I was fortunate to be invited to the open house for Wavelength Studio located here in Salem. Wavelength Studio is one of the most complete and professional studios located in all of Oregon, and I would posit the West Coast. Well, you don’t come here to read my words, some photos:
Jason Carter & his beautiful daughter, Echo. Wavelength is Jason’s studio.
Silver Sørensen & her beautiful daughter, Echo.
Quite a few people have commented that they haven’t seen me recently. One of the main reasons for this is the Willamette Academy Summer Program has started. How much do I love these kids?!?
The art has been submitted and the jury has judged.
One of my favorite pieces is by an extremely talented artist currently living in Keizer, Elizabeth Baumann (website, blog) “Bound by the necessities of life”:
Look for more information next week for the upcoming Mayor’s Gala, Winter Art Solstice, taking place on January 29th, 6-9 pm.
( Tickets in advance: $10, night of the event $15. You can register here. And more information at the Keizer Art Association website.)
Merry Christmas from me, Jeani, & Liam! (He’s so excited about Santa Claus coming tonight.)
Tim’s friend, John Doe, came up to celebrate Tim’s birthday along with other musicians & friends.
How absolutely cool and scrumptious is this?!?
Many of you will recognize this shot from an earlier post, but it’s totally worth a post of its own.
From the Itsy Bitsy Bakeshop‘s website:
The Itsy Bitsy Bakeshop is a domestic bakery baking delicious gourmet cupcakes in Salem, Oregon. We use only fresh, natural ingredients in our cupcakes- no mixes here! Our cupcakes taste homemade because they are homemade. Our kitchen is inspected and licensed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
Amy Barr is a fabulous person and maker of cupcakes. Yummy, beautiful cupcakes! Right here in Salem. You can be guaranteed I will be using any excuse to order many, many cupcakes.
I’m often asked if I shoot weddings.
I don’t advertise I do weddings. (this post excepted)
The answer is more complicated than it should be. But the quick and easy answer is yes, I do shoot weddings.
To briefly elaborate, I think it’s fairly important that you like and respect your photographer to get the results you desire. As I feel strongly about this, I don’t just accept any job, especially weddings, unless we meet first and decide if we are a ‘fit’ for one another.
This is a (severely) abridged example of a wedding I shot recently in Forest Grove, Oregon:
Just a few more examples:
Shooting bands live is something I love. Trying to capture some of the dynamic energy in a static image is a challenge that I relish. But getting a photo during a live show that captures all the members in a way that can be used for band promotion is not always easy.
Ladies & Gentlemen, the Hundred Dollar Jayhawks!
While at the Someday Lounge last night to catch the Hundred Dollar Jayhawks show, turned out that Rob Walmart (myspace, Rob Walmart site) was playing across the street. Popped out and caught a bit of the show and captured some photos (obvs). I’ll have photos of the Hundred Dollar Jayhawks, and the band Arizona up soon.
,
Frank Black’s newest project, Grand Duchy. Grand Duchy kicked off their new tour with this first, secret*, show at The Space in Salem, Oregon. Sold out, turning away people at the door, absolutely brilliant show. Local band, Le Nunes, also rocked!
* As secret as a show can be that is highlighted in the local newspaper the day before, and tickets were sold. 
So Art Brut just posted two YouTube vids of their time in Salem, recording with Charles Thompson (aka Frank Black). So while I get jealous of Kyle Gustafson’s opportunities to take his brilliant photos in well lit venues, the second video from Art Brut highlights my predicament – shooting in the dark. As you can see in this, the second video, this is the show at which I shot. Such great light to shoot with (/sarcasm).
Final note: Ran into Charles Thompson yesterday, and he told me the current artists he’s recording will be playing at The Space sometime soon.
Jeff and Rita held their wedding a couple of weeks ago. I was lucky enough to be able to shoot it for them. Jeff was willing/wanting to have a Las Vegas wedding, while Rita was more inclined to have a wedding where more friends and family would be able to celebrate the special occasion with them. Though it is widely known, it still must be stated, Rita is one very cool lady. Knowing Jeff’s affinity for Elvis (sidenote: Both Jeff & I prefer the old fat Elvis), and his interest in having Elvis preside over a Las Vegas wedding, she did the next best thing.
She had Steven, who would be presiding, fake a reason to leave just as the ceremony was beginning and leave Jeff standing at the altar. The procession begins and still no Steve. You can just see the confusion and frustration mounting on Jeff’s visage, when finally, here comes Steve – dressed as Elvis!. How much does Rita Rock?!?
Click on the photo for a slightly larger version.
Art Brut is in town cutting an album with Charles Thompson (aka Frank Black). I ran into them last week at the Coffee House Cafe and told them about The Space. A couple of them came out to a show last week, and the decision was made to play a set on Saturday night. This is one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time – great music and incredible energy. Anyways some photos from the show:
We got back early Saturday afternoon. The trip was a complete blast. Jim Normandy rocks! The club was great. The band was great. Lighting was a bitch, but I got some good shots. While it’s all rock and roll, it’s not always glamorous. The drive was long. We ate fast food and drank bad coffee, and got stuck in horrendous traffic both ways. And one of my favorite shots of the night came when Jim was doing business in his “office”.
(Yup, in the truck in the back parking lot. You do what you gotta do.)
More shots after the jump.
While some may wish that Salem was more like other places, Salem actually has a lot going on. One very recent example occurred on Wednesday night at The Space. It was their second Songwriter’s Night. This night featured Mark Lemhouse (Yes, THAT Mark Lemhouse), Nate Hagen & his Harp Guitar (you really need to see him play this thing), Peter the Great of The Worrynauts, The Smiles, & Seahorse. Oh yeah, it was FREE!. And then last night The Funhouse Strippers and The Falcon played downtown, and, get this, it was also Free. Salem has a great local music scene, and some very talented artists. There is more and more venues exhibiting art and hosting live shows. You really gotta check it out.
Some photos from Wednesday night’s event:
