My Photographic Observations…and AWESOMENESS
25.10.2011
{CD Release Show} Looking for Alaska: “There Is Hope”
categories: band photography, friendly plugs for friends, shameless plugs
tags:

I realize that the Shoot With Personality blog is starting to look like “Looking for Alaska Central” these days. But I am A-OK with that!

The latest in Shoot With Personality’s LFA coverage is the show they played this past weekend to kick off the release of their first full-length album, “There Is Hope.”

As a someone who is good friends with this band (well, with members of this band…) I have been looking forward to their album release since they recorded it this summer. I was even more excited when they set the date for its release. And more more MORE excited as the date (October 22) approached. If I felt this way, I imagine the guys in the band were just plain over the moon as October 22 neared!

One thing that was very cool about this show was its opening act: Jim Cannon, grandfather of the irrepressible Josh Cannon (LFA member/superfan of Shoot With Personality.) I think we all especially enjoyed the duet Jim and Josh did, as well as when Jim performed that little ditty “Your Cheatin’ Heart.” The latter song required crowd participation, and Paw Paw Cannon actually got the crowd of young whippersnappers to participate!

The Star Killers played next,. They are another great band I started seeing at Smithseven shows this summer. The Star Killers has a petite red head with a BIG voice as their frontwoman, and they’ve pretty much killed it every time I’ve seen them play. The LFA show was no exception.

I’ll level with ya folks: there was a more metalcore/hardcore band who played after The Star Killers, and I am sure they were lovely but…as Mr. Chad Turner put it, “Amanda Raney 2003 would have been in there fighting the pit to take pictures.” Amanda Raney 2011 wasn’t so much doing that…Maybe next time though!

And onto the main event (for me): Looking for Alaska!

I hadn’t realized this would be the case before arriving at the show that night, but LFA played the new album in it’s ENTIRETY. I thought it would have been a funny joke if they said “We’re going to play every song on the album tonight,” and then brought a boom box on stage and pushed play. You know, instead of actually playing all their songs live? Get it??? But I digress…Luckily for those of us in attendance, that was not the case!

It was probably one of the longest sets I’ve seen a band play at a local show, but with LFA, this is a good thing. A very good thing indeed. I was happy with everything I heard, the guys played their hearts out, and the crowd seemed to respond very positively to all that was going on up there on the stage.

As the band finished their final song and started putting up their instruments, something unexpected happened…Chad began playing the old hymn “Be Thou My Vision” (a favorite hymn of many in our social circle.) I was used to this sort of thing because I have gone to several churches with Chad where he’s led music, but I am sure for many in the audience this was a new experience. I know it wasn’t something that the band had planned, but it was powerful. I hope no one involved minds that I’m adding this part to my blog about the show, but I had to. Everyone was so moved. You could hear voices from people in the crowd, singing along with the hymn. It was an intensely personal moment being shared by a room full of people, and I’d say it was the perfect ending to this band’s CD release show.

And now….on to the pictures! Click on through to ‘em below!


Jim Cannon. The Star Killers. Looking for Alaska. Oct. 22 ’11 @ The Abbey. Memphis, TN.

(Pssssst. In addition to gushing over my friends, I am also into giving shameless plugs for them…Looking for Alaska‘s album is available at Amazon and iTunes. Get on it!)

16.10.2011
Band Press Photos: Looking for Alaska
category: band photography
tags: , , , ,

I have to tell you: here lately, the weather has turned beeyootiful in the Mid-South.  What a perfect time to do some press photos for the boys in Looking for Alaska!

The band and I made arrangements to meet downtown. Did we have a specific plan? No. Did we do some explorin’ until we found a couple of righteous places for snapping  photos? We sure did!

Being downtown, it’s hard to avoid a bunch of cliche backgrounds. When you’re photographing bands for promo or press photos, it’s SUPER hard to avoid cliches.  I had one rule: no brick walls. LFA had another rule: no fields. Other than that, we just set out on a trek around downtown Memphis. We were on a {photographic} mission.

When I started seeing spots that sparked my interest, I didn’t have to think “Is this trite? Has this been overdone?” All that mattered was getting these Looking for Alaska lads into those interest-sparking spots, getting them to interact with each other, and, you know, snapping a few photos along the way.

Someone in the group suggested we go to the Peabody rooftop. I hadn’t really been up there before and didn’t know what was in store for us since the light was getting so dim (thanks to autumn, which brought shorter days with it!) I was not too sure that we were going to have (what I like to call) a “workable situation” on our hands. But then, we rounded a corner on the rooftop and saw that there was an old-fashioned street lamp giving ample lighting underneath it. I breathed a sigh of relief.  I also loved how the camera picked up on the last bits of dusky light the sky was offering us in the background!

 

Once I’d called it a wrap on the rooftop and headed back indoors, we caught a glimpse of some VERY PINK light coming from a room off to the side. I thought for certain that the door would be locked. It wasn’t. Then I thought we would get yelled at for going into The Skyway. But then I reasoned with myself, “If they didn’t want us in there, they should have locked the door!”

 

We ended up having a GREAT time together. I hope to have the pleasure of photographing Looking For Alaska again in the future!

♥♥

02.10.2011
One Decade of Awesome
categories: family, personal
tags: , ,

Ten years ago today, the most awesome person I have ever known entered this world.

And I’ve had a camera stuck in her face ever since.

(Whether she’s liked it or not!)

 

17.08.2011
{Official} Favorite Place in Memphis
category: film photography
tags: , , , ,

A few weeks ago, I came to a stunning realization: I OFFICIALLY  have a favorite place in Memphis!

“Why is this a stunning realization?”, you may ask. Because I hadn’t really thought about having a favorite place in Memphis, or not having one for that matter, up until this point. But on the night in question, I found myself at this particular locale in my hometown, and it dawned on me that there was no other place the city where I’d rather be.

And that place is:  Orpheum Theatre, located in downtown Memphis. So I’ll round up some of the shots I have on hand from various visits I’ve made to the theatre over the years, along with some I snapped on my most recent visit, and I’ll tell you a little about my experiences there.

Circa 2006

Allow me set the scene for you (that is to say, the circumstances surrounding the aforementioned realization):

My birthday came around a couple of weekends ago. I like to do small, meaningful things for my birthday rather than asking for a huge birthday bash (though those ain’t so bad from time to time!) The ONLY request I had for celebrating the anniversary of my birth this year was that someone accompany me to a movie showing in the Summer Movie Series at the Orpheum. In my opinion, the Summer Movie Series is the coolest thing to do in Memphis during the summer, hands down.

Much to my delight, I discovered that the movie playing on my birthday weekend was going to be Walk the Line. It was part of a series of Memphis-made films they were showing during the Summer Movie Series this year. I immediately knew who had to go see it with me: Mallory!  And – yay! -  she was available to help fulfill my one birthday wish!


Circa 2010

There is just something so special about walking down Beale Street while wearing a pretty dress, on a breezy summer evening, making your way to the resplendent [oh yeah, I just busted out that vocab word!] Orpheum Theatre. When I arrived at the theatre and stood out front waiting for Mallory’s arrival, I took in the atmosphere around me. The iconic theatre marquee, studded underneath with a zillion lights.  The people standing around, chattering before the show begins. The view down Beale Street, with its flashing neon signs. Classic Memphis sights and sounds.

Circa 2006

Stepping  into the lobby of The Orpheum is like a gateway to another era. Everything is plush! Extravagant furnishings, art deco touches, rich fabrics, chandeliers, gilded surfaces everywhere you look. I can just imagine women in mink stoles and men in their best tuxedos, sipping champagne before seeing a performance in the 1930s.

They often have special activities for the audience before the movies plays. Like this trivia contest about Johnny Cash before Walk the Line. Mallory contributed the final tie-breaker question for the contest!

But back to the night a few weeks ago – my “realization” night. Mallory and I made our way into the theatre itself. No matter how many times I walk into the Orpheum, I still get this sense of “oooh!” and “ahhh!” at the grand scale of it all. It’s just…they don’t make ‘em like this anymore.

After the trivia contest, Walk the Line started rolling and goodness did Mallory and I have a wonderful time seeing this film! The atmosphere surrounding us added so much to our experience. Not to mention, we were sitting next to this really great German family who seemed to be tourists – they were LOVING the movie and LOVING being at the Orpheum. It was both entertaining and endearing to witness their experience (though I did really wonder how people for whom English is a second language could possibly understand all those “country” accents in Walk the Line! I think I’d have needed subtitles had I been them!) Both we and the German woman I was sitting next to were freaking out when we realized that a crucial scene was actually filmed at The Orpheum. How did we not notice that when we’d seen the movie before?! It was so surreal to watch the scene on the big screen and be able to look around the room we were sitting in, recognizing that it was filmed right here.

Mallory and I left the film feeling like we were on top of the world – that feeling you get when you have the perfect night. We lingered outside, looking at the 1955 Cadillac they had sitting in front of the Orepheum in conjunction with the showing Walk the Line. Such a great feeling of “atmosphere”! I think we both would rank it as one of the best nights we’ve ever had in Memphis. It was a good night to be Memphians.

16.08.2011
{Discovery} Looking for Alaska
categories: band photography, friends
tags:

Here is a fact about my life: almost every friend I have is a musician. Music and bands are the reason I know 95% of the people I’ve met in the past decade. That’s how I ended up doing band photography in the first place: going to my friends gigs. Then I met more people in bands and befriended them, too. And if it’s not someone who is directly in a band, most of my other friends were met through musicians who are mutual friends or just by being at the same shows for so many years. And so forth and so on! And, yes, I do have a point with all this…

My point is: I’ve been out of the circulation from local shows for a bit now, due mostly to work scheduling conflicts. I’m discovering that I’ve missed that part of my life and those people and probably new people I could discover at those shows. Since that whole work scheduling thingy isn’t an issue right now, I’m trying my darndest to get out and see my friends play more often! I did so this past weekend, in fact, by heading out to the far east {Cordova, TN!} to see my friends’ band, Looking for Alaska. After I finally got to hear their music, I was kicking myself that it had taken me this long!

I have to say: I really, truly, genuinely think these guys are one of the best local bands I’ve heard in some time. They’re my cuppa tea. I may even be getting a sense of excitement over local music again! You see, in recent years, I have felt like there was a hole in my heart left by some of the local bands I used to love but aren’t together any more. Looking for Alaska just might be able to plug up that hole. AND they’ve just recorded an album, a fact which makes me both excited for them and eager for its release so I can get my hands on it!


Click on through for pictures of Looking for Alaska. Aug. 12 ’11. Smithseven House.

27.07.2011
Out of Season {Pumpkin Love}
category: food photography
tags: , ,


Pentax K20D • Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4

My love for pumpkin-related baked goods cannot be contained to just the months when pumpkin is technically in season or traditionally used for cooking. It’s nearly August, and in the Mid-South region of the U.S., the heat indexes are in the triple digits. I am hoping that a pumpkin pie -though out of season- will help usher in thoughts of autumn with its crispy air,  its clear blue skies, and the cozy scarves I like to wear when it comes ’round.

If not, at least it’ll be autumn for my TASTE BUDS, right??

12.07.2011
My Own Personal Way Back Machine
category: film photography
tags:

Today’s story begins thusly:

Soooooooooooo, I’d had this roll of film hanging out in a spare camera bag since 2006. Every once in awhile, I’d run across said roll of film, tossing it aside once again, figuring I’d get ’round to developing it one of these days. That was, until a few weeks ago, when I realized “There’s no time like the present!”

Of course, since these undeveloped photos were made 5 years ago, I only had faint memories as to what I might have captured on those 12 frames back then. All I knew for sure was that the camera I’d used for the photos was a beat up old Rolliecord IV TLR from the early 1950s, which I’d gotten my hands on by means I’m not at liberty to divulge at this time (so mysterious!)

The roll of film in question was my “test roll” in the Rolleicord. As a  rule, when a new (or “new to me”) camera comes into my life, I blaze through a test roll so I can see what I’m working with (or if something about the camera doesn’t work.) I’m not even particularly careful with the artistic merit of photos on this roll- it’s just for utilitarian purposes, you see. Well, I blazed through the Rollei’s test roll alright, but then didn’t take it to be developed before I began shooting other rolls with the camera. The Rollei worked pretty well, so I never bothered taking the first roll for development (see also: my Rollei shots taken and actually developed back then.)

So, what were the results of this little trip back in time? Nothing particularly earth-shaking. But I enjoyed the ability to hop in the way back machine with these photos, seeing what I’d bothered snapping when I needed to test out the Rolleicord.


Vegan cookbooks I’d just gotten in 2006. Now, that one on top has been used so much that it has fallen apart and the pages are all stained. Makes me want to order a shiny new copy of the book again!

Um, the front cap to the 1954 Plymouth Belvedere I bought when I was a teenager but never got to drive…and soda cans that were set aside for recycling. Very artistic, right???

A relic from the 2004 presidential election…I am sure I must have been going for “irony” with this photo

Okay, I kind of like this one. I see where I was going with it.

This was worth the price of admission for me. A never-before-seen photo of my niece, Little AM, when she really was little! Aged approx. 4.5 years! And she’ll be a 4th grader this year! My heart is breaking as we speak.

In conclusion, there was nothing on this forgotten roll of film that would have won me a Pulitzer if only I’d taken it to a photo lab in 2006. But, still, it was a bit of fun seeing these new-to-me photos.

Now, to hunt down any other film that might have slipped through the cracks over the years…

01.07.2011
Green with Envy…or With a Mustache
category: film photography
tags:

Nikon FE • Nikkor 24mm/2.8 • Expired Fuji Super HQ 200 film

The first of the mustachioed flamingos I have spotted in Memphis during the past month. This green one was sighted and photographed early in the month of June, near Broad Street. While I’m “so over” ironic mustaches, I like this green version better than the pink flamingo avec mustache, which I photographed last week. I even find it somewhat charming.

08.06.2011
The Night the Sky was Yellow
category: film photography
tags: ,

We have had some freaky weather in Memphis in the past couple of months. Tornadic activity, floods, unseasonably cold days, and unreasonably hot ones. The blaring of tornado sirens had virtually become the soundtrack of our lives in Memphis.

A couple of weeks ago, there was talk of tornadoes yet again. At one point, I looked outside and the sky was yellow. This was worrisome and downright eerie. I decided, of course, to have a little photographic walkabout.

The photo I thought best captured the color cast by the strange light that evening was this one of a chair outside the house where I live.


Yashica D TLR • Kodak Ektar Film

And I didn’t get taken away by a twister for the sake of photography that night. The TV weathermen told the city afterward that the yellow sky was a good sign, that the troublesome weather had passed for the night. Thank goodness! Thank goodness that the trouble had passed…

06.06.2011
Seis de Mayo!!! [Mini Cupcakes]
category: food photography
tags:

Mini margarita cupcakes. Perfect for Cinco de Mayo. Or for Seis de Mayo, when you don’t have time to bake on the 5th of May.

I had so much fun setting up my little food photography shoot with these cupcakes. I chose the deep, jewel-toned cupcake liners specially for these little treats because I knew they would make the cupcakes look as festive as they tasted.  And, hey, my friends who recieved boxes of these for Seis de Mayo pressies didn’t seem to mind that I was taking Cinco de Mayo celebrations into extra innings!