Rising Stars: Meet Garett and Carrie Buell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Garett and Carrie Buell. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Carrie and I were full-time musicians both in different touring groups when we met. Carrie was in a trio called Alathea and I was a percussionist in Caedmon’s Call. Not long after we got married, our music lives started to change fairly quickly – her moving to Nashville from East Tennessee away from her bandmates and my group decided to take a year off after about 20 yrs of touring and recording that led to indefinitely. 

I remember sitting on my balcony after a conference call with the band and management thinking … “now what?” We had just purchased a home and were hoping for children and all of the stress of responsibility came rushing to the forefront of my brain and I thought instantly about what my life would look like at 60 if I continued to pursue a life in music. Although I had moved to Nashville from Houston, Texas to play sessions when we were home from touring, I wasn’t prepared to make it my full-time job and I knew I was already growing weary of traveling so much. 

In the years before this, I had fallen back in love with photography due to what at the time was a very infant digital camera age … 2004 ish … no more paying for film and processing and I could actively see what my fiddling was achieving in real-time … I was growing and basically becoming obsessed with the art… 

So, sitting there after the phone call, I saw a photographer shooting a neighbor’s home and assumed he was taking photos for the listing as I knew they had mentioned selling. I thought to myself, “Hey, he’s probably getting paid to do that … I could do that” … lol! (I have always had an interest in architecture and interiors growing up from my parents’ love of homes and design) So I immediately called my best friend, Todd- drummer for Caedmon’s, and asked if his neighbor- an architect- still had a couple homes available for me to shoot as I needed a subject for a portfolio. I was just jumping in head first. So Todd called me back and said the architect was looking for someone to photograph the homes and that he would pay me! I was extra thrilled and realized I had a gig already and hadn’t even left my balcony! So, it went well and I eventually ended up photographing more of his homes, and Carrie and I both found ourselves shooting together late into the night and loving the process. My wife Carrie has a Fine Arts degree from Milligan University in East Tennessee and had actually studied photography – and it was one of the common denominators in our first meeting … on a trip to Ecuador- I think our first interaction was “can you hold my camera?” 

So, during that first job I had met one of the realtors listing the homes and we had a chat about her using the photos for her listing and she told me about a company in town she normally used. Real estate shooting was a draw to me since one thing I was in search of was a consistent job outside of the entertainment industry and one which didn’t require travel. Carrie and I ended up shooting for that company for about 7-8 years. I considered it getting paid to practice and tirelessly studied and experimented and grew as a photographer during those years. Fast forward – we ended up focusing on our own company, StudioBuell, exclusively as a way to control my ever-growing client list outside of real estate which included architects, designers, and builders. Carrie had the idea to keep one foot in real estate shooting as it really was a strong, consistent source of income and we were still being contacted by agents daily to shoot. However, I was growing weary of shooting 7 homes a day 7 days a week and was looking to downscale considerably just to keep from burning out. 

We have grown quickly – all through word of mouth and of course hard work! We now have about 10 team members, both photographers and administrative, that Carrie maintains and continues to develop 24/7. 

We love that we get to be creative daily. We also love that we get to be with each other daily and don’t have to endure long stretches of being apart like when we were in music. Most importantly, we love that we get to offer work opportunities to others, helping them maintain their families and homes. We are so thankful for our team members – they truly keep us going. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course, there have been challenges… 

Selling our home to pay off any old debt and putting it into our business was hard. Keeping up with a grueling schedule starting at 8am and ending at 9pm during the extended daylight seasons and then home behind a computer editing till about 5am…posed many challenges. 

Today our schedule is still constant but much more manageable and we are getting a “little” more sleep lol! We also had to leave our old lives behind and social circles took a backseat- an adjustment that took a while to be comfortable with. We both love music and our traveling lives but to grow this business we had to sacrifice those opportunities and focus on the company. I had tried to maintain some studio and smaller touring jobs in music for several years but as the business grew, it forced us to consider our priorities. 

Some of the challenges small business owners probably don’t think about much is when it’s YOUR business, it travels to holiday gatherings with you… and this business doesn’t seem to have any off days lol! There’s always something or someone that needs your attention no matter what else is going on. Thank God for the recent robust Cellular Wi-Fi advancements! 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
StudioBuell was originally named to be a general business front for all of our creative endeavors … my drum/percussion recording and compositions for companies like DOW Chemical… and my wife’s Fine Art Photography and Painting all mixed with our professional photography endeavors. 

It has become known for its Architectural/Interiors Photography and real estate photography (through our implant We Heart Your Space). We specialize in shooting architecture, interior design for architects, designers, builders, Airbnb’s Hospitality, and everything in between… I would say that StudioBuell specializes in residential but we have shot a considerable amount of corporate work as well. 

I always like to bring a publication and editorial approach to the work no matter who it’s for, and we take great effort in quality over quantity. We love our clients and strive to maintain a close relationship with those that desire the attention and passion we take to make their project see its fullest value and want to stand out in their marketing and portfolios. These days the market is flooded with shooters in this niche of photography, and I think it’s ever more important for clients to look at having their photos stand out from the crowd. 

With so many diverse clients we attempt to always consider “who” the photos are for and “why” they are having them shot. Also “where” they will be using the photos… website, social media, print… all differentiators that dictate how and what type of photos will be created. 

As we grow, we continue to craft our backend and user interface to make this as easy as possible for everyone. 

We take great pride in knowing that no matter the job description or client, we will work 150% to ensure the job is done right and the client is thrilled! 

What do you like and dislike about the city?
Nashville is a diverse city! It is much more than Country music, and it is much more than a tourist mecca! There are so many talented artists, business owners, restaurants, and creatives that make Nashville much deeper than it’s given credit. 

From music I learned that so much was hailing here in every genre of music… so many great writers and musicians in every form of music and in photography. I have met so many incredible architects and designers that are world class. On any given day, I’ll be shooting a new bar downtown and then shooting a beautiful home for a famous singer or producer. I’ll go from an 1800s log cabin to an ultra-modern condo overlooking downtown in one the same day! 

The people in Nashville are probably the best thing, so kind and generous, which makes working here so much less stressful. 

What do we like least about Nashville…We’ll get back to you when we find something lol! … maybe the growing traffic… lol!

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: http://studiobuell.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/studiobuell
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/studiobuell
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/garettbuell/

Image Credits
Garett Buell