2016: A Year in Review

December 28, 2016

Oh hey there! Yes, I know it's been a while. But fear not, I'm still around. Just unintentionally took the last two months of the year off. I guess I just needed to take a bit of a break. Right now I'm lying in bed, getting over the last little bit of some flu or some other sickness. I figured if I can't be good for much else, I may as well get my yearly review post out of the way.

Much like last year, I had a very hard time getting things narrowed down to just 5 images. But since this is my blog I guess I'll do what I damn-well please.

On a rainy Easter Sunday, Sara and I took an afternoon just doing whatever we could. Just being cool. Some great photos walking around Atlanta and getting caught out in the weather.

Cody, Damien, and Coco from Ecto Proxy asked me to shoot some promo photos for them this year. We had planned on a few different shoots, but this one was the only one that materialized. Not that I am complaining. We had fun with a simple white background set up in the practice space.

I actually don't think this photo of Hada Pixie ever got shown in its full resolution this year. Long story short, we were trying to save it for publication, but it never did get chosen. None the less, I still like what we were able to do with such a simple setup.

Sig and Nikki. So glad to get the chance to shoot them both together. After having individual shoots with both of them over the course of the year, October came and with it came Halloween photos. I was extremely happy with a lot of the photos we captured that day, but this one still stands out as one of the best of the year.

Unintentionally 2016 became the year of the cosplay. Shooting with Sig (also mentioned above) with his Red Hood costume, got me tied in with Hysteria Machines (and with it Risky Sour, Persephone Phoenix, and Jesse), as well as Estella Zorn and her great gender swapped Tuxedo Mask. I never really fancied myself a cosplay photographer, but if the shoe fits...I'm not opposed to wearing it.

Honorable Mentions:

God Module: eVISCERAte Tour w/ Finite Automata & Cursed Earth Corporation

June 01, 2016

There are a few perks to being close with bands in your local area. By supporting them you are helping other artists support themselves and their dreams, and if you become really close with them it means that you get a chance to regularly see great live music AND get a chance to do what you love. The guys from Finite Automata are currently on tour right now, and made a stop here in Atlanta with God Module and a new up and coming band Cursed Earth Corporation.

Naturally I had a standing invite (in case you haven't figured that out yet) and was given the chance once again to shoot.

First up was Cursed Earth Corporation. Based out of Lexington, SC and performing live for the first time. If they didn't mention it, I would have thought these guys were a driving force that had been well toured and ready for action. If their future is anything like they played this show, I can see them going places. Be sure to check them out on Soundcloud.

Next was Finite Automata. These guys are no stranger to this blog, and there is little else that I can say that hasn't already been said. Even though there were some casualties during the tour opener, the guys brought their A-game and performed a set full of the theatricality that they are so well known for. This set also featured a relative rarity, Scott and his keyboards were set up in a much cleaner lighting situation, so I was able to capture a few great shots of the deathpimp himself at work.

And finally, the headliners of the night, God Module. Performing their album VISCERA in its entirety to celebrate 10 years of the album's release. I was given the opportunity to shoot them last year for a magazine article that never really materialized, but I happily now can share some images taken during this very foggy performance.

For someone who doesn't consider himself a band photographer, I sure am shooting a lot of bands lately. Not that I am complaining, any time spent with a camera in my hands is a good time.

Stoneburner: The Mouse Tour + Die Sektor, Finite Automata, And Zy_Gote (G-master 85mm Test)

May 05, 2016

So I make it a pretty obvious that I am a die hard Sony fan. But that's a story for another time. Earlier this year Sony announced a new series of lenses designed for their pro line bodies. I'll spare you those details as well, but let's just say that they are billed as being the next best thing in photography.

I have thought about this glass since the announcement and have wanted to get my hands on the 85mm f1.4 lens. I broke down and rented one for the next few weeks, and of course wanted to give it a good solid test. I'll start with a few of those photos, and then will transition into the rest of the photos from the night. For those of you here for photography things and not tour photos, keep your eyes open. I'll be posting another blog entry once I completely put things through their paces.

G-Master test Images:

And now more words and tour photos:
Starting the night was Zy_Gote. Stan is no stranger from this blog, and you may remember him from some of the studio test photos from last year. This was his first live show, but you would never know it by the quality of the music and performance. I'll be the first one to say that the set went off without a hitch, and it can only go up from here.

Then Finite Automata took the stage:

Atlanta based (for not much longer :( ) Die Sektor was up next:

And finally, the headliner for the night. Stoneburner:

Snog + The Labrynth: The Compliance Tour (Finite Automata and Ecto Proxy) – 04/20/2016

April 21, 2016

I don't fancy myself a band photographer. But sometimes when the shoe fits, you just have to wear the hell out of it. I was invited by Dom of Finite Automata to photograph their show with Snog and The Labyrynth for their Compliance Tour 2016.

Recently I had the chance to add one of my "legendary" lenses to my collection, a Minolta 70-210 f4 (The Beercan). I was itching to try it out, and especially in a lower light environment. Overall I found it to be a little hard to work with at times, but I was extremely happy with what I was able to capture. I'm really happy that this lens fell into my lap, and I can't wait to use it in a more controlled environment.

The first opening act was previously featured in ReGen magazine, Ecto Proxy. Since shooting them a few months ago I have been in close contact planning a shoot for their press kit (Spoiler alert, coming soon).

Next came a group of guys who also are no stranger to this blog, Finite Automata themselves. You may recognize a new guitarist from the last time we worked together. Damien from Ecto Proxy has stepped up and joined another project (So it's time to update their press kit photos as well).

Next up was The Labrynth:

And finally Snog!

At the end of the night, I was pretty happy with the images I was able to capture. And as always big thanks to everyone for inviting me out to snap a few shots. Keep your eyes open, and ears to the ground for some new photos coming soon from both Finite Automata and Ecto Proxy.

2015: A Year in Review

December 29, 2015

So here we are, Another year in the books. And like every year I just want to take a few minutes and share with everyone my favorite 5 images I have taken this year. This list will probably have more than a few "runners up" as well.

2015 was a year in which I decided to get back to the basics and start fresh. At the end of last year I was a little burned out with my lack of creativity, and my goal for this last year was simply to "shoot more" which I did in spades. See the 52 rolls blog for more information. My original goal was to not pick up a digital camera at all, which I failed, but instead of counting it as a failure...I'm going to instead call the work that came from a digital medium a huge success. Re-shooting on film has caused me to slow down (as I hoped it would) and I ended up with a few great shots!

So without further ado, and in no particular order. Here are my favorite 5 shots from 2015.

I met Bri through another model I worked with this year. After seeing what Morgan and I were able to create she jumped at the chance for us to work together. This shot was taken very quickly as the sun was going down. And the effect that the lighting had, combined with her posing worked out very well to create the image that I had in my mind.

Hada Pixie is no stranger to this blog. After meeting her around 2011 while working with a lot of other talented photographers and models during "Beautiful Darkness" we have off and on worked together in many projects for Zivity. A trend that I hope continues on into the future. This was shot as a bonus to one of our Zivity sets, and in all honesty I liked it better than some of the other images that came out of that shoot.

I shot like a madman at DragonCon this year. But most importantly I had the lovely chance to work with Atlanta's own "team tank" (which also were my gracious roommates during the long weekend). My third Con and probably my favorite so far. These folks provided me a lot of great opportunities to shoot, laugh, and enjoy myself to such an extreme level.

Along with Team Tank, another one of my Con roommates was Nikki Nuke'm. Shortly after the release of Fallout 4 this year Nikki decided to let her inner vault dweller out into the world, and we captured this image among many. My only regret was not snapping a horizontal image of this one, but even the image I was able to capture I am in love with.

My final official favorite image from the year comes from working with Finite Automata. They saw my work and wanted some new photos for their press kit. After taking time to decorate a basement into a working set, we were able to snap a few great photos, including this one which ended up being one of my favorites for the year.

But of course I can't stop there, 2015 also brought on many great opportunities and even more wonderful people that I worked with. There are so many that I can't name or post from everyone here. But don't fret, I want to let everyone I shot this year know that I appreciate the time you spent with me, and I hope that we were able to create something awesome in the process!

"Titan Addams" was the first set I ever shot on a digital full frame camera (surprise I know). I loved how the tones came out, and that bokeh. Hope to see more come from Titan and I in 2016.

Stan, Justin, and Cody all helped me back to back while I was working the kinks out of my DIY black background. You can find more of that in an earlier Extra blog post.

Blix, Stevhan, and K all stepped up to the challenge when I needed to keep the 52 rolls project alive. Also a big thank you to Clockwork Calamity and Caprica Song. Clockwork and I did some great work for Zivity this year (hopefully more to come), and Caprica worked very hard for a spot in Poisonous Pinups magazine! So be sure to keep your eyes open for that very soon.

I definitely can't forget Ilker and the rest of the team at REGen Magazine. Thank you for allowing me to cover a few great shows this year, and an even bigger thank you for publishing my photos in the mag. So happy to have been a part of your culture in 2015.

And finally, as much as I hate to end this year on a down note. I wanted to share a photo of my fluffy cat. Although she is no longer in my life, she was a big part of keeping me together in 2015. She may have only been in my life for about three years, but I miss her dearly. I'm happy to know she is in a better place and no longer in pain. <3

Sorry if I missed anyone. I've been trying to put this blog post together for the last month or so, but couldn't decide which images I wanted to show. Thank you again to everyone I worked with, and everyone I have yet to work with. Here's to 2016!