Local photographer Deone Jahnke has long been a part of the music scene in Milwaukee, taking some of the best photos of area musicians. Her skill and her connections to the scene have allowed access to her considerable skills, bolstering their press kits with great photos that might otherwise be out of range.

So, when word arrived yesterday that Jahnke is celebrating the opening of her new Nashville photos studio with an open house on May 14, I immediately feared we were losing this treasure.

But, no, Jahnke -- whose love for roots music is no secret, in part due to her great photographs of performers like Joy Lynn White, Jim Lauderdale, Dave Alvin, Rosie Flores and others (including Billy Bob Thornton) and in part due to the intimate gigs she's booked into her Walker's Point space -- is not leaving for good. At least not for now.

"I'm splitting my time," she tells me, "or more accurately, planning to spend a week-10 days per month in Nashville. So, I'll be here more than there, unless work really takes off in Tennessee. I have a lease on a space there until the end of September, to see if the boat floats!"

Jahnke's got Peter Cooper & Eric Brace, James Intveld and Joy Lynn White on tap at her opening bash at 164 Rosa Parks Blvd., within shouting distance (sorta) of the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Downtown Nashville.

"All my work brings me joy," says Jahnke. "But in recent years I've come full circle to my first love -- photographs for the music industry. I'm a passionate music fan. For me it's it's about applying my talents to making pictures that help market musicians and their music."

That passion was charted by Heidi Spencer in the film, "Picturing the Music," which traced Jahnke's work. Being in Nashville part of each month will allow Jahnke easier access to the many musicians who work there.

In the meantime, the musicians who work here can breathe easy. Deone's staying.