**Backstage Portraits with Brian John Harwood - Kevin Vyse Photography\Stage Pass Media**

If you caught the full show recap from the 90’s Country Party at 100 Kellogg, you saw the energy from the stage. Before the lights went up and long after the amps cooled down, there was another side to the night. This is Part 2. The backstage portraits.

I pulled into 100 Kellogg Lane and texted Brian John Harwood to let him know I had arrived. It was my first time at the venue, so I walked in blind, check in with security, and made my way to the Century Centre on the 3rd floor.

Soundcheck was running late.

Brian met me on stage with a quick “ hey, “ surrounded by band members, most of whom I know, locking in levels with the sound engineer. There was no rush yet, just that focused pre-show energy. I stepped back and grabbed a few quiet Behind-the-scenes frames as they fine-tuned the mix.

About 20 mins later, soundcheck wrapped. Brian’s family was there, great to see them again. We stepped out, walked the halls, caught up on past shoots and shows. It felt less like work and more like calm before the storm.

The show itself ran close to 3 hours. Once the last song closed and the crowd filtered out, it was finally portrait time.

Joe Harwood | New Chapter

Before we could start with Brian, he needed to check in at The Hard Rock Hotel. The lobby line was long, and checking in took quite some time. While we waited, Brian had an idea.

His brother Joe, had recently joined the band and needed content. So we went on the move.

We cut through the corridors of The Hard Rock Hotel and found a stretch of massive windows pouring in soft filtered light. Joe leaned against the wall on the edge of a window, arms relaxed at his side with his hands slightly in his pockets. We did two shots, one with him straight on letting the window light wrap around him, and another with him looking out the window. Clean, Simple and Strong.

Further down the hallway, a row of ceiling lights created perfect leading lines. Joe stood centred, arms crossed, the corridor drawing your eye directly to him. Graphic and confident!

One more setup in the lobby. A luggage ramp under a skylight. He stood sideways, around a 45 degree angle, chin lifted slightly toward the soft light falling from above. Two shots were made, one in black and white, the other colour.. these images looked timeless and powerful. Three locations. Three distinct looks. Efficient and intentional.

Brian John Harwood | After the Encore

Once Brian was check in, we headed back out. By now, the stress was higher. The concert had drained the day of light. Windows and skylights were fading fast and pretty much unusable.

Flash was not an option. We were inside a busy hotel and venue with paying guests moving through the space. The goal was simple. Create without disrupting the paying guests, being respectful is key in these situations.

Right outside the hotel entrance, under an overhang lined with warm yellow bulbs, we found out first frame. Brian squatted low as I dropped even lower with a wide lens, pulling the entire ceiling of lights into the shot. Bold. Graphic. A strong opener shot.

Behind us, a brick wall framed by iron pillars gave us texture. He leaned into the structure, letting the fleeting, ambient light fall naturally across his face. Clean and grounded.

Back inside, near a large window, we experimented with reflection. A green chair became an anchor. Brian leaned forward, elbows on knees, hands together. The reflection was faint with the light nearly gone, but the portrait still carried weight. Tight, Focused, Intimate.

We kept moving.

Near the pool area, tucked beside a change room entrance, we found something unexpected. A leather bench recessed into the wall with a single pot light overhead. Not the obvious place for a portrait, but sometimes that’s the frame.

Brian sat back, arms stretched across the seat, one leg extended toward the camera. The overhead light cast his face into shadow because of his hat, creating something moodier. A little ominous. Show low again, using his leg as a leading line, the image felt cinematic.

we assumed we were done, then we walked back into the hotel room.

Brian pulled open the curtains and we both paused. A massive window, divided into panels, barely holding onto the last of the daylight. Not much light left, just enough to get in two more shots.

He climbed onto the window ledge. I braced against the wall to keep the frame steady with low shutter speed. Exposed for the fading light so it would wrap around him, creating soft light and not just making a Silhouette. The grid of window lines framed him naturally. Graphic, Clean, Almost architectural.

Two Final Frames.

”Backstage” portraits completed without flash, without disruption, just working with what the space gave us.

100 Kellogg and the Hard Rock Hotel have character everywhere. Windows, corridors, textures, light during the day that could fuel hours of shooting. This time, we worked against the clock. Next time, maybe we beat it.
Part 1 was about the show.
Part 2 was about the quiet moments in between.