Sometimes I even get to shoot performances by artists that I truly enjoy.  On occasion this is a frustrating conundrum, when I am forced through the Catch-22 of wanting to shoot a show and wanting to simply enjoy a performance.  But then I realize that for a few brief moments [usually three songs] I’m going to have exclusive access to an artist AND the ability to create lasting images that will forever be tied to personal memories.  One example of this occurred when Jenny Lewis came through town this past summer.

So there I was, not five feet from a woman whom I think is one of the most adorable, sharp-witted and talented songstresses around, giddly snapping away in the photo pit.  It’s nice to get paid to cover a show, just as it’s nice to have photos that reflect my own memories – but even more than taking these photos and more than reviewing them, I love sharing the photographs that I’ve captured.  People who see me shooting have asked me where they’ll be able to see the pictures I’ve taken, or if they’ll be able to obtain copies in some form.  I am happy to announce that I’ll now be selling prints online – so whether you were at the show or just a fan of the artist [or maybe just a fan of my work], you’ll be able to take a piece of the show home with you.  First up is this Jenny Lewis concert from July 2009.  You can purchase prints here: Jenny Lewis at Warehouse Live.   If you place an order by February 5th, you can use the code jlewis20off to get 20% off your order of $25 or more.  All prints come directly from professional labs and are hand-checked for quality before delivery.  [Note: if you live in Houston, I will hand-deliver your prints!]

You can view a full set from the show on flickr [very handy for viewing the images at larger sizes, especially if you're interested in purchasing a print].  I’ll be adding more concerts constantly, so if there’s a particular show you know I shot, just ask and I’ll try to get to it a bit sooner.

- Marc

This installment is about a 40th wedding anniversary I got hired to shoot during the summer.  I had an open weekend and was helping out a friend who was already booked for a wedding.  There was also the sweet bonus of getting a full meal from Brenner’s on the bayou, so it was hard to resist this simple, two hour gig.  Here’s a few shots I really enjoyed.

Look at that rocking 40 year old wedding album.  I loved the tones immediately.

Their son Eric had set up a party at Brenner’s, with family coming in from as far as New York.   The whole shebang was a surprise for Mrs. Kristiansen.  I think I caught wind that Mr. Kristiansen wasn’t supposed to know about it either, but somehow he had figured it out during the process.

This is perhaps one of the most insanely heart-crushing cute moments I’ll ever witness.  He had tracked down his high school ring, gave it to her, and asked her to go steady.  She said yes.

They’re a great example of the relationship I’d like to have after 40 years of marriage.  I had fun departing from my normal subjects of shooting and being treated like one of the family for an afternoon.

I’ve got some other posts coming: probably a few live sets of shots from concerts I’ve been covering, as well as some miscellaneous photos from the last year that won’t fit in the new portfolio yet I would still like to share them.

- Marc

I’ve been playing with my Nikkor 16mm on my Canon 40D a lot, if you haven’t noticed, and using the live view function a ton.  It’s making me really really really really want a 5D Mark II.  There’s a full set from the afternoon here on my flickr.  Give the band a listen as well – they make haunting and beautiful music, and you can follow them on Twitter at @listen_listen.

- Marc

P.S.  My fellow photographer Mark C. Austin, who does have a 5D II, shot a few videos of the band playing.  Here’s one to get you started.

I also did individual portraits of all the members on single pieces of film [Fuji FP-100C, if you are wondering what stock I used].  Adam had my favorite pairing.

The Polaroid shots were taken during breaks in filming the twenty or so takes of Leon the band had to play.  At one point they brought in an audience and filmed another pair of takes before the band treated everyone to a brief set and one final performance of the song.  After all that, the band finally got a chance to relax.  So what did I make them do?  I forced them to get back in front of a camera, of course!  We were given permission to do a quick set of photos in the exclusive Foundation Room.

Even after all those takes, the band was in pretty good spirits.

Those shots were done in one of the private rooms within the Foundation Room area.  I popped my Nikkor 16mm 2.8 on my 40D, and we took a few more that utilized a massive couch in the open lounge area as well.

And I managed to sneak in a couple shots with my lady before all was said and done.

The rest of the photos from the night, including the live shots, can be found in this set on my flickr.

We did this shoot very, very quickly – it may have lasted a grand total of thirty minutes.  It probably could have run quite a bit longer, but we arrived at Eleanor Tinsley Park with the light disappearing fast.  Armed with my trusty 40D and a 24-70mm 2.8, I got right to shooting.  Here’s a few more shots from the evening.

There are a few more over at my flickr in this set.  Enjoy!

The Zen Film folks were nothing but class, and despite having no idea that I’d be around, allowed me to move very freely among their crew.  The poor band must’ve played the song Leon about twenty times throughout the afternoon, but it was a pretty good day.  We were allowed special access to House of Blues’ Foundation Room, a members-only lounge and restaurant area tucked away in the back of the massive space the multi-venue enterprise occupies [more on that in another post].  Here’s a selection of photos from the day.

Moments like this next one are my favorite pieces of watching a band perform together.

I’ll leave you with one last photo, which has turned out to be my favorite from the day.  There’s a whole set of photos to be found over at my flickr.  Go give The Tontons a listen, and you can find them on Twitter at @thetontons.

When Walker first contacted me about photos we chatted about their music, the overall feel he wanted the photos to have, and the stylistic traits he was looking for in a location.  I knew right away where I wanted to do the photo shoot.  The band was in town at the end of June, playing back-to-back dates on the fringes of Houston, so one Saturday morning we all climbed into a car and made the relatively short drive down to Galveston, Texas.

The building I selected as our location is Two Moody Plaza, the second tallest building in downtown Galveston, as far as I can tell, and you guessed it – that shot is taken from the roof.  If you have ever been down to Galveston you have most likely seen One Moody Plaza before, instantly recognizable as the large building on the island.  Two Moody Plaza is, if you haven’t figured it out yet, across the street – that black and white photo of OMP on flickr was actually taken from TMP’s parking lot.  It is currently vacant, stuck in what seems to be post-Ike renovation limbo – the interior has been gutted, but no evidence of current construction/demolition was readily evident.  The roof is accesible, obviously, as are the massive circuit boards that controlled the elevators, which made excellent backgrounds for some portraits of the band members.

I certainly hope that some sort of salvage plan exists for the building, because I think it happens to be very interesting.  The exterior seems to be in fine shape as well.  Hopefully some worthy cause will come along to finish the renovations and inhabit the building.  Here’s one last pair of photos from the shoot.

Go give Legion of Air a listen, and if you like what you hear then stop by their page on Facebook, or their Twitter and show them some love.

Sometimes, though, bringing a film camera is just a way for me to relax and not worry too much about whatever I am shooting.  Two weeks ago my friends <a href=”http://www.myspace.com/buxtonband”>Buxton</a> held a concert to celebrate the release of their new 7″ single.  Buxton asked their friends Ghost Mountain, a fantastic young duo from Baytown, to open the show.  Having heard Ghost Mountain’s music, I figured I’d load up my Holga with some expired 35 mm [Fuji Super HG II, if you are wondering] to get some sprockethole shots.  The wacky feel that these shots can have sometimes just seemed to be very fitting for the duo’s songs.

Go give Ghost Mountain a listen.  They just released a new EP called Summer Tapes, and their previous full length, Siamese Sailboats, is one of the better albums to come out of Houston in my opinion.

The show was fantastic – Ghost Mountain played a great set and The Wild Moccasins showcased just how much touring had done for them with a very tight set.  Oh, and Buxton completely destroyed it with another rollicking, awe-inspiring set.  If you have a turntable, make sure to pick up the Feathers/Flint 7″ – it comes with an MP3 download of the tracks as well.  Here’s one last shot, featuring Jason Willis of Buxton playing his guitar whilst standing on the bar at Mango’s.

Goodness I love film and Houston music.  They’re both well worth the investment.

- Marc

Crazy, eh?

One of the fun things about moving has been the reorganization process.  I know it sounds crazy, but I actually enjoy putting everything in its new place – it goes back to the cleaning analogy.  While putting everything in order I came across some film I never scanned.  Here’s a pair of shots from a roll I ran through my Holga.

Enjoy!  Hope you like the redesign as much as I do.

- Marc