Lord of Photography
By Christian DiPietro

“The perfect picture just happens. It doesn't rely on lighting or location or anything like that, in my opinion. If you have a good subject and you have fun with it and don’t follow rules, that’s perfect,” the articulate photographer and renowned dancer Brian Doherty reflects when asked about his conception of the perfect photograph.

Boston-based artist Brian Doherty has found himself through the art of photography, just as he discovered himself in dance. Between his passion for photographs and his love for classical dance, Doherty is more than a talent—he is a double threat. While dance is bringing him all the way to China, his love for photographs has led him to industry insiders and up-and-coming artists like last month’s cover boy Makio.

Doherty’s classical training and discipline have been fundamental to his success.  He states, “I've been dancing since I was six; I was trained by the world-renowned O'Shea-Chaplin Academy. When I was seventeen, my teachers Rita O'Shea and Lisa Chaplin told me Michael Flatley was looking for dancers for his tour Feet of Fames. Now that’s like being told American Idol is having auditions—yeah, right, like I'll make it. So I sent in a resume, and a couple of weeks later I got a call from the dance director Marie Duffy. That phone call changed my life; since then, I've done sold-out shows in all fifty states and in eleven countries and we're still going.”

Then one of the greatest opportunities found Doherty’s talent, and he jumped ship: “Lord of the Dance has been the most amazing thing in my life for the past seven years. I'll be done with it when it ends or when they don't want me anymore,” Brian laughs. “I can both do photography and be on tour. I believe it's working so far!”

During a hiatus in Lord of the Dance, Doherty also rekindled his love for photography. He sees an influence in his family: “It started when I was a kid... my grandfather was always videotaping every birthday party and family event, and that made me want to take pictures of everything. My family used to take trips to Florida every year, and I remember taking pictures of everything from trees to the squirrels while the rest of my family lay on the beach.”

Photography doesn’t have to be as rigorous and planned out as in a photo shoot.  Doherty recalls, “I once was on tour and I had no camera, so me and a friend bought a disposable camera and walked around the city we were in and just had an improv photo shoot, and they looked awesome!” It also doesn’t have to done alone, as Doherty is someone who infuses the people around him with inspiration: “One of my first professional shoots was for my friend [who was also a dancer in Lord of the Dance with Doherty]. She needed to make a portfolio for the London School of Fashion. We were on tour in Mexico, and we took our whole day off and just had fun creating different looks, and the hotel we were staying at used to be an old monastery that was hundreds of years old. It was great to just run around this amazing city taking pictures with my friends.”

With a unique approach to photography, Doherty creates a signature style by not having one at all: “I try to make my pictures look unique, just by the way I frame them. Jared, the CEO of Surefire Music Group, once said, ‘Now that's a Brian Doherty photo,’ after seeing a picture from a recent shoot. That’s what I want; I want my pictures to be my brand. I don't really have any rituals. I don’t plan much. I just make it happen as we go along. But I guess one ritual would be music; there has to be music.

When asked about any photographers he looks up to, such as famed photogs James White or Mario Testino, Doherty doesn’t find much influence. “I don't even know who they are,” he laughs. “I mostly look up to photographers who are changing the way things look, who capture more than just a pretty face, and who try new things.”

While some artists have money or fame as a motivation, Doherty is drawn by the art itself: “I love creating, whether it be making different rhythms through dancing or taking a picture. I love the feeling of knowing something is out there because I made it. I always love having something new to show people and being able to say, ‘Look what I did.’”

Doherty would like to stay in Boston: “I like the people in Boston; there is a lot of drive, not to say there isn’t in places like NY or LA, but Boston has less of an ‘I'm a big deal’ attitude and more of an ‘I want to grow no matter how much of a big deal I am’ attitude.” While he still enjoys his Boston roots, he doesn’t rule out a more mainstream setting: “I'll be the first to say I love LA and California in general. Moving out there is definitely something I'm looking into.  I've been fortunate enough to travel the world, but I always love coming home. Plus, LA and NY don't have the Red Sox.”

As for the future, Doherty is optimistic about what may come his way, hoping to incorporate not only his love for pictures but dance and entertainment as well, stating, “I would love to branch out and do more fashion work. And I love the entertainment industry. I'd love to work for a music magazine and tour with a band and document it.” His upcoming schedule is nothing less than hectic: “This fall and winter and 2008 are going to be very busy, but I love that. In November, we're going up and down the West Coast; then I come home for Christmas. In January I'm off to Taiwan for an outdoor stadium tour, and at some point a big outdoor show in front of the pyramids in Egypt. Then from February to April, we're touring the East Coast, including a stop in Lowell, Massachusetts, where I'll have all my family and friends in the audience.”