On Stage

When the COVID-19 lockdown was issued, Chris Tomlin’s annual Easter concert at Bridgestone Arena was suddenly off the table. But thanks to a quick pivot by TBN, it became something entirely new: a televised worship special filmed without a live audience, featuring Matt Maher, We the Kingdom, and Pat Barrett. I was honored to be the sole photographer documenting the performance—capturing this historic moment in Christian music as the world began to shut down.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I showed up at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts to photograph The Thorn—but from the first moments of Creation to the Resurrection and beyond, I was drawn in. Seeing the full sweep of the Gospel unfold on that stage was both visually stunning and spiritually moving. Nights like this are a reminder of how lucky I am to do what I do—capturing powerful, live performances in spaces as world-class as the Fisher Center.

This was one of those unique opportunities that could only have come out of the COVID era. Michael W. Smith performed a drive-in concert at the Williamson County Ag Expo Center, with fans spaced out in camp chairs and on car rooftops, worshiping together while staying safely distanced. It was unlike any concert I’d photographed before—a powerful reminder that even in isolation, faith and music could still create community.

You’d think it would get old—but it never does.
Photographing live performances in Christian music continues to inspire. This time, I had the honor of capturing The Great Adventure concert and TV special, celebrating Stephen Curtis Chapman’s 50 chart-topping #1 hits. The event was filmed at Belmont’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, and it was every bit as legendary as the milestone.