Metro Times Blowout 17 - Launch Party

Hi all! I've still got tons of California posts to grace your eyeballs, but in order to be timely, I've decided to wait on those until next week and post the photos from Metro Times Blowout  as they happen over the next several days.

Last night was the Launch Party at the Magic Stick/Garden Bowl, and while I was only able to stay for a little over an hour (day job and a cold), I did get some great shots.

Oscillating Fan Club started off the night. Excellent rock and roll.

Next up was the country-folk vibe of Ryan Dillaha and the Miracle Men -- and yes, they covered Elvis Costello along with their own excellent tracks. Extremely talented musicians, and a guitarist that actually solos. And I mean SO-LOS.

I ended with watching Ronny Tibbs and the 305s. I only caught a few songs before I had to get home, but it was truly an amazing mix of styles -- and the first time I've seen a particular instrument on-stage.

I headed out early, but there were tons of other great bands, and plenty more to come over the next several days. On my way out, I even ran into some students I taught in 7th grade, now sophomores, who were picking up their passes -- they'll be playing Smalls on Friday night! Shout out to you, Electric Graffiti.

One last thing I would like to mention -- a lot of photographers were at this event, both from Metro Times and otherwise. Some were incredibly courteous, and others were just worried about their shot. Don't forget that other people are trying to watch the band and you might be blocking them. Also, don't forget that you are watching the band. Clap at the end of the song -- it isn't a good time for a picture, and that band is up there working just like you. Also, wearing headphones while photographing a band from the front row communicates to them that you are just working, and don't give a care about them. Think about that.

I'll keep up with posts from #MTBLOWOUT all weekend!

Marche du Nain Rouge!

Today I was fortunate enough to take part in a piece of Detroit Folklore, dating back to 1701 when a red imp got caned by Antoine Laumet de La Monthe, sieur de Cadillac. The founder of Detroit got the whole settlement cursed, and now you can blame the nain, chase him away, and wonder if Domino's was actually channeling him when they made the Noid.

Anyway, this march was amazing! I had a spot right in front of the Temple Bar, at the last turn of the parade. The Nain and his Dragon led the way, intending to burn Detroit to the ground once he reached the stage on the steps of the Masonic Temple. He didn't succeed, of course, but his speech was excellent. A satire of epic proportions, he told the booing crowd that they'd only make him stronger every time they disliked a neighbor for being different, or acted cruel toward one another. He was then defeated by enforcement of a parking ban, so, there's the top satire of the day. Great time. Here's a link to all of the pictures, with a preview posted below.

I went to the zoo a long time ago. Let's look forward to summer.

I am fortunate to live near the Detroit Zoo (which is technically in Royal Oak), and I've been many times. While we've barely thawed into spring so far, I made two trips there last summer -- one for an amazing engagement session, and the other just for fun with my nephew. He isn't featured here, but some pretty awesome animals (except for the one that is an insect) are. Anyway, thinking spring by bringing out these photos.

Red Panda, making the same face my dog does.

Eyes of a Child

My oldest niece, Abby, is brilliant. She will not know a world where touchscreens aren't readily available, and her aptitude for technology is ten times as natural as mine was once upon a time. I don't know if she'll be an engineer, because right now she wants to be a princess doctor, and engineers might be completely redefined by the time she enters the workforce. Anyway, at my grandfather's birthday brunch three weeks ago, I handed her my camera.

She doesn't know how to frame a shot, but she figured out how to use a viewfinder quickly and took the following pictures -- all on her own.

Look at this! Who taught this child depth of field and rule of thirds? 

My wife loves this picture of herself. The five year old outshined me.

Nobody can get this angle, except naturally.

She even snapped a picture of her sister and grandfather. 

Look, the camera was pre-set when I handed it to her. I had it in manual mode, I had determined the shutter, aperture, and ISO. She zoomed and snapped with her tiny hands, and I cannot believe the results. Knowing nothing about the process gave Abby an edge I cannot get. Being really short helped, too.

The artist herself, midway through a spin. 

No, she didn't take this, but look at my amazing family. Look at them! They're great. 

Hamtramck Music Festival

This past weekend, the first annual Hamtramck Music Festival was a hit. Taking the place of Metro Times Blowout (which has moved to later in the year), a major sponsor of this event was Ben's Encore, a non-profit that promotes music education in the area. I asked some of the board members for Ben's Encore for a chance to shoot at all the venues, and they happily obliged. Here are a few selections from Saturday night.

First up was the Barrel Brothers' Street Band. Excellent trio, great way to start my evening, and perfectly suited for the Baker Streetcar. 

Here's two from (All) The Wild Children, rocking hard at the Mars Bar. I met these guys later on at Small's and they were really cool. 

Rock City Eatery was packed, but I crouched up front to catch a couple songs from Samantha Lewis (currently in transition from performing under "Black Flea"). I still need to eat there one day soon.

Here's a shot from outside. I know it has harsh areas, but the sheer volume of people in Rock City was stunning, and kind of beautiful since the melody came straight through those windows.

BIG RISK HERE. Look, Paychecks, I wanted to shoot a ton of pictures of Blacker Magick, but those lasers could have destroyed my sensor with the right hit! Anyway, pretty on the eyes, but difficult to shoot. 

The night ended at Small's, where I caught most of the set for Bars of Gold.  Fantastic band and evening overall. Check out anyone I linked, and please follow up on the Ben's Encore link to find out more about an amazing charity.

Detroit's Winter Blast

Ever since Detroit played host to Superbowl XL, the good people at Winter Blast (Jonathan Witz and Associates) have put on an incredible event in Campus Martius. Home to free ice skating and a snow slide, it's a great way to spend a cold weekend in Detroit. This past Sunday, I took a quick trip down and snapped a few shots.

Retouching on the sky to make the slide stand out.

Retouching (darkening) on the Buick signage to make it more stark in comparison to the snow slide

Compuware signage with the Compuware building in the background.

Kids enjoying the free ice-skating, sponsored by St. John Health.

Quicken Loans branded Zamboni.

Overall, I had a pleasant time, and got much more confident with photographing an event in a public place. Self-confidence is key to good photography in general, especially when you are doing a street event. Also, as for the close up on the snow slide and the moving of the work crew? It helps to know people, and it never hurts to ask nicely. 

Royal Oak Craft Beer Festival 2014

It never hurts to ask -- sure, this event was covered by a Free Press photographer that was kind enough to chat with me for a few minutes, but events love coverage, so when I emailed the promoter to ask for a press pass, he was happy to oblige.

Everyone loves a marquee. However, this does leave some confusion, since there was a "beer fest" the week before at the farmer's market, and this one stands out as a craft beer fest. It's right there in the fantastic website: http://royaloakcraftbeerfest.com/

The various logos of participating breweries were projected on the screen all night, looping. The stage was also one of several areas for breweries to set up.

And I do mean several. What this did, however, was spread the event across the whole of the place. It was a very well-attended event, but there was enough space and staggering so that you never waited in line for long. 

Between these gentlemen, Yorg and Sheehan, and the DJ, there was music I could hear over the talking all night. Obviously the place was built for great acoustics, but I was surprised how well they filled the place.

  

Here's a shot from the stage looking up. I was dealing with a lot of red light in the place, so my post-process/editing went down like this -- I shifted the red level in curves, and then brought up overall brightness. Getting better at it -- bad pictures give me an opportunity.

From the Balcony, which was open to VIP only for  a while, here's the floor and sound booth. Anyone with a western shirt and cowboy style hat are volunteers furthering those that benefit from the event -- Camp Casey, a local charity that uses horseback riding as a healing tool for children with cancer.