A few questions with photographer Celeste Echols

• Celeste Echols
• Celeste Echols

Chances are that if you’re a regular on the Atlanta comedy scene, you’ve witnessed a cute brunette in cool glasses, zipping about the room, snapping photos. Celeste Echols is the official photographer for the Laughing Skull comedy club, Comedy Gold, Relapse Theater 1 am Show, Atlanta Stands Up and owner of Avidity Photography. While she enjoys documenting their patrons having a fun night out, her true passion is capturing images of the performers themselves.

How long have you been doing this professionally?
Professionally, since Sept. 6, my birthday, of last year. Up until then, it was just a hobby.

So what did you do before that?
I was an office coordinator for a medical record company and just decided that as hard as I worked I needed to start putting that effort into doing my own thing. In fact, after I had shown my boss some photos from New York she told me I had missed my calling. That stuck with me. A month later I bought my website and never looked back.

What inspires you to photograph comedians?
I’ll be honest with you, and I know this sounds cliché, but I didn’t choose it. It kind of chose me. I was at a Dragon*Con, ran into a comedian and it just went from there. Then it just kind of became my life. I didn’t feel that anyone was letting people see how big and amazing the Atlanta comedy scene is. It’s such a staple and I think it should be shown in the light it deserves.

How do you determine the exact moment you want the picture to convey?
I don’t start shooting until the laughing starts.