December 24, 2019

The photo that required 7 months and the breaking of a 40-year-old mindset to take

In the "olden days" of film-based rock photography, I generated enough experience and skill to fill a shoebox with photos. I thought that transitioning to digital rock photography would simply be a matter of finding a camera in my price range -- but it's been more like being a piano player who's been handed a synthesizer. Suddenly, I was a clueless amateur again, which I resented. Fortunately, I faced the fact that I was NOT going to be able figure it all out within a few days, weeks, or even months.

For instance, it turned out that I'd bought the wrong camera for rock photography -- twice. Just as "serious" rock guitarists are supposed to restrict themselves to playing only Gibsons and Fenders, pro photography employs a similar "brand snobbery" about Nikons and Canons. I've used Canons almost exclusively, but I had to face another fact: the Canons and Nikons that I could afford just didn't supply enough of the features needed for digital rock photography.

It looked like I was sunk, and nearly took my Canon to a pawn shop to invest the proceeds in a self-pitying boozefest in honor of my latest failure. But it simply didn't make sense to me that the camera I needed at the price I needed didn't exist. Instead, I did some additional homework outside of the Nikon/Canon "aristocracy," went to a camera a pro shop, asked the right questions, and worked a trade-in deal for a Panasonic.

From there, it was simply a matter of investing in the "Six P's" -- preparation, patience, persistence, and what the bands I photograph are expected to do: practice practice practice. Which brings us to the seventh P: the payoff.

After seven months, I think I've reached the tipping point where I'm less occupied with the operational aspects of the camera and getting back into the business of "capturing moments." Pics of the bands I've photographed are starting to turn up on their Web pages, and most recently in a local band Facebook "10-photo artist challenge." And just in time for the holidays, LOL!




rocktivity

October 31, 2019

It's the morning after -- so it WASN'T a dream!

While I am very much a veteran of "serious" photography, I'm a rookie at digital photography. That's why I joined the DU Photography Group recently -- and that's why this has taken me so totally by surprise.

I saw the girl getting her face painted while on my way to photograph a band, and absolutely wanted to take her picture. But by the time I was ready to, she had left the painting booth. I literally hunted her down -- that's why the picture made me happy! Well, it paid off in more ways than one, LOL! Thanks, all!


rocktivity

October 25, 2019

"You Can Click My Shutter Any Time" -- A New Jersey Photographic Soap Opera

rocktivity

August 20, 2019

I concur with your diagnosis that your band had mortgaged its potential.

If I had been you, I would have quit. But if I had been the bassist, you wouldn't have had to.

I would have considered the "non-musical" nature of the "new" compliments to be a serious problem -- and I would have tried to solve it by turning down the dial on my "stage presence" AND turning up the dial on my musical skills.

As talented as she may have been, she clearly wasn't talented enough to either offset her looks OR help contribute to the continuation of comments about how good the entire band was -- which your other bandmates also should have noticed.


rocktivity

August 20, 2019

Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life

As one of the fifty-somethings pushed out of the job market by the previous recession, I had to live on, and consequently lost, my private pensions (got evicted, too -- but thanks to generous DU-ers, endured only one night of homlesseness). Fortunately, I had earned enough during my working years to make the social security clerk's eyes pop when I filed for early retirement. But rather than taking up knitting and chair-rocking, I invested one of my checks into turning what I had enjoyed doing when not working into a permanent part-time venture -- and adventure.

So congratulations on crossing the rat race finish line with the ability to determine how to live out the rest of your life on YOUR terms (very wise of you to not stop working "cold turkey"). Now the only "investing" left to be done is in enjoying yourself as long as your health (and wealth) permits!

rocktivity

April 6, 2019

Mystery Solved: Smollett is NOT a first offender

So he isn't a stranger to being arrested, taking a plea deal, OR being accused of lying to the police? If State Attorney Kim Foxx didn't have that information, she most certainly should have. Well, now we have the missing piece of the puzzle: while Foxx should have dismissed the charges and returned Jussie's bond money if she thought the cops had screwed up that badly, it now makes sense why Jussie "voluntarily agreed" to do some community service and forfeit his bond.

But as I said upthread, Jussie forfeited his presumption of innocence when he forfeited his bond, and now he can also wave buh-bye to his moral high ground. Game over, Jussie: coffin lid, meet nails -- check, please!




rocktivity

March 26, 2019

This is a plea deal in disguise

Innocent, exonerated, and otherwise pointless-to-prosecute people get their bail/bond money returned, if only because there ISN'T going to be trial: now Jussie will have to spend the rest of his career appearing to be guilty of something.

Brandy "Moesha" Norwood was never either charged or arrested for the fatal multi-car accident in which she was involved, and all the insurance companies involved found her to be totally not at fault. But she paid civil settlements to some of who were actually her "fellow" victims anyway, making it easy to believe that she had simply "celebrity-ed" her way out of a murder charge. She subsequently lost her record deal, and though she was consistently among the top TWO scorers as a contestant on Dancing With The Stars, she was "voted off" the show.

Similarly, the police decided that sexual assault accusations against rapper Sean Kingston were so lacking in credibility, they never filed a report. Kingston paid the accuser to not file a civil suit -- and that was enough to get him barred from entering Canada to perform at a show.


rocktivity

March 4, 2019

Gassing up an electric car?

Some of you may remember this from a 2012 DU Lounge thread:

Here's the electric car version:




rocktivity

February 6, 2019

NEITHER of them have given me a reason to believe one MORE than the other

and in the American system of justice, the defendant gets the win when the credibility finishes in a flatfooted tie.


rocktivity

February 4, 2019

21 Savage most recently created his completely false story with the help of DJ Akademiks,

who launched his career as a YouTube hiphop personality by getting a completely false story of out Tekashi SixNine, who is now looking at a minimum 47-year federal sentence for racketeering:




Akademiks just posted this, stating that he's still "exclusively" tight with Savage's "team" -- have they been lying to him, or did Savage lie to them? Ak is going to get a reputation as an easy mark!




rocktivity