Today we’d like to introduce you to Reagan Johnson.
Hi Reagan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve always needed to have a camera on me as long as I can remember. When I was 2 years old, my family got our first video camera. It weighed about 4 lbs and had to be held up on the operator’s shoulder. My grandma made us laugh because she wore an eye patch to use it, so she wouldn’t get tired of squinting to look into the viewfinder. It was in no way convenient, but it was my first introduction to cameras, and I was obsessed. If the camera wasn’t out, I was begging for someone to “make a movie”. In kindergarten, my class went on a field trip, and my mom sent me with a disposable camera. I still have some of those photos that I took that day. For my 10th birthday, I got a Polaroid camera, and I did not use my film sparingly. Later on, we got a digital camera when those were new. I’d beg my mom to let me go outside with it, and I took photos of every inch of our yard. That was when I started to play with angles and lighting. Then came cellphones, and we all had cameras in our pockets. Finally, I held a creative outlet at all times.
Another constant theme my whole life has been music and concerts. My mom jokes that the first concert I attended was in her stomach when she was almost 9 months pregnant. She kids, but I am positive that’s when I got hooked. To this day I crave the feeling of the bass pounding in my chest. Mom watched and recorded concerts on TV, and I would sneak out of bed at night to watch quietly from behind the couch. I was enamored. My sister and I played a Barbie karaoke machine to death. Literally, it died. My first real concert was Cher’s farewell tour here in KC at Kemper Arena in 2002. I was 6 years old. The theatrics of that show were like nothing I’d ever seen before. That was when I had the thought, “Imagine taking pictures of this.”
Green Day released American Idiot just days before my 9th birthday, and nothing was ever the same. Soon after that, I started middle school and was given a school-issued laptop. I didn’t use it for school as much as I used it to download music and watch concerts on YouTube. I spent so many summer nights watching videos of Green Day and my other favorite bands live until the sun came up. That thought that first crept in at the Cher concert came back to me. “Imagine taking pictures of this.” And I did just that. I daydreamed for hours about it. I made a folder on my desktop called “Favorite Concert Photos” and added to it over the years.
Years went by, and life got busy. I never forgot my roots and the music that carried me through. I went through a period of figuring out life, and not making much in the way of art. In 2019, I had a dream, and it reminded me of my old music and hobbies. I woke up the next day and decided that I needed to create again. Unfortunately, soon after that, the COVID-19 pandemic began. I was laid off from a job that I loved, and I was stuck at home like so many others. I began taking and editing creative photos on my phone. My husband silently watched me and took note of my new creative outlet. On Christmas Eve 2020, he surprised me with a starter Nikon DSLR under the tree. From the moment I opened it, that camera didn’t leave my side for months. I practiced and tried out new things every moment I got. That was when I started researching and learning how to really use a camera. I used YouTube videos, books, Reddit, and trial and error to figure out how to make my photos look the way I wanted. It was a huge learning curve.
I took photos for years for fun, but it wasn’t until the winter of 2022 that I had an idea. Cooped up in the house, post pandemic (mostly), I decided to try and break into concert photography. At every concert I attended, I had such an urge and a drive to document the show, but I didn’t know the first thing about how to do that. All I knew was that professional cameras were not allowed inside. I read up in online forums about how to finally put this idea into action. I learned that I needed to build up a portfolio. As someone shy and introverted, this entire process changed the trajectory of my life without me even realizing.
I mustered up the courage one day in April 2023 to ask a local band if I could take photos of their upcoming show. I was so nervous, but to my surprise they said yes! I showed up to the night of the concert not knowing what to expect at all. As soon as I started taking photos in the tiny bar, everything clicked for me. I was finally putting my dream into action, and it felt so right. I couldn’t duplicate that feeling if I tried. The photos that I took that night were ok. Not bad, but enough to show me that I had a lot more to learn. Over those next few months, I covered any and every show that would have me. I will forever be grateful to everyone who allowed me to cut my teeth at their shows and venues.
My first “big break” was in July 2023, just a few months after I started doing concert photos. I sent my little baby portfolio to as many online publications as I could in hopes of getting my first press assignment. Out of maybe 30 emails, I heard back from one single publication. They said yes! I was over the moon with excitement and gratitude, and that feeling has not worn off to this day. I hit it hard and covered everything I possibly could while working full time. I was so in love with this new outlet. It was all I had ever dreamed of. I’ve discovered so many bands that were new to me before covering them, and I have met so many wonderful people in the industry. I hate to think about where I’d be if I hadn’t taken a leap of faith, without the support of my husband, my family, and the local scene.
Oh, and I did photograph Green Day at Azura Amphitheater in August 2024! I could not believe the approval email in front of me. This beautiful whirlwind has picked me up and shot me above and beyond any of my wildest dreams. If you take anything from my long-winded story, let it be to follow your intuition. If you feel called strongly to do something, don’t let anything get in your way. If you want it, the sky is the limit. Everyone used to tell me that as a kid, but when applied in real life, it changed me forever.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I tend not to dwell on hiccups in retrospect. I kind of erase them from my memory once things play out and I’m able to find the silver lining. It was challenging trying to get responses from publications, but the ones that did respond are all that matters at the end of the day. Being self-taught was a rollercoaster, and imposter syndrome is real. Most days I feel like I’ve come out the other end, but occasionally I backslide and doubt myself. Some people in the industry are very competitive, and not in a friendly way. They would like to stomp out any up-and-coming artists if they feel threatened. Not one person who has ever tried to make me feel small in the photo pit had great work to show for it. They don’t bother me anymore, and 99.999% of the people in the scene are incredible and so supportive.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I got a Canon mirrorless just a few months after my first real gig, and a small arsenal of lenses for all of my photo needs. Slowly I started building my new hobby into a brand and a business. I started RJ Photography in 2024, and began offering portrait work, as well as selling prints of my photos. I had my work in a gallery for the first time in Manhattan, KS last October, and plan to have a piece in another gallery in El Dorado later this year. I am most proud of my work with the local scene and being able to bring attention to the talent that we have right here at home. As far as what sets me apart from others, I’m not really sure. I view our work as a team effort to boost the community, and we all have slightly different signature looks and styles to our work. I know that everyone who has hired me did so because my art spoke to them, and that is the greatest honor.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
As far as things I like about the city, I have too many to list! Our venues are incredible and have really rich history. Each one has a story that is deeply rooted in the community and sentimental to those who play and attend shows there. The art and music scenes here are so strong and unique to us. They connect so many people from different backgrounds and cultures.
Pricing:
- Concert Package 1 – $60
- Concert Package 2- $100
- Concert Package 3 – $170
- *Plus 15 cent per mile charge for travel over 60 miles
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/r.j.photographybyreagan/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/RJ-Photography-by-Reagan-100076000607571/
