And now for something completely different
Posted: November 20, 2012 Filed under: City Life, Friends, Photography | Tags: Austin, city life, music, photography, your friendly ghost 2 CommentsWhile I’m on a roll here, blogging about my mediocre photography abilities, I thought I’d share a few photos from an East side photoshoot I had with members of Your Friendly Ghost. I figure inevitably, at some point in your life, you wind up making friends with someone in a band. I have done just that with the guitarist of Your Friendly Ghost—a Black Keys-esque quartet trying to make a name for themselves in the Austin music scene. Tristan (more affectionately known as Wolfman) asked if I would mind taking a few photos of the band, and the potential for making four handsome lads pose like members of a boy band was just too much for 14-year-old Kelsey to pass up, so I obliged and we headed to East 6th Street to get our photoshoot on. I’m not sure I have a future in band photography, but I’m pretty confident in my abilities to recreate NSYNC poses. So there’s always that.
Playing Photographer
Posted: May 16, 2012 Filed under: City Life, Photography | Tags: kinky machine, little radar, music, photography, the couch, the white white lights 3 CommentsSomehow I managed to get through journalism school without taking a photography class. Stupid. Why did I let myself think that was a good idea?
Despite not having any formal training, I managed to find a hobby in photography. Heath gave me my first camera in 2008 and it is interesting to see how my photos have changed since then. I started a clumsy, clueless “photographer” afraid to wander from the camera’s auto settings. Today I am still clueless, but at least I’m experimenting a little more. I’m discovering there is a lot more to capturing a good photo than just pointing and shooting. There’s aperture and shutter speed and lighting and ISO and exposure and dozens of other factors to consider when getting behind the lens. And once I get the settings right, I still have to determine how best to capture the image I’m shooting to create a photo that’s interesting and real and beautiful to look at. I’m no where near professional level yet, and realistically I don’t expect to ever get to that status.
Nevertheless, I love that my friends give me the opportunity to practice my photography skills on them, whether it’s taking engagement photos or capturing the intricate details of museum openings. Most recently I got to play photog at an Austin Writes Music showcase downtown that benefitted Austin Pets Alive. It was my first go at photographing a musical performance, but I enjoyed the mess out of it. Check out the aftermath…
I know I’ll never get to be as good as the likes of other photographers I admire…like my brother-in-law of StormulaOne Photography, or my documentary film making friend Ranjana Thomas, or my wedding photographer pal Tara Welch. But that’s OK. For now, photography is mostly a fun way for me to be creative and expressive, while simultaneously documenting some of the more interesting events of my life. And that’s not a bad place to be.
I heart art
Posted: February 28, 2012 Filed under: City Life, Design, Pretty Things | Tags: art, city life, concert posters, eric & lisa, interior design, music 3 CommentsWell, duh. Doesn’t everyone? It’s kind of an obvious statement, “I enjoy pretty things.”
But I also like for art to be personal and unique. (Again, duh. Who wants their decor to be blasé and random and artificial? Just call me Captain Obvious.) Maybe that is because growing up, my mother made a point to stock the house solely with original artwork (a task that’s pretty easy when you’re an art student and so are all of your friends). I was fortunate to wake up in the morning and fall asleep at night staring at custom artwork on my bedroom wall that few others had the opportunity to know as I did. It was, as Miley Cirus might say, pretty cool. Mom has sense recanted on her “originals only” mentality, but the idea still resonates with me. But it’s not easy to obtain something with sentimental value, that’s easy on the eye AND is an original piece. Unique and original artwork, even by local artists, are pricier than what I can afford when I’ve got vacations and renovations to save for. But buying mass produced prints for $10 at Hobby Lobby sort of cheapens the whole idea of adorning your home with personal pieces that speak to you. “Keep Calm and Carry On” is a great motto, but I swear if I see one more of those posters, I’m likely to bang my head into a wall. Can’t I just have my cake and eat it too?
Enter concert posters, especially concert posters created by one of your closest friends.
Eric, the design guru behind the world’s coolest wedding invitations that I blogged about here, recently started creating concert posters for local showcases hosted by CoolinAustin…a website dedicated to spreading the word on all happenings that are free or under $5 in Austin. (It’s a great site in it’s own merit; check it out if you’re a local.) The shows have been drawing respectable crowds for featuring some of Austin’s favorite bands in some of the city’s more popular venues, and the popularity of the CoolinAustin gigs has been largely spurred on by the quirky and colorful animal-themed posters created by our dear friend Eric. Could it be possible that I have finally found a collection of art that is:
1.) Personal (created by a buddy and often relating to events I have attended)
2.) Unique (think along the lines of a squid holding a pipe or a spooky llama)
3.) Original (not mass-produced, in fact only a handful of copies were printed)
I may have found a way for those of us at the doodle house to enjoy art that is fun to look at AND fun to think about. I’ve already hung the first piece in the guest bedroom, and with gems like the images featured below, I don’t think it will be long before the entire wall is covered. Check and mate!
Blondes and Barbecue
Posted: December 11, 2011 Filed under: City Life, Photography | Tags: city life, downtown, lamberts, music, yukon blonde 1 CommentCheck out pictures from the Yukon Blonde show at Lamberts on Friday. Then, actually check out Yukon Blonde and Lamberts themselves. Neat-o.
In a good Moody
Posted: December 2, 2011 Filed under: City Life, Friends | Tags: acl, austin city limits, city life, friends, music 3 CommentsI finally FINALLY crossed “See an ACL taping” off my Austin bucket list.
Okay, okay. It wasn’t exactly a taping, but it was a sold out show at the ACL Moody Theater where they do film concerts by acclaimed artists like Arcade Fire, Fleet Foxes and, in this case, Wilco (who had taped the same set list at the venue the night before). And it wasn’t exactly at the same location where legendary artists like Johnny Cash, The Allman Brothers Band and David Byrne (I’m excluding hundreds of others here) recorded ACL shows in the past*, but it was nevertheless a pretty remarkable experience.
For starters, Wilco is a band I’ve loved since Brian Jackson first burned one of their songs for me on a CD in the 10th grade. I’ve continued to love and appreciate them as I’ve gotten older, so getting the chance** to see them up close and personal at an intimate venue in my very own city was a pretty incredible experience. They deliver a show that’s as tranquil as it is toe tapping and as psychedelic as it is down-to-earth. They love their fans, love their music and love to play together–which makes for a pretty incredible concert, if you ask me (and you do, because you are reading my blog at this moment).
As hinted earlier, the venue does its part to add to the “oh my gosh, I can’t believe what I’m seeing” experience. The layout, lighting, and acoustics are mind-blowing. The location is in the middle of the hippest Austin action. And even though the new venue is less than a year old, you can’t help but feel like you might be witnessing history.
Check out photos of other live tapings at The Moody Theater below by Mark Collins.
*For the unfamiliar, the studio where public broadcasting station KLRU films the wildly popular Austin City Limits performances, after which the festival is named, relocated from the UT campus to a new theater at the W hotel downtown.
**By “chance” I mean an incredibly generous friend offered me her extra ticket, what a gal. Thanks a ton!
CultureMap
Posted: October 10, 2011 Filed under: City Life | Tags: beer, city life, culturemap, fdp, music, parties 1 CommentMy mom says I gravitate toward any party where free eats and drinks are abundant, and I can’t necessarily disagree with her. But who really wants to turn down unlimited food, spicy margaritas and free petting zoos anyway? Case in point, the CultureMap launch party last Thursday.
The Eastside fiesta at Pine Street Station (home of favorite SXSW destination Fader Fort and in SXSW off season, Hope Farmer’s Market) celebrated the launch (albiet a little tardy) of the Austin portion of CultureMap, a news/lifestyle website that greets visitors with a clean and trendy interface chock-full of Austin-themed stories on topics spanning music, film, fitness, design, sports and innovation. The party, like the website, was diverse in its attractions.
Like FDPs of the past, this one included live music, a photobooth and refreshments out the wazoo, but unlike others I’ve frequented, it also featured a petting zoo by Tiny Tails to You (complete with hedgehogs, bunnies and baby ducks), and performance by Sky Candy Aerial Arts. If animals and acrobatics become the next trend in party throwing, I should just give up right now.
Check out pics from the event here.
And while you’re at it, maybe give the entire CultureMap website a glance too.