This past weekend I hit the road to check out Philly-based band "Bloodfeathers" at Whitewater in Little Rock, Arkansas. Had a great time riding around the state, dippin in the pool, meeting some Little Rock locals, jumpin in lakes, eating BBQ and drinking Whiskey. Needless to day, it was a great trip.
Lighting Bolt show at Zietgiest was packed last night = very foggy/sweaty. Got a good spot up front bracing myself from falling into a drum set with one leg on stage (in pretty typical erica fashion) So glad LB got the crowd going but so super sweaty that my lens was fogged up for most of the show. Love the all ages shows, kids go crazy!
Last week Akron Family played a small somewhat secret show in Brooklyn and I literally think that I had an outer body experience. Mind melting rhythms forced me to put my camera down and dance my ass off. I wish I had a talent for writing b/c I literally cannot find the words to describe my experience.
This show reminded me of one of my first Akron shows in BK years ago, I think its proven Akron Family + DIY Brooklyn Venues = Amazing shows! They nailed some new stuff and wove in some classics...my faith is renewed in the great Ak Ak Fam! Keep it up guys and come back to NOLA!
Had so much fun shooting Morning 40 federation show at One Eyed Jacks Saturday night. Of course I had a lot more fun shooting the audience than the band, but Ive really been trying to work on some different style club scene shots after getting that feedback at Photo NOMA. Not only was the show amazing but I think I burned enough calories to make up for all the junk I ate at Jazz Fest earlier that day. Met some cool people at the show and now feel amped for a great week of live music ahead. Its gonna be hard to top this one though. G-d bless Morning 40! Check out the shots give me some feedback
Last night I pulled myself off my very lazy Sunday butt to go check out the Akron Family Show at One Eyed Jacks. I struggled with whether or not to bring my camera (a dilemma Im always annoying my husband with before we go anywhere) because I've been known to dance wildly with my arms in the air and my eyes completely shut during their shows.
After thinking about all the other random and iffy spots I've brought my camera I decided to bring it. Two great things happened as soon as I walked in the venue: 1) The ballroom was non-moking for the show (unheard of in NOLA) and, 2) Ak Fam had covered up the obnoxious One Eyed Jacks sign (amazing b/c now my shots wont look like every other show I've ever shot at OEJ) with their tie-died flag.
Ive shot Akron family a bunch of times, in NYC, San Fran and other random NE states,so I was thrilled that they finally headed down to NO. For any of you who checked out the show last night or just dig AK AK , theirs a great interview with Miles, their lead singer in February's issue of Anti-Gravity. The article featured a few Akron pics from the past. Download the issue PDF here, page 15.
Akron rocked it as usual...and seemed to be testing out some new stuff. Their opening act Warpaint....well lets just say it, pretty HOT!!
....Posting some pics from last nights show later tonight
I stayed up late last night trying to edit some of my photos from Mardi Gras day, which by far was my best shooting day of the week. I had sent some photos to an editor Monday afternoon, but told her it'd be worth the wait for images taken on tuesday. The Mardi Gras 2010 images were featured on the home page of the NY Daily News website...but none of the photos from MG day were included. Its tough when working on web-based because people want images out fast and being only one person, its difficult to party...shoot.... and edit all at the same time. Learned a lot of lessons this time around. Have a new found love for NOLA after this festive time of year.
Check out the full gallery of what I think are the best highlights here.
In the last month i've wrestled with trying to re-design my website to truly showcase the work I do best. I have so many different photos and my strategy thus far has been to shoot and post everything that I think is decent. Last week my friend/teacher Owen Murphy sat with me and gave me some advice on how to re-invision my site and re-think how I edit my galleries. At the MVS lecture last month I was also reminded that users should immediately get a feel for the kind of work that I do.
Knowing that my site is a smorgasbord of galleries each with a surplus of images i've begun the process of trying to streamline and edit the work on my site. Before I go and slash slash away i'm thinking I need to categorize the genres i'm strong in. So far i'm thinking:
Live Music
Street Portraits
Parades & Second Lines
Festival Culture
I want to make sure that each category is distinct enough to house a series of photos that look unique. I've taken a stab at editing my gallery in the 'Live Music' category and have it showcased on my homepage and embedded as a slideshow at the top of this post. The question is...will people see these photos and say...wow those are some sick shots!
After a long talk last night i've also decided to explore some other Photo Template sites that might showcase my galleries better.....more on that later.
Took some fun live music shots this weekend and spent the day editing a bit. Shot King Khan @ Spellcaster Lodge and Debauche & Zydepunks @ Circle Bar. I have a big week ahead of me and hope the storm doesn't hit too hard because I have an outdoor shoot planned for Tuesday. I featured the 2 new galleries on the home page of my website. Check em out at www.ericastavisphotography.com
