Driving Blind: Aint That the Truth...

In June, I had the honor and the privilege of shooting photos for an old friend, and prior band mate of mine. As the story goes, I flew into Albuquerque about mid-month and was excited to hear that his band would be headlining a show while i was in town. So, I thought to myself: "I should shoot some photos of them playing". I didnt turn out how i had expected it at all! Mind you, I would never leave home without the handy dandy camera, and gear.

I went there expecting to only shoot photos of them playing live.... But as the night went on, my old friend asked if i would be interested in shooting some portraits of them while at the show. I did not hesitate. Quickly i picked up all of the gear i had with me(Two SB800's, D200, and D300 and a single tripod).

This type of situation is something i was completely new to, and to be completely honest i was terrified I would look bad if i screwed up. I have had my share of shooting single portraits of one person, but never multiple people in one photo, while maintaining a good amount of lighting. As my mentors have said in the past, its always good to be uncomfortable because it means you are learning from your mistakes.

Being uncomfortable is a good thing, and driving blind will allow for you to make mistakes. I would suggest to whom ever is reading this that you make it a point to go out of your way to be in an awkward situation.

I felt very down about the situation, because i was alone and wanted these photos to be outstanding for the band. But, I charged through it and made it out on top.

Step out of your box, and learn a little. I was recently reminded that a photographer is as good as he wants to be, and the best piece of equipment he has is the camera right next to him. Instead of spending my time worrying about all the little petty things, i should have been confident in the quality of work i can produce.

On a side note, it was because i used what i had in hand, and worked so hard that i am now privileged to work with one of the Atlantic Records Reps. out of Albuquerque, NM. With a little more work under my belt and time spent behind the lens practicing this type of photography, maybe i can begin to shoot bands for the rest of my career?? :)

To explain a little about the photos.... I used a single strobe directly behind the subjects for some sort of "back" lighting to seperate them in the photo. Using the other strobe I was able to grab my friends brother, and direct him where to hold and point the flash as i shot. Simple set up = simple situation.

Because of the time of day, and the back light available i shot at about an ISO of 500 to compensate. Allowing me to keep my shutter speed up, and maintain a steady amount of light.

I guess at the end of the day you really dont know what your capable of unless you take that leap of faith, right? Blinddryve was a great band to shoot! I hope to work with them in the near future!

BlindDryve Myspace

GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE! WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO CREATIVE TODAY?

Becoming the Archetype: Who am I?

Today was the first day that i realized what i can do in life. The possibilities are endless! Right now, I am young and restless. Learning and adventure should be an everyday part of my life. I should be taking everything in like a sponge. Fortunately, I was smart enough to seek out the guidance I would need in order to get better at the things i want to do in life.

Talking, interacting and just straight networking through people is how i have come to find what i need to know. What do you do? I suggest you think about it. A wise man once asked me "What do you want to be when you grow up? and what are you doing now to get there?". A great question that gave me a sort of "new" inspiration to work to what i want to do in life. Do what you want to do, when you want to do it. Be what you want to be, when you want to be it. I look forward to everyday because there are new events in life i can capture with my camera.

Lets move on... I havent properly introduced myself yet. I'm Travis. A 22 year old man, that is searching for his place in life. As for right now, i know that i will be a photographer for as long as my limbs on my body function properly. My passion for photography has grown tremendously in the last year. Note that i said, PASSION. Thanks to the photographers that have been gracious enough to pound these ideas in my head constantly... Their passion for this Profession has given me a new idea of what photography is. Photography has been described as many things, by MANY people. As for myself, i find photography to be my PASSION. I dream about it. I think about it constantly. And most of all, I love it.