggressive style captured the soul story of the music. I immersed myself in this life, made lifelong friends with each and every musician or band I photographed, was invited into their homes to not only document their stage life but their home lives. Thus was born the portraiture/lifestyle part of my art.
Today I make my home in Houston, TX. After 5 years in the digital world, I made a choice to return to my beloved film. I travel often. I seek stories in every crevice and corner of this world. I photograph honestly. I seek out spirit in the characters around me. I like to think I change each person I photograph in some small way, but in reality they change MY life. So here I am, with my camera and film, telling one life story at a time.
