WS Chronicle

Local videographer Cedric Ingram recently released a short documentary highlighting two different art forms, music and photography, while also paying homage to one of the best in the business. 

The documentary, “The Jazz Photographer,” details the journey of local legend Bobby Roebuck who has captured great entertainers from across the country such as Jeannette Harris, John Dillard,  Kim Waters,  Envision, Phillip “DOC” Martin, Dante Lewis, and countless others.

Ingram, who is also a native of Winston-Salem, said he was first introduced to jazz by his mother and it’s something that has stuck with him ever since. Ingram got the idea for the documentary after seeing some of Roebuck’s work. He said what first caught his eye was Roebuck’s shot composition and timing. 

“He had a lot of work that I liked and I was just interested,” Ingram explained. “Later he invited me to one of his shoots and I was just getting behind-the-scenes footage and I just got the idea right there.”

Almost immediately Ingram started putting the documentary together. First he put the script together with a complete shot list, then started working on his questions for the interview, then he started shooting. He said what he enjoyed most about shooting the documentary was getting  unscripted content. 

“There were a few times when I was shooting with Bobby and things happened that weren’t part of the script and that’s the beauty of shooting a documentary,” Ingram said. “I like documentaries because they’re unrestricted. I can play a lot with the angles, but most importantly it’s happening in real time.”

When discussing the documentary, Roebuck, who has been a photographer for about 14 years and has been shooting jazz for about 12, said he was honored when Ingram reached out to him with his idea. 

“I was elated because I wasn’t expecting people to catch on to my work because it’s very different and unique from a photographer’s perspective,” Roebuck said. “And that’s why I started shooting jazz because the sound is very unique … I’m not a musician but I love music.”

Since being released on YouTube last month, “The Jazz Photographer” already has over 500 views. Ingram said when people watch the documentary he wants them to understand how much work goes into getting the perfect picture and how important having the right photographer is. 

“I just want people to realize for every image they see, it’s somebody behind that image. Oftentimes the photographer gets lost in oblivion and people only care who’s in front of the camera, but if it wasn’t for the person behind the camera, those shots wouldn’t come out the same way.”

Roebuck said he hopes the documentary inspires other photographers to chase their dreams. “There’s always an opportunity to do something different, especially in the media field, and I hope this project touches lives, especially other photographers. Not just jazz photographers, but all photographers,” Roebuck said. 

Ingram has also discussed the possibility of turning the documentary into a series that tells the journey of other jazz photographers and musicians. 

To view “The Jazz Photographer” be sure to visit https://youtu.be/6ALIo_x3Bdw?si=xDWJ_2SFx8rXFPp7.