Seattle-based photographer Karen Mason-Blair is considered a legend in the world of grunge. She is known for taking some of the most iconic photos of Seattle’s music scene during the late 80s through the 90s, including artists such as Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Duff McKagan from Guns N’ Roses. Her work has also been featured in various publications such as Entertainment Weekly and People Magazine.

Mason-Blair’s first-hand experience inside the grunge movement gives fans a unique look into Seattle’s beloved music icons and offers an authentic account of interactions with musicians that helped put the PNW on the map.

Mason-Blair grew up in the Seattle area and graduated from Edmonds High School. She reflects on her years before officially stepping into the profession, “I was the girl that always had a camera, and had posters all over my wall of bands I loved. I studied photography through magazines and albums. Once I realized you can marry music and photography, I was done, because I loved both, so this is my dream job.”

After receiving a degree in commercial photography from Seattle Central College, she moved to Hollywood to follow her passion, “I moved because I couldn’t be an entertainment photographer in Seattle and had gotten a studio at The Brewery in LA. While there, Mother Love Bone got signed, and they called me from their limo and invited me to celebrate with them.”

Mason-Blair started photographing bands like Metallica, Megadeath, Metal Church, Poison and Great White, “I also took photos of the Scorpions, The Ramones, Billy Idol and more.”

Despite her success in the LA scene, home was beckoning to Mason-Blair, “At a certain point though, LA was no longer my jam and I moved back to Seattle right when the grunge scene started to take off.”

Mason-Blair’s return to Seattle was well-timed. As grunge exploded into international popularity, she was already friends with the rising artists and became well-known in the music community for her prolific photography style and friendly persona.

Even with her fiery passion and connections, her line of work wasn’t easy, “The whole time I had to hustle. It’s very hard to make a living in art, as most art needs to be subsidized, which is sadly a proven fact. Every job I got I had to work extremely hard for. I also had to pay rent on my studio, buy my gear and just keep going. I would also cold call people daily to try to get more gigs. After a photo session with the band Collective Soul, I would then call up magazines to try to sell the photos to them. I would try to utilize that, which is basically what stock photography is today. Eventually, I ended up signing to a stock agency that would sell my imagery for me.”

Regarding that electric time in her life, Mason-Blair recalls her nostalgia from the era, “The thing about the grunge movement is we knew we loved the music. What we didn’t know was that the whole world was going to love the music, too. Band members would also attend each other’s shows, and there was a sense of community and support amongst the musicians, which is why there was a Temple of the Dog and Mad Season.”

Her most photographed band is Seattle’s own Alice In Chains. Mason-Blair notably photographed the group numerous times, including their first-ever session for Rolling Stone. “I attended more Alice In Chains shows than I could count, which was amazing. At one point, guitarist Jerry Cantrell slept on my couch, and I even bought the guys food and clothes, and drove them around to various places.” She established friendships with many artists in town, which is a rarity between bands and their respective photographers. This only propelled her reputation as an innovative entertainment photographer throughout the region and led to long-lasting friendships with many musicians.

Mason-Blair also had the chance to meet Gene Simmons from Kiss in the early 90s and snagged a photo of him with Alice In Chains bassist Mike Starr while in LA. “He was super smart and understood the business well. He also had a record label and would help scout out bands and was invested in helping the music community. He was really nice to me,” she recalls.

For fans of alternative rock music, you can find Mason-Blair’s work in various albums, including “Lucy” by Candlebox (1995), “Room a Thousand Years Wide” by Soundgarden (1991) “Uncle Anesthesia” (1991) by The Screaming Trees, and “Music Bank” (1999) by Alice In Chains.

Mason-Blair even had the opportunity to photograph Radiohead’s second-ever photo session. You can view a photo from that session at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. For Pearl Jam’s very first concert at the Off Ramp Café in Seattle on Oct. 22, 1990, Mason-Blair took photos of the band, which are the only known photos for that particular show.

In 1993, Capitol Records hired Mason-Blair to photograph British pop icons Duran Duran for a band promo in Los Angeles, “This was during their comeback album, so they were quite humble. Since I was shooting so many grunge bands, I thought to photograph them in a service elevator to give them a gritty vibe. Simon Le Bon later told me it was the band’s favorite promo photo ever taken.”

When it pertains to hometown favorites Nirvana, Mason-Blair had the privilege of working with the band many times, creating some of the most iconic photos of her career. She shot the front cover of Nirvana’s 1991 “Live At The Paramount” concert DVD and vinyl, which is currently available to purchase. “I’m actually in the video; you can see me in the front taking photos. Normally, they don’t let photographers shoot during filming, but they made an exception for me.”

Recalling another memorable experience, one of Mason-Blair’s photos also made the Nirvana “In Utero” album from 1993, which just celebrated its 30th anniversary. “I had my seamstress make these Santa hats, and we were supposed to be doing this entire photoshoot with the band, but Dave Grohl didn’t feel too well. I came down to The Paramount anyway and we all just hung out, and the guys ended up putting the hats on, and I shot a photo. I framed two copies of the photo and gave the copies to Krist Novoselic, and asked him to give one to Kurt. Months later, I got a call from DGC Records asking me if they could use the photo for Nirvana’s “In Utero” album. I asked how they received it, and was told Kurt mailed it to them and was quoted as saying it was his ‘favorite photo,’ which later made the album,” she recalled. Mason-Blair even has a photo of her and Kurt from that night, “As rare as it is to have photos of Nirvana, it’s even more rare to be in one,” she adds.

Through the years, although finding considerable success and working with some of music’s biggest rock stars, Mason-Blair battled through challenges as a woman in the male-dominated entertainment industry. “After a while, I just said, ‘I’m done.’ Pretty much before the bands were famous, I got some gigs, but I didn’t get very many after they took off because it’s the old boys club, and I got tired of that. For me, integrity and my word is number one, and I hope I’m known for that. I treat everyone fairly, and I would rather have my self-built career (even if it’s less) than dishonest advantages from these men,” she said. “Frustrated, I sat down from the injustice I encountered, but continued as a working photographer in the wedding industry.”

During this time, Mason-Blair got married and had children. It wasn’t until 2016 that she took out her archives and began going through her past work. “They were just sitting in my file cabinet the whole time,” she said. “I then reached out to a gallery and they premiered my show, titled ‘The Flannel Years’ with 33 photos. Most photos had never been seen, as they were previously unreleased. My thing is, leave it to the universe to change the climate of the world in order to make room for me. I’m not even having a comeback; I’m just having my moment. Do I wish I would have shot the whole 20 years that I sat down? Yes, but all those gates were guarded by men who wanted something in return.”

Re-defining her career path in recent years, Mason-Blair has re-emerged with her historic photos from the music industry and has seen much success and interest from fans all over the world. She now has a website where you can purchase merch and memorabilia. You can also find her self-published book, “The Flannel Years” (also available on Amazon), which offers fans a glimpse into this special time in music history and features some of her best work on the local Seattle Grunge scene. Her merchandise can also be found at Easy Street Records in West Seattle and Sup Pop Records, among others.

Currently, Mason-Blair is offering Retro Photo Sessions, something she recently started in 2023. The sessions honor her iconic photos of Kurt Cobain from 1993, where the rocker is wearing white sunglasses. “The Retro Sessions are a recreation of Kurt Cobain. The glasses are included in the session, and you get the original Kurt Cobain photo matted beside the one I replicated with you. Someone even brought their dog in to get his photo taken,” she explained. So far, The Retro Sessions have been highly popular with fans and locals, and offer a way to connect to the legendary frontman.

The Retro Sessions also make an amazing gift! To book a Retro Photo Session, contact Karen Mason-Blair on her website here.

In 2022, Mason-Blair was notably featured on the popular hit show “Pawn Stars,” where she displayed some of her Seattle Grunge memorabilia. Gibson Guitar also made a documentary, titled “Through The Lens: Karen Mason Blair (Featuring Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Alice In Chains & More)” which can be found on YouTube.

Reflecting on her personal and professional experiences, Mason-Blair feels gratitude while acknowledging the hurdles she endured along the way, “I totally love being a photographer and making art with my friends. There’s no greater joy in my life! My road to success has been paved with many tears. Tears of joy and tears of sadness, but I just keep going.”

Follow Karen Mason-Blair on Instagram here.

Jenny Castro is a freelance writer for Seattle Refined. Follow more of her adventures here.