Trout scatter like glass on the river.
There’s no fire for the shivering.

Photographer + Songwriter, Roger Hoover

As poet Jim Harrison said, "Death steals everything, except our stories." I'm a photographer and songwriter but at heart, I'm a storyteller. I find different ways to tell stories, be it with a song, photography, video, or a poster design. For me, creativity reaches its zenith when it tells a great story, provokes a response or elicits emotion. Stories bind us together. Songs bind us. My songs and photographs tells stories.

Roger has been a critical darling as a songwriter. His manuscripts are housed in the Rock + Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archives alongside much more notable personalities. He co-founded small business marketing and design agency, Rust Creative where he continues to work and help businesses grow. He lives with his wife and two children in Kent, Ohio.

When you're lost in the rain in Juarez when its Easter time too.

I like to wander wherever I roam. And I've roamed quite a bit through the years. I like to observe when I'm in an environment - the people, the movement of waves or wind, the trodding of animals, the flight of birds. I get lost in the quiet stillness. These landscapes are mostly taken in Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, and the entire Eastern seaboard - sacred places to me.

Portraits

A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.

Below are a few of the more recent portrait sessions that I've photographed of songwriters, creatives, and musicians over the past year. I'm more interested in capturing an emotion than I am in capturing a pixel-perfect, sharp image. I want a portrait to evoke the spirit of the person on the other side of the camera.

Testimonials

"Roger’s images are personal, and that’s what makes them so compelling. I recently worked with him on a promotional photo shoot and he captured everything I had hoped for — raw emotion, thoughtful settings, and the very essence of “me.” I can’t recommend him enough, especially for portraits!" - Gretchen Pleuss

"One of the most creative and intuitive photographers I've ever worked with. Technically sound and passionate. What's most impressive about Roger's work its what it invokes. He has the ability to see something and capture it in its truest light. You can't teach that." - Erik Urycki