Sunday, December 6, 2009

Thieves Market at Rialto Room



Amber Emard of Thieves Market.

Rock and roll looks a certain way, i've said that before with my DKM photos. Rock and roll is not glamorous, nor is it pretty. Its RAW and its about emotion and the music. I want my photos to convey that and more. Trying to get something more creative then singer+microphone at 200mm is the challenge. I want to apply what I've learned about photography in all these contexts and to really make something creative out of it. ANYONE can get a photo with a point and shoot from the edge of the stage. I want something more. Context is the biggest part of photography where i think I'm failing. I want the viewer to understand what the hell

So my friends Thieves Market told me they were playing a benefit show at the new swanky Rialto Room here in town. Its a great room, good acoustics and great light. However with it being a subdued room and a small backstage area and no side of stage area, I couldn't get 1/2 of what i wanted to do.



Racking the zoom of the lens to try and streak the scene.





Side of stage. Daniel playing bass.



Post-concert sillyness and band photo. (l-r) Brett, Daniel, Amber and Ryan.



Every once and awhile, people notice me. Makes me laugh.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Thanksgiving Shopping



So I like many, many others had to work Thanksgiving. Part of this was to go to the only big name retailer whom was also open on this day of Thanks. (If they want to be mentioned by name, they can pay for the advertising) The store was pretty dead, the employees were not happy to be there and for the most part it was pretty lackluster.

Then i saw these in store displays hat just begged to try and frame a subject around. I'm not sure if it worked but it did something for me. Mild entertainment while working on a holiday.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Sportrait: Q Edition.




This is Quenshan Watson, otherwise known as Q. He's a sophomore running back for the Clarke Central Gladiators and was very, very cool to work with.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Georgia Beats GA Tech



Georgia defensive end Justin Houston (42) and Georgia tight end Aron White (81) celebrate in the stands with the Redcoat Band as the Georgia Bulldogs beat the #7 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 30-24 at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday, November 28, 2009 in Atlanta, Ga.

Sometimes when we feel the worst, we somehow make the best pictures.

Georgia beat Georgia Tech. (Allegedly its a rivalry similar to Yankees-Red Sox). There was a pregame scrum. There was a postgame scrum. There were emotional pictures galore before and after the game.

And at the end of my college football season, I scaled a ladder and got my favorite jube picture of the year. Pulled off an interception picture that I'm not likely to ever repeat again in my career.

Perfection in the blink of an eye.

I photographed the most college football games (10) that I've done in a single season thus far. 4 states, 3 losses and 25,000 images.



Georgia safety Reshad Jones (9) makes an interception in front of Georgia Tech wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (8) and Georgia cornerback Vance Cuff (25) as the the Georgia Bulldogs lead the #7 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 17-3 at halftime at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday, November 28, 2009 in Atlanta, Ga.



Referees seperate Georgia Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan (91) and Georgia linebacker Marcus Dowtin (38) after the game as both teams stormed the center of the field as the Georgia Bulldogs beat the #7 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 30-24 at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday, November 28, 2009 in Atlanta, Ga.



Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez celebrates a defensive stop in the first quarter as the the Georgia Bulldogs lead the #7 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 17-3 at halftime at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday, November 28, 2009 in Atlanta, Ga.



A Georgia Tech assistant coach holds Georgia Tech tackle Nick Claytor (75) back as the two teams are kept separate by officials as they meet pregame at the 50-yard-line as the Georgia Bulldogs beat the #7 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 30-24 at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday, November 28, 2009 in Atlanta, Ga.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Clarke Central heads to SemiFinals



Clarke Central senior linebacker Devante Derricotte yells in celebration after the Clarke Central Gladiators beat the North Clayton Eagles 52-13 in the quarterfinals of the GHSA class AAAA playoffs on Friday, November 27, 2009 in Athens, Ga.

Jube comes in many forms. HS football seems to give the best, most pure raw emotion of celebration that any of us have seen. These days its a matter of putting myself in the right position and creating the opportunity for the photo rather than what i shoot.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Thieves Market at Go Bar



Monday night i was invited out by my friend Scott to see his wife's band Thieves Market play their first ever show at Go Bar.

I really enjoyed it and the music was very, very good. I think they have the potential to go somewhere. The sounds was very tight and Go Bar is a very, very small room - Basically a converted garage from an old gas station. The light was what you expect at a bar here in Athens. The Georgia and Morton Theaters have the best light but when it comes to clubs, 40 Watt seems to be lit the best. Lighting is certainly not a priority whatsoever when it comes to clubs.

All in all, a very good time and a very good show.









Maximum Busy Muscle opened up. Interesting Trio.







Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Small Soapbox:Random Sideline Guys.



The guy in the red hat is the TV timeout guy. The guy in the green vest is the Instant Replay guy. Isn't there a better spot for them to stand?

Usually i get annoyed at people who jump out in front of my cameras (ask Niki) and will generally take my ranting to a new artform. The sidelines are usually packed with people who have no idea that this is a professional working environment and that if you move forward, you're going to block a whole lot of people.

This time, i have to take serious issue with where these random workers stand. Because of their attitude - I overhead the Instant Replay guy's response to a SportsComm request to take a step back - they refuse to move and have no qualms about blocking everyone who's standing farther downfield then the 10 yard line.

All I'm asking is that the Southeastern Conference move these two guys back by 2 yards, back to the line where the cameras have to be. Its frustrating, its annoying and frankly I don't understand what the purpose of standing in everyone's way is. If its not safe for us to be up by where the red line is, why is it safe for them?

I'm also in favor of the NCAA making the bench area smaller, shrinking it down to the NFL size of between the 35-yard-lines or a compromise down to the 30s.