Geez, there's a lot of dust and cobwebs down here... surprised this thing still works :)

Well its been far too long since I've updated this thing, right? As many of you know, I didn't have the best of summers this year, it was a strange and terrible experience to say the least. As a result I didn't blog during that time of course and after some time off and when things got back to 'normal' I just got a bit lazy with this. 

So here goes!

Last Saturday night I had the chance to cover the Vincente Fernandez concert. True to his Wiki page, "Although less well known to English-speaking audiences, he has consistently filled stadiums and venues throughout his 35-plus years of performing", I had no idea who the heck he was. Turns out he's HUGE!! Gwinnett Arena was sold out filled with crazy fans of all ages.

In a nutshell, it was el nuts-o that night. (I don't speak a lick of Spanish)

Next is my friend Alexandra who needed some pics for a compcard she wanted to put together back before my absence this summer. Got some really awesome shots that day.

You may recognize Alexandra from a previous post for Meringue Boutique. She's an awesome person to work with! Makes my job easy.

Well, there you have it, my first blog post in months. I'll keep 'em coming, don't worry.

Thanks for lookin'!

So my friend Kim, who works with Plumbline Music Group, asked me many months ago, "Why don't you shoot kids and families and that kind of stuff?" I said, "Meh... I really don't wanna be the family portrait photographer... ya know?" Kim comes right back with "Yeah but what if you shoot families and kids the same way you shoot bands? All lit up and cool looking??" 

"....... yeah..... I guess I could huh?....... that's a good idea...yeah lets give it a try!" 

"and pets too Erik!! What about kids and their PETS!!??"

She twisted my arm :)

We've been talking about this idea for some time now and we finally did a test shoot just last weekend. This is Kim's son Micah and his doggie Mojo. It was a good evening of shooting, and just like a band shoot, we got kicked out of a location by security :)

Parents and/or pet owners, lemme know if this is something you'd be interested in. Kim and I are still working out the details for this venture, but once we get it all figured out we plan to hit the ground running.

Thanks for looking! 

Never underestimate the versatility of your own backyard when location scouting... it can be as simple as a tree, some high grass, anything. Just pick up your camera and check out a scene, if you can keep it clear of 'stuff' in your frame, you're all set. Ben and Travis from Judi Chicago needed some updated pics and this was shot right in Ben's backyard. Now there were a few neighboring houses in my frame when checking it out, but an easy adjustment with my shutter speed to make it all go into shadow fixed it right up.

This one of Travis was in front of the house on the opposite side of the street. Once again, houses, power poles, 'stuff', were in my shot. Just being aware of your WHOLE frame in your viewfinder can save you a ton of headaches later and give you plenty of options when looking for a scene.

Easy as that!!

Nerd talk:: Both images shot with 28mm lens and a White Lightning 1800 with an umbrella.

Thanks for lookin'!!

The only thing I can say is that I stepped up my freakin' game on this shoot...

Very proud of these.

Noelle is gonna be the next big thing. Just you wait.

Thanks for lookin'

Hey remember this guy from my second post EVER on my blog?? No? oh..... well go look HERE! Doug was one of my first clients when starting this whole journey into the deep, muddy mess we call freelance photography. Often times we get bogged down, bummed out and just plain tired and just want to throw in the towel, but then you get a client like Doug. Super easy to work with, brings plenty of wardrobe options and...here's the kicker... he uses the pictures wisely!! Weird right?! What a relief!

After you refresh your memory of the awesome pics we shot with his sweet ride go check out his website. 

So why is he back you ask? Because he and his buddies Swaff and Carson are finalists for the International Songwriting Competition and they needed some photos to submit. Pretty neat eh?

I wish these guys the best of luck in the competition! If they win, they get tons of awesome opportunities and of course a bunch of music gear and stuff!

Thanks for lookin'