Matt Barnes is a Toronto-based photographer and director who is widely recognized for his bold and innovative style. An image-maker and a storyteller, Barnes’s work ranges from the stylishly simple to the highly orchestrated and elaborate. This past year, the JUNOS were fortunate enough to have Barnes behind the scenes at the JUNO Opening Night Awards and the JUNO Awards Broadcast capturing Canada’s very best in his legendary portrait studio.
Andrew Phung and JUNOS host Simu Liu. Photo: Matt Barnes/CARAS
One of Barnes’s greatest talents as a photographer is undoubtedly his ability to capture the essence of his subject in a single photograph. The stunning black and white portraits that were taken during JUNO Week are no exception. The images depict the excitement and personality of each artist, many of whom are JUNO winners, moments after stepping off the JUNOS stage.
A JUNO winner himself, Matt Barnes received the 2014 JUNO Award for Video of the Year for the Sheep’s “Feeling Good” and was nominated again in 2019 for Album Artwork of the Year. Barnes also partnered with the Allan Slaight JUNO Masterclass as an industry expert in 2019, guiding emerging artists through a personalized one-on-one photography session.
“It’s nice shooting an artist by themselves because you can just get pretty intimate with them and see what works, see what doesn’t work. I try and push them out of their comfort zone a little bit to make some provocative images,” Barnes said in his Meet the Master Class Mentors interview.
Featured Image: 2022 Canadian Music Hall of Fame Inductee Deborah Cox (Matt Barnes/CARAS).
Gallery: (1) Tesher, (2) JUNO Opening Night Awards hosts Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe and Ann Pornel, (3) Faouzia, (4) 2022 Humanitarian Award Recipient Susan Aglukark, (5) 2022 MusiCounts Inspired Minds Ambassador Dallas Green with his mom, Pam (6) Andrea Jin (7) Roxane Bruneau (8) Haviah Mighty (9) Kairo McLean with his parents (10) Charlotte Cardin (11) JESSIA (12) Allison Russell (13) DJ Shub and Snotty Nose Rez Kids (14) Hill Kourkoutis
