James Taylor

James Taylor, Berkshires MA, 2014. I’d worked with James once before on an album cover—we kind of hit it off. I grew up with his early music, Sweet Baby James, that whole era. I was such a fan back in the ’70s–I even hunted down older albums and bootlegs cause I liked him so much. So when they called me for another shoot, I was in.

It was a couple weeks into December, right before Christmas. We were invited to his place in the Berkshires to shoot. I used to live in Boston, and with the holidays, the snow, the cold, it was really nostalgic for me. And on top of that I love James Taylor–I mean, his voice just makes me freaking cry.

So we drive through the woods, this long winding road, and arrive at the house. It’s in a clearing in the mountains, with a barn, outbuildings, and a recording studio. All the right ingredients for my kind of photo shoot–and my subject is the sweetest man you’ve ever met.

Day two of the shoot, snow starts falling–and I mean really falling. It was the most beautiful snowstorm I’ve ever been in. We shot all around his property in the middle of the storm. We said our goodbyes and set off back to Boston. I planned this birthday dinner in the city for one of my assistants, at a friend of mine’s restaurant. But it hadn’t stopped snowing–so bad we couldn’t get down the driveway from the house. It’s pitch black, we’re slipping and sliding in the woods, trying to get to the interstate.

Trucks were jackknifed across the road on the Mass Pike–it was so fucking dangerous–and the snow is pouring down, and I’m just barreling through, speeding along on the highway. I mean, I’m from the east coast, so it didn’t phase me, but my assistants...those Californians were scared shitless.

We made it out unscathed and arrived at the restaurant. It was late, and they had just closed, but they opened up for us–it was this beautiful, intimate celebration. That weekend was a special one for me, and the pictures really reflect that feeling.