Hello There,

I’m Brian Bruemmer, a concert photographer based in Cincinnati, OH.

From my very first cassette tape (Billy Joel – Piano Man) and an ever-growing vinyl collection to more than 30 years as a musician and enthusiastic supporter of live music, the one constant has been a passion for listening to, creating and collecting music.

When I started getting into photography as a hobby in 2006, it seemed only natural that music would be one of my favorite subjects to photograph. In fact, music is the reason I got into photography in the first place. In late 2005 I joined a band (peteradamsmusic.com) and within a few months we were invited to play South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, TX in March 2006. Upon planning, packing and rehearsing for the trip it occurred to me that I didn’t own a camera with which to document the trip. So, I bought a cheap Sony point-and-shoot and during that trip the seeds of my passion for photography were planted. When I look back at those photos now, they’re far from fantastic but they bring back memories from one of the most amazing times of my life.

Though only playing music sporadically, I still get that same thrill and feel the same passion when behind the camera. That’s why I created Rubato Photo, as a vehicle for my two greatest passions.

For six years, I ran the concert photography team at SlyVinyl, with nearly two dozen photographers across more than 15 markets covered. In August of 2022, SlyVinyl decided to focus solely on releasing records and shut down the music news and photography side of things. I and a handful of Sly photographers and writers spun off a new venture called The Hot Mic Music Magazine to continue the legacy of SlyVinyl. As Editor in Chief, I oversee all of the content on the site from articles, reviews, concert photography, and even host the podcast.