Meet Joe Kleon | Music. Portrait, Corporate, and Sports Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joe Kleon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joe, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My photography business was growing and it seemed like a natural progression to incorporate.. After years of amateur experience, I started shooting for various publications and scoring higher end concert gigs. The publicity from shooting high value musicians fueled my portrait, sports, corporate, and wedding photography. For a period of about 7-8 years before the pandemic, I was doing around 100-150 photo gigs a year.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I began shooting concerts for fun, after buying an expensive camera in 2001 to take on a vacation. I had worked in radio for 20 years and for 5 of those I also worked for Warner/Elektra/Atlantic (WEA) when they had a branch office in the Cleveland area. After a few years of shooting local bands, I used my radio and record connections to get photo passes for some shows featuring smaller national and international bands. It grew like a weed from there. I went on a trek of 15 years shooting a total of around 1,500 shows. I love to capture artists when they are in the zone, in their happy place, doing what they love. I have slowed down a bit since the pandemic, but this year I have shot Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, Jason Aldean, Pink, Disturbed, Buddy Guy,  Dream Theater, Blink 182, Brandi Carlile, Lizzo, Greta Van Fleet, Lil Wayne, and others.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
You can’t visit Cleveland and not check out the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame!  Right next door is the Great Lakes Science Center.  The two make for a great afternoon downtown experience.  I would also take them to the Collinwood neighborhood, where The Beachland Ballroom is located.  The Beachland is a legendary club in Cleveland with an eclectic and prolific array of bands.  The Beachland is in the middle of the Waterloo Arts District, with art galleries, restaurants, and shops lining several long blocks.  I would turn a visitor on to my favorite Cleveland area brewer, Fat Heads and their multi-award winning beers.  I would probably also take them to the B.A. Sweetie Candy Store, the largest candy store in America!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I heap accolades onto my dear friend and iconic Cleveland concert photographer Anastasia Pantsios, who I have worked with many times over the years, doing about ten art gallery exhibits and photo shows.  We are currently working on a book project together on the life and career of Cleveland’s favorite musical son Michael Stanley and his 50+ year career.

Website: http://www.joekleon.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joe.kleon

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOQRRE_aCaM

Image Credits
Image of me with camera credited to “John Ward” please. The photo is watermarked with his watermark.