Phil Vassar Cd Release at Tin Roof

These are a few shots from Phil Vassar's cd release party at Tin Roof on Demonbreun Street in downtown Nashville, Tennesse. His new album, "Traveling Circus" was just released a few days ago and this gig was promoting it.

I just have to say once again, Phil Vassar is one incredible songwriter and performer. It's awesome to watch the way he interacts with his audience and puts on a great performance. The Tin Roof is a smaller venue and allowed him to take requests from people standing 5 feet from him in the crowd.

Forgive the grain and color shift in the images. The stage lighting wasn't very cooperative, hehe. But, you still get a couple of fun images of Phil going at it.

Help Portrait In The News

[CLICK THE LOGO TO SEE NEWS CLIP]

This blog is different than any other I've posted before. This is officially the first entry that does not include a photograph that I've taken. But, this is something that is on my heart and I want to talk about it.

Today I loaded up my camera gear and went down to RocketTown (a music venue in Nashville) to do my part in "Help-Portrait." The project was created by one of my favorite photographers, Jeremy Cowart. He had an idea: Why not take a day and do free portraits of people that were less fortunate than others.

His idea went global. Initial reports say 7,000 photographers in 55 different countries volunteered their energy to this cause today. At our location, we had about 25 photographers that set up about 10 sets to shoot on. I had the pleasure to work alongside other Nashville photographers such as Michael Gomez, Jeremy Cowart, Sheri O'Neal, Wee Sing and Jason Miller, amongst many, many others.

We ended up shooting several hundred different people's portraits and printed and framed them. We also offered everyone a good meal and something to drink. All of this, of course, was free of charge.

Several media outlets came to cover the event, including CNN, Nashville Channel 5 and Nashville Channel 2. If you click the "Help-Portrait" logo above, it will take you to a video that ran on Saturday's evening edition on Channel 5. I feel really honored because the clip includes some footage of me posing a lovely young girl that dropped by to have her picture made.

Today heavily impacted my life. It made me truly realize the importance of helping others. And now my heart overflows with love and I plan on sharing that by helping others. To Help is Love, and Love is what Life is all about.

Thoughts On The Day

This is another look from my shoot with Phil Vassar. I think it's pretty cool and wanted to share it. Let me know if it's cool.

[The writing part of this post has absolutely nothing to do with the photo above. I just always blog a photo and write a bit. So, here's what is on my mind...]

Today was a beautiful day. My mother reminded me how much I adore her, and I'm honored to be the son of such a beautiful woman. She invited a guest to our family Thanksgiving meal. That isn't unusual, because we normally have different sections of extended family members swing through our little white house in Tunnel Hill all day long on Turkey Day. Today, our guest wasn't kin folk, though. This sweet lady was a friend of my mother, and naturally a friend of mine even though I had never met her before.

Mom saw the puzzled look on my face and leaned in to politely let me know that we were her family today. And my heart began to swell. It was a beautiful moment when I realized the measure of love that my mother had shown to someone on such an important day of the year. We welcomed someone to our family today.

I have this out-pouring of love for all kinds of people in all kinds of situations all the time. When I see someone that needs it, I try to supply a helping hand in some way. I'm no patron saint, but maybe momma is. I hope I got a bit of that love inside me. Momma got it from my grandpa. That man was loved by masses of people. He always treated people by the Golden Rule. He would tell me to do that all the time, "Do unto others..." So, I talk to him sometimes, and I did tonight. I told him how proud I was to see mom love someone into our family like that. It probably put a smile on his face.

See, something that my family has always had is real love for one another. Through the thick and the thin, and the ugly fights and the most proud days, we all love each other, unconditionally. It never waivers, we are a family. Today I was happy to be a part of such a loving family. I'm thankful for how blessed I am.

Phil Vassar, Man in Black

Here is yet another shot from last week's photo session with Phil Vassar. It's dark, moody and gritty, just like I like'em! I think this one shows a bit of attitude, like he's the head man in charge.

The Ring Master

I don't get it. It's late/early again and I'm sitting here retouching photos. It's about five past seven and the sun came up a bit ago. I'm not a morning person at all, but I've found myself doing retouching as the sunrises. I haven't planned it this way, perhaps it's my subconscious mind pulling me closer to the earth's daily cycle of creativity. Maybe this is the time my photographs demand my attention. They get it for now.

This is probably my favorite photograph from the shoot with Phil Vassar. He's wearing a ring master costume to coincide with the "traveling circus" theme of his upcoming album release. The red coat is tasty to my eyes, and I thought it would look vivid in the drab ol' freight elevator shaft in the studio building.

So, sometimes posing people can be awkward. You're standing there thinking, "Well, I can only make this guy look like a badass so many different times before it gets repetitive. What else can I do with his hands?" Then... BAM!!! You pull the top hat off his head and just tell him to go to town flipping it up in the air and being crazy with it. He's a showman, so naturally, he 'get's it' and puts on a show for us, my camera his stage. And we dance back and forth, subject-to-photographer until the connection is made.

And... Snap. We got a cool "candid" pose with PV. I love it. Just look at the genuine smile on his face, and I don't think I could have Photoshopped a better top hat than the real one he's flipping in the shot. There are shots from this series that look much more sinister and are a stark contrast to this fun 'n' happy shot. Maybe I will retouch one of those when I get a minute. If I get a minute!

Sleep and Inspiration

Hehe, it's totally one of those nights... but in a good way.

We went to Dollar Tree, Michael's, Home Depot & Walgreens and raided their cheap Christmas decorations. I vetoed the 3-foot tall string of blinking penguins. Not that I don't love electric penguins, but I just don't think we had a place for the lil' beauties. Needless to say, we found a few other spectacular pieces to gaudy up the house with.

We came back home and had some great stir-fry concoction from Trader Joes. And then, there was the Egg Nog. See, I love me some Egg Nog... with the proper amount of Goldschlager added, of course. Some folks do whisky, some folks do brandy, we do Goldschlager where I come from. It gives that creamy, rich drinkable goodness a taste of cinnamon and a hot kiss on the lips from the 'schlager to warm it up a notch. Mmm... mmm... yummy! It really goes a long way to bringing merriment to the hanging of countless decorations.

So, we eat, decorate (gaudy up the place), and then I build a fire and we hang out watching "The Taking of Pelham 123" on Blu-Ray. And, just so you know, it pretty much sucked. Poor acting and a lousy plot line, so predictable. And, of course, I pass out somewhere around 9 p.m., which is terrible form for me, hehe. I usually go all-night long.

Fast forward several hours.

And here I am now. I woke up about 5 a.m. and had a strong desire to retouch a photograph from the shoot last week with Phil Vassar. The retouch is good, subtle, but nice, I think. It's one of my favorite shots from our session. I think PV look's good in this one. It seems like a classic shot of him, his happiness and such. He's on the white cyc wall in the studio. Using light fall off, you can change the distance of your subject to the background, in a larger proportion to the light source and create a gray wall from white. [It's a simple trick Michael Gomez taught me.] Lit PV with the 6-foot Elinchrome Octabank boomed-up and from the left side, one light only, and a reflector underneath to help bring those eyes out a bit. Man, I really like the resulting image. It's simple, but a great portrait that catches a piece of this man's persona.

It's a good night/morning. Now the sun is up and the retouch is complete. My subconscious mind has settled back down, it's back off to Dreamland to play a little longer. Hope to see you there!

Time With Phil Vassar

I've been really, really, really busy for the last two weeks. Phil Vassar came by Studio Daylight in Nashville, Tennessee, for a shoot with me (Nashville photographer Wes Aldridge) the other day. It was the day of the CMAs, so naturally he didn't have much time to devote to the shoot. My team of assistants (Nick Bumgardner, Amy Harris, SaraMac and Andy Middleton) and I knew about our time crunch (appx. 2 hours) and still planned to get 6-8 looks. It was going to be fast-paced and fun, just the way I like it.

We spent the morning setting up about 7 different shooting stations. We had everything laid out and tweaked so the only downtime in the shoot was when Phil was doing wardrobe change. We literally would finish shooting one set up, he change clothes, and we would be ready for him to walk in and start shooting on the next set. Everything ran super-smoothly because, like nerds, we had all of our exposures written down in big, detailed list, keeping us ready to shoot as soon as we switched the channel of my PocketWizard on camera.

I'm really pleased with many of the images we came out of the shoot with. If you go to Phil's blog
http://blog.philvassar.com/ you can see the same photo I just posted on my blog. Its kind of cool. Phil's site is done by Carter, a really great friend of mine.

And, I learned something really cool about Phil. I had one of my classic rock playlists going over the studio speakers and of course, David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes" started to play. My instinct was to walk over to the iPod and skip it because Phil probably thought Major Tom was a freak, but to my surprise, I look over at Phil and he's playing some air-guitar and wailing on some Bowie high notes. I was like, "Wow, dude, you dig Bowie?" Phil's like, "Yeah, we used to cover a bunch of Bowie songs back in the day." I thought that was a rad moment that needed to be shared with everyone, hehe!

"Ashes To Ashes" is probably my ultimate song to do photography to. One of the most magic times I've had a camera in my hand was watching the sun fade away at El Mirage Dry Lake with my brother after I did his "Sun God" portrait. Bowie was singing that day in the California desert, and he had Phil Vassar jammin' out to him for my shoot. I dig me some Bowie, man.

The Secret Garden

Here is another shot from our Nashville Zoo shoot. I called this the "Secret Garden" shot. The bride loved it. And it blew her mind! This shot was done in mid-daylight. It looks pretty dark, you say? I say, it's fun outside in the daylight with a battery pack pushing many strobe lights.

Anyway, it was fun!

A Wild One

Its my birthday, and I love nothing more than photography. So, I decided to blog one out.

This is one of my favorite images from my recent shoot at the Nashville Zoo. It was so much fun. I have to first off thank my wonderful assistants that helped on this shoot. Sara Mac and Amy Harris. You gotta love'em! Thanks again, ladies!

We were trying to get some images to show what wedding photos can look like at the zoo. And here, we went to rock some. It was so much fun to wait for the giraffes to get in the right spots in the photos. And yes, we lit those tall guys up with strobes, too! I had Sara tracking the giraffe as he galloped through the frames, hoping we get that "perfect" moment. I think this is a good one. And of course, it didn't hurt that the models were beautiful.

It was another fun shoot, chasing a sunset and getting to that special place where my light meets the sunshine and tries to form something to remember.

Thaxton Ward @ Studio Daylight

Its been a hot minute since I've posted anything new to Mind of the Photographer. Lots of great things have been happening, and my shooting has been going in a direction that really excites me! Its found a way to mix this gritty-look that I have into a commercial sense of shooting. I've been working with it in many of my last shoots. Hope I can get a little time to retouch some images from other shoots as well soon.

I'm staying very busy with a host of very successful shoots in the past couple of weeks. Been doing some PR work, shooting for a restaurant, did some models, shot several musicians and bands, etc. I'm back-logged for photo retouching from now til Eternity, but wanted to post something from a shoot last night at Studio Daylight.

Nashville-based rock act Thaxton Ward had a show booked at The Rutledge on Second Avenue in downtown NashVegas last night. The studio is only a few city blocks from the venue they were going to play at. So, I thought, why not get them up in the studio to do a little bit of shooting before they bring the noise? It turned out to be a great idea. We had the band in with a few friends about two hours before the show began. We worked and played and talked and rocked, and it was good. We got creative, had fun, and I think we orchestrated some gritty and dark, yet still very commercial music photography. I think everyone enjoyed the time amongst friends in the studio and I'm well-pleased with how the images turned out.

I would like to give a big thank you to Nashville photographer David Bean. He runs Studio Daylight and let us get in there last night to do a bit of shooting. I actually had the opportunity to assist him on a shoot for Gaylord earlier in the week. He's a great photographer, please go check out his work at: www.visualreserve.com

And, as always, I need to say thanks to Michael Gomez. Please visit his Web site: www.gomezphotography.com. He is a Master of the Art of Photography. He is inspirational to me. He gets it. He really, really does. I see him as a mentor, and as a friend. He was the connection that made shooting in Studio Daylight happen. So, thanks bro.

Uhm, this is kind of a sad confession because it took so long to post, but this blog entry is the first one I've posted using my new camera. Last week I purchased a Canon 5D Mark 2. I have to say, I am very impressed with the files this camera produces. The clarity, file size and overall quality of image are everything I had hoped for, and more. With that said, there are still a few things that annoy me about the 5D Mark 2. I am used to shooting my Canon 1D Mark II and the feel is different in Canon's flagship 1D series cameras. It has a much broader auto-focus point registry than the 5D, and those extra AF points really come in handy when shooting anything with some action. I need to mention the full frame sensor is pretty radical too with my 16-35 mm lens.

Another funny confession, I keep this old Canon Elan7 film body on a bookshelf in the dining room. I used to pop my 16-35mm lens on there to "remember" what full frame shooting was like with a really wide lens! Ha! Yeah, totally lame, I know! But its funny because I have a full frame digital camera now and the Elan7 still sits in the same place on the bookshelf.

City Lights 2

Here is another shot of Michael and Jennifer. I dig this one, too. Gotta run. Off to the Studio Daylight to give Nashville commercial photographer Michael Gomez a hand with a head shot.

City Lights

So, gonna be shooting Michael and Jennifer's wedding next month. We decided to do some cool engagement portraits. I think this one turned out pretty neat.

This shot is the follow-up from my previous test shot post with Meg.

Passing of a Legend

Most of my photographs are portraits of people these days, but this one is much more than that. Its a portrait of history.

Music industry legend Les Paul passed on August 12th.

I spent August 12-14 at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama, with my friends Halo Stereo. They were recording some great new tracks for an upcoming album release and invited me to come down and be a part of the experience.

Strange how things work out.

Besides being one of the most iconic recording studios in history, Muscle Shoals has something else going on. There lives a collection of recording treasures that would make any audiophile drop to his knees and worship in humble reverence at the marvels of the recording industry adorning the studio. One of such knee-dropping relics found there is Les Paul's original 8-track recorder.

Let me repeat that for those of you who didn't catch it the first time: the Ampex 8-track recorder that Les Fucking Paul created and recorded with, lives in the hallways of Muscle Shoals Sound Studio.

To sum up the importance of this, in a nutshell, this machine was one of the foundations of multi-track recording. Before ProTools, there was the trusty ol' 8-tracker. And this machine, probably 50 years old, still lives tucked away in a small studio in the Deep South.

Noel Webster runs (and engineers at) Muscle Shoals. He had a great idea while we were taking a break late night on the 12th.

"Why don't you take a picture of the 8-track?," Noel asked me. "Its only 11:30 p.m. right now. If you hurry you can still say you shot in on the day of his death."

Noel is a genius.

I had 30 minutes to get a photograph of the 8-track. It was a bit difficult to move because it stands taller than a standard doorway, and on top of that, its very fragile. I wasn't able to move it to the exact location in the studio that I hoped for. This orange isolation booth for tracking guitars seemed like a perfect place for it, but we couldn't wheel it in there.

So, I decided to get a bit creative.

I chose an uncluttered wall for a background and used a dynamic lighting effect that I have started heavily relying on for portraits as of late. Its really gritty and sinister, but I've fallen in love with it. The result ended up a moody portrait of one of Les Paul's creative masterpieces.

Now, Les is gone, but what he has done still lives on in many ways. Thank you Les, for you gave us the ability to Rock.

Muscle Shoals With Halo Stereo

It's very late. I'm actually getting tired now.

We just got back in from shooting Halo Stereo in Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. It is an amazing place, a true step back to where Rock n' Roll really came from. It's not Emo. It's not Britney. It's real. Skynyrd, Stones, Allmans... you name it, Muscle Shoals probably had it.

A great big thank you goes out to Noel Webster, studio engineer extraordinaire and owner of Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. Go check out this website here.

Anyway, this is a shot of Halo Stereo drummer Brian Meeks. We rounded up the band and took them outside to shoot during a session break. I think I like this wall. And I also think the lighting turned out pretty interesting.

I've got plenty more photos and stories to post as time permits, but we are preparing for a move this weekend, so don't know how the photo retouching will play out. I've got some fun stuff to share though...promise!

On Stage With The Groom

After I posted the gritty shot of Chris Cobb earlier, I felt like I should put up another cool one that was less intense. It still looks rock'n'roll, though! It has these dark and rich colors that I love. I think there have been several shots of mine here recently adorned with reds and blacks.

Whoops... forgot about this one!

Glad I remembered it.

It's Chris Cobb on his wedding day at the Cannery Ballroom. He was kind enough to pose for me with some attitude and a lil' bit of grit on such a beautiful day. This image is pretty intense... and pretty much the polar opposite of Mr. Cobb. Yeah, he's really a laid-back, nice gent of a guy. If you haven't seen him at any of the many he promotes through SellOut Presents, then you should get out to local venues more often. Check out his site:

http://www.selloutpresents.com/

Go find him at his shows... he's such a great guy!

Halo Stereo Bassist Jody Hicks

Here is Halo Stereo Bassist Jody Hicks from his single shoot at Studio Daylight. I did a bit of retouching on it to make sure it has a little "pop." I dig it. I think the guys are going to swing by tonight and have a look at the shots from Wednesday on the big screen. There are many that I really think are rockin' and I can't wait to share with the musicians. There is some talk about shooting with them in an upcoming studio recording session, too. We'll see how things pan out, sounds like it could be some fun.

Shot Day: Halo Stereo, First Look

My good friend, Brian Carter at Red Light Management, hooked me up with "Halo Stereo" for a session. The bassist Jody Hicks and singer Andrew Fry stopped by for a few shots. Here they are... on to the next look in the elevator shaft!

Go check out their music on their site:

www.myspace.com/halostereo

[IMAGES FROM SHOT DAY @ STUDIO DAYLIGHT ARE NOT RETOUCHED. RETOUCHED IMAGES WILL REPLACE CURRENT RAWS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE. THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE.]

Shot Day: Nick Bumgarnder, First Look

So, here is Nick Bumgarnder. He is a great photographer that is shooting with me today here at Studio Daylight. Nick brought his wedding suit that he had custom tailored. We had a little bit of downtime, so Nick got dressed and I shot him on the 20-foot cyc wall. It looked pretty rad. Nick, always complete with hat and bow tie, was rocking it out today. I think Nick is gonna be mighty dapper on his wedding day...

[IMAGES FROM SHOT DAY @ STUDIO DAYLIGHT ARE NOT RETOUCHED. RETOUCHED IMAGES WILL REPLACE CURRENT RAWS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE. THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE.]

Shot Day: Kristen Kukta, First Look

We just finished our first look with Kristen Kukta. She is a great singer, and loves to pose it up for the camera. Really happy shooting with her today at Studio Daylight in downtown Nashville. Much more to come, gotta get back to it.

[IMAGES FROM SHOT DAY @ STUDIO DAYLIGHT ARE NOT RETOUCHED. RETOUCHED IMAGES WILL REPLACE CURRENT RAWS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE. THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE.]