After attending the now-defunct Center for Photographic Studies in Louisville, Carr earned a Master of Fine Art degree in photography at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Returning to town in 1981, he free-lanced during the day and waited tables at night. "It's been a steady process since then," he says.

Despite the stereotype of commercial photography as artistically limiting, Carr says working with clients allows him a great deal of freedom. "You're always faced with a new challenge. You're trying to solve someone's problem visually for them," he says. "I've never had to stop and evaluate whether I've made the right decision."

Carr had "always been interested in and visually attracted to the fine arts" and found a match for his fondness in a 10-year relationship with the Kentucky Art & Craft Foundation. He photographs the work of artists for promotional pieces, catalogs, and posters.

Years of contact with local artists led to an exhibit of Carr's "Artist Portraits" at Louisville's Bank One Gallery in 1998. "Photographing artists' work became kind of a second job over the years," Carr says. "I enjoy visiting them in their studios and doing portraits of them."

Carr also has contributed photographs to annual reports for Brown-Forman, Humana, and other big-name clients. "I like doing those because I come into contact with so many people," Carr says. "I get to meet everyone from the guy sweeping the floor to the guy writing the checks."

This portrait of a local country singer, whose repertoire consisted mostly of Hank Williams songs, was taken as a favor. "He delivered packages to my studio and one day he asked me if I'd do some promotional shots. I wasn't expecting anything exciting, but when he walked in wearing that suit and the mask, I knew I was going to get an incredible shot."