Steve Earle has been a large influence on this project. I met Steve backstage while photographing a Ralph Stanley and Peter Rowan show at the Ryman auditorium in Nashville. A mutual friend had already informed him of my idea and Steve suggested that I come down to the studio to take some photos. I took photos during the recording of Steve’s albums The Mountain and Transcendental Blues. My photos actually appear in the liner notes for the later. While in the studio I was able to see the creative process of recording up close, and this became one of the many factors that helped me to develop the idea of focusing on just musicians’ hands.