Musician

Much Ado About Nerddom V: A Geeky Variety Show - 2017

After stumbling upon a last minute photo gig for Much Ado last year, I knew that this was something I'd love to be a part of once again. I ran into Dani at the Game of Thrones show last month and asked if there was going to be another Nerddom event this year.

I'm super happy that she remembered the photos from last year and gave me an excited "yes" when I asked to shoot this one too. 

"If we’ve learned anything from "Empire Strikes Back", it’s that the 5th one is always the best! 
Much Ado About Nerddom: A Geeky Variety Show celebrates its 5th birthday this year at the amazing Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse! Not sure what to do with yourself the Wednesday before Con revs up? Well, come on down and let us psyche you up for the insane weekend ahead!
We’ve got burlesque, we’ve got puppetry, we’ve got stand up, we’ve got music, and we’ve got TWO BARS! "

 

Dani Herd

Roula Roulette

Zy_Gote - 2017.

Zy_Gote was brought to life by producer Stan Pavlov, fusing mixtures of different noise and industrial genres, molded together like Dr. Frankenstein constructed his infamous monster. Invoking dark atmospheres while unleashing distorted soundscapes aggressive beats and unsettling samples all at once upon the listener. 

Check out his debut album Potential for Destruction below. 

2016: A Year in Review

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

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. 

The DIY Backdrop Test 1 – Stan – 2015

So I forgot how I met Stan. More than likely probably through another mutual friend. But I could have run into him on the street for all I remember. But we have kept in touch through social media since. During part of my 52 rolls project, while I was looking for people to shoot, Stan stepped up and said that he would be interested in getting some band photos taken. 

If you remember from the post about Finite Automata on the Extra blog, I didn't really consider myself a "band photographer" so initially I kinda pushed things off a little more than I normally would. But after the success I found with those, I figured I'd move forward with more. 

I put out a call on my social media pages for someone to test an idea I had (found honestly) for a DIY backdrop. Stan was one of the few people that stepped up to the challenge and we decided to snap a few shots. 

I still have a few tweaks I'd like to do to the lighting, but overall I was very happy with the results. Let me know what you all think! 

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