Cassie Jones (cassiejvisuals on Instagram) is an Australian photographer making waves in the music scene. I had the opportunity to sit down with her to discuss her inspiration, creative process, and everything in between.
First and foremost, Cassie has been a long-time music fan, with her current playlist featuring Fall Out Boy, Twenty One Pilots, Tate McRae, and at least one song by Taylor Swift. She has been a photographer for eight years, spending the first five years focused on car and fashion photography before transitioning into music photography.
Her journey into this genre began when she was inspired by Louis Tomlinson’s photographer, Joshua Halling. Eager to learn, she sent an email to him, asking if she could shadow him. Although he didn't see her message, Cassie found a way to get her foot in the door by photographing one of the opening acts at one of Louis Tomlinson’s shows in Sydney. It was after this experience that she realized music photography was her true passion.
Cassie draws inspiration from various creatives, including Russian photographer Eugene Shishkin for his fashion work, Atlanta-based concert photographer Amanda Florence (m4nda.jpeg on Instagram), whose style is described as “dreamy and ethereal,” and New York photographers Amanda B Films and Cannadian photographer Serena Yang . She is particularly influenced by the music photography of Lloyd Wakefield, whose presets and editing style have inspired her own colourful, film-emulation looks. During our engaging conversation about these artistic influences, we both appreciated the candid quality of Lloyd's work while touring with Harry Styles during Love on Tour. Cassie aims to capture those “in-between moments” in her own concert photography.
She explained, “When I get a chance to work directly with an artist and have backstage access, it’s amazing when they do the whole ‘put your phone torch up’ thing. I get to take photos of all the phone lights in front of the artist. That’s so cool.” Cassie focuses not only on the artists' performances but also on the intimate crowd moments, capturing the diverse emotions of fans—whether they are dancing, crying, or simply enjoying the music. Through her lens, she encapsulates the essence of what it feels like to be in the room with the music, something that the fans appreciate in order to relive the musical moments.
