We May Be Famous

"You never know who you know"
That was pretty much the gist of our conversation last night. Why just slumber in your free time when you can go out and do something? Something you're passionate about. Something that you enjoy. Something that can make an impact on others.
That's our mission this year. We're going to skyrocket.

Photo by....Myself.

How It Happened

So we left for Six Flags to shoot the Bobby Ray (B.o.B.) at around 3 in the afternoon and got there around 4:30. The doors to the ampitheatre opened at 4:00, so we were half an hour "late". We got into the park and as we made our way to the venue, we saw signs that said "No Cameras Allowed Beyond This Point". That kinda...put a damper on things but hey, our cameras were in book bags so it's not like anyone could tell. Once we get in, the ampitheatre is halfway packed; of course everyone is towards the front. We walked around and eventually sat about 10-15 rows back away from the stage. At this point we're thinking:
a.) How are we going to get to the front?
b.) Well...even if we did get up there, we're not allowed to have cameras so...

As we're sitting there dumbfounded, Terence and I see this dude who's all dressed up with a Six Flags name tag, so we figured he was official. Terence got up to go talk to him. He asked the guy who was in charge of the photography for the show that day, and he referred us to one of the event photographers...you know, the bounty hunters who take you down when you first walk into the park, wanting to take your photos. Of course, Terence asked them who was in charge, and they referred him BACK the the same guy he just talked to.

So we're back to square one with the same questions we had last time.

a.) How are we going to get to the front?
b.) Well...even if we did get up there, we're not allowed to have cameras so...

A couple of minutes go by, and then I see this guy who looked AWFULLY familiar walk from the back stage area. I point and say.."Terence...isn't that...." and before I could finish my sentence, dude got up and speed walked to him. His name is Jon Gist and he graduated from West Georgia two years ago. They were about 100 yards away from me and the whole time I had my eyes on them, watching how the conversation went. Terence asked him who was in charge of the media pit. "I am"
That was the ticket. Terence looked at me and gave a weird grin and text me "bring the bags nigga."

We were able to get press passes to get into the media pit to shoot the show! If you read the previous blog, you know how the show went. It was SICK. After the show we got invited backstage to meet B.o.B and shoot his meet and greet.

Today Terence's photos were published to the Channel 2 Action News website, The Source, Yahoo! via the Associated Press, and Newsshoppers.com Big ups to him on getting exposure!

As for me, my shit was looked at, and wasn't good enough. It kinda sucks but...whatever.

July C, The Cool Kids, Bobby Ray aka B.o.B.-What More Can I Ask For?

Maybe a new camera, because I'm starting to grow rapidly out from my D60. A new D300 is in the works though. Man, this past week has been crazy. Sleepless nights, sweet concerts, one beautiful model. I've been one hard working man. Want to see what I did? Well the fruits of my photography loins are right below this, so check them out!

I was able to turn my room in to a mini-studio. I had to take my BABY BABY photos down in order make space for a white wall. I used my flash/umbrella kit and photographed Miss July C.
July C


The Cool Kids, at West Georgia? What? SAC surprised us all by bringing these guys here. The show was okay, they could've been a little more enthusiastic though. At least my homies Terence Rushin and Twist made the show look more fun than it was. [It was still fun, but I thought it could have been better. I'm not hatin' though]
The Cool Kids



Man, I missed out on Bobby Ray's free show at the beginning of the month at Center Stage in Atlanta because I had R.A. stuff to do. I thought it'd be my only chance to shoot. Little did I know, he'd be in Atlanta performing again at Six Flags! I ended up goin' with my man RUSH and, again, he was able to hook me up. I got in for $10 with his season pass! I'll blog about the whole experience shortly in the Loser's Always Win Blog. I'll just say this, we got SUPER DUPER lucky. Here are my fav photos from the show.

B.o.B.







Each set from which the photos are from are available at the following links:
July C: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tristography/sets/72157624610165807/

The Cool Kids: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tristography/sets/72157624646687561/

B.o.B.: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tristography/sets/72157624790733652/

P.S.

What I've Been Working on as of Late

It's been awhile, but I'm back. A couple of things came up that inadvertently put me on photo hiatus. But now I'm "back and better than ever".....? I ended up making a couple of purchases to add to my belt, including another SB-600, a mini-softbox, a flash trigger and receiver, and a stand and umbrella for my flash. Sadly, at the beginning of the summer, my other SB-600 flash broke while shooting Leslie, and the old Vivitar my dad gave me had died. Eventually I'll get the 600 repaired and order another stand, so I can have a pair.
Anywho, things have slowed down as of late and there's been a couple of things I've been working on, experimenting with, and playing around with. Had I'd known that I could get these tools at such a cheap price, I would've been at this point a long time ago but hey, better late than never. Right?
Here's a couple of photos I've taken over the past week.

Leslie and I are working on business cards for her music. We finished the back of it last night but we couldn't find any images I've taken of her actually with a guitar. We shot today in my room; here's one of the photos we came up with.


While she was making sure her hair was okay, I got curious. I ducked into the umbrella and took a photo of myself just to see what I could get. Usually you don't see a person INSIDE the umbrella so..


Lastly, here's a sneak peak at a little something Terence RUSHin (of RUSH Photography and Video) and I have been working on. We can't spill ALL of the beans yet but....."V"


P.S. Remember this:

You Can't Miss With These Two..Well, I know I can't

Over the past two years, I've shot countless people. I've had good shoots, and bad shoots, and...okay shoots. Sometimes, with certain people, it's either hit or miss. Your models will either give you exactly what you want, or vice-versa. More times than not, your vision will go right over the model's head. There are two people in particular that stand out, and that I absolutely love shooting. Both of these people go above and beyond each time, and we always come up with amazing results. With every shoot we do, the bar is raised for the next one.

Chelsea Turner

As I was shooting Chelsea the other day, I got to thinking. Every time I have every shot this girl, she not only gives me what exactly I'm looking for, but she goes beyond. Not too many people can do that, and a majority of the time people will only give you the bare minimum. I've shot Chelsea numerous times. Yes, she's a very attractive women, and yes every photo that I have ever taken of her usually comes out amazing. This time was different. I don't know what it is, but she absolutely blew my mind with these photos, and she definitely made my job a lot easier. This shoot was totally worth the 14 mosquito bites on both of my arms.
View Chelsea Turner's Shoot-June 14, 2010

Leslie Mack

When it comes to photos, Leslie and I just seem to click. It seems like we're on the same page about every aspect of the shoot. The outfits, the poses, the expressions, the scenes...everything. My Dad even made an analogy about her and I.
"You two are like the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen of photography. There hasn't been one shoot that you two have done where either you or her seem remotely look out of tune."
I believe it.
View Leslie Mack's Shoot-May 18, 2010

I know what you may be thinking, "Tristan, you should totally do a shoot with them together."
The funny thing is that we have. About a year and a half ago we did a murder themed shoot and the photos came out pretty decent. Of course, since then, I'd like to think that I have upped my game a little bit, and I'd REALLY like to get them together again and do another themed shoot. Hopefully we can do this soon.
View Cold Blooded Here

Broken Bells at Center Stage

[For those of you who haven't heard of the Broken Bells, please read my previous blog.]

As soon at they walked on the stage, I had a permanent smile on my face. These guys KILLED it. Every last song had the crowd either singing along, or just flat out screaming and "WOOOOO"ing at the top of their lungs. I felt bad for not knowing their songs, especially listening to it nonstop on a daily basis. RUSH and I, again, got in the front row as we did at the Big Boi show, and didn't budge. We got both got some awesome photos, and I recorded my FAVORITE song, "The Ghost Inside", as well as "The High Road." We also got some awesome(expensive) schwag. T-Shirts and a Matchbox....with matches in it of course. This show was perhaps one of the greatest experience I've had in awhile at a live performance. The best part-they sounded EXACTLY as they did on their record. I loved that. The performed eight songs to open the show, then for some reason, they just walked off stage! No one knew whether that was the end of their show, or what. They didn't wave or anything. But every second of the wait, the crowd got louder and more excited. Then out of nowhere, James Mercer comes back on stage with a bottle of beer in his hand, followed the rest of the band. These guys definitely know how to work the crowd. They performed four more songs, and closed out with a SICK instrumental. One by one they each left the stage in about 2 minute intervals, each waving at us before their exit.

From entrance to exit, these guys were total crowd pleasers. Sadly, the Broken Bells conclude their nation wide tour tonight (6/11/10) in Athens, GA at the 40 Watt Club.


Below are a few photos I took of the show, and beneath those are the two live performances of "The Ghost Inside" and "The High Road"
The full set of photos can be viewed here.






The Ghost Inside Live!
The High Road Live!

Broken Bells to Perform in ATL at Center Stage 6/10/10

Listen up! A couple weeks ago, that boy Terence 'Beer Haterade' Rushin got me hooked on to this band called The Broken Bells. The first song I heard from them was titled "The Ghost Inside". Although the song was about a prostitute, it sounded pretty...neat.The band consists of two members: James Mercer, the leader singer and guitarists of "The Shins", and Brian Burton, also known as Dangerr Mouse. (You may have heard of this guy, he produced the Grey Album without warrant). Anywho, after listening to the first song I decided the get the album. Dopeness.
Next week on June 10th (three days after my 22nd birthday. I want a scooter), they will be performing at Center Stage in Downtown Atlanta. I don't know how much tickets are so ya'll might wanna hit up TicketMaster right quick.

If you end up goin, hit me up. RUSH and I will be in attendance.

Click Here to give "The Ghost Inside" a listen.
For more information on the Broken Bells, visit http://www.brokenbells.com/

Broken Bells
Thursday, June 10, 2010
1374 W Peachtree St NW
Atlanta, GA 30309-2904