Justis Photography Has Gone Music Review Crazy

One more from Nate to add to the collection

 Comrades,

What do you get when you combine 600 people and three extremely talented musical acts? Pure energy and a vision of a collective group's hunger for creative success! On February 24^th I shot MacKayla Hunter’s CD release party at the Knitting factory in downtown Boise and for someone only 15 years of age, I was amazed to say the least.  With an array of band members who touted what seemed like every instrument in the book, MacKayla struck thunder into every one of the nine songs she played before an energized audience. Personally, hearing a fiddle in the midst of her music only served to remind me of the thought that has been put into each and every one of her songs. I mean let’s be honest here, it isn’t often you hear music from someone still in high school that contains any instrument other than drums and guitars much less a fiddle. Furthermore, in todays over saturated pop culture, it stands as a reminder that there are those who still have the foresight and appreciation to what is right about music, that being, instrument variety used to every end imaginable!

http://mackaylahunter.com/

 

www.natefowlermusic.com

Before MacKayla could even grace the stage with her presence, my good friend and very talented Nate Fowler raced through a set list of equally pleasing if not amazing tunes from his catalog of songs capped by his recent hit “Hurricane” (My Personal Favorite). To see this high energy version of Jack Johnson is to witness someone who knows how to motivate a crowd's interest for an entire set. I say this because Fowler’s short adaptation of The Backstreet Boys “I want it that way” would typically be met with bewilderment however, Nate actually gave the song however short, a life that 5 made for T.V. Hollywood boys couldn't even do. However, when you have charisma and talent like Fowler, you could sing a “Brady Bunch” song and it would sound cool! The opening act was a rather large crew of guys who call themselves “Reckless Abandon”. Somewhere between Jazz, Folk, and Hip Hop you will find this group of (I think) 6 dudes standing all alone, unique, and emotionally invested more than most bands I have seen. I noticed not one member of the group possessed an image matching that of their fellow band mates. From Lip Bizkit to James Taylor each member seemed to have their own thing and I not only found this refreshing, but their music kicked more ass than a donkey! Working on doing a shoot with them in the future so I can honestly say if that comes to pass, I will interested to find what makes this collective group of dudes tick. Special thanks to Duke VanCampen and Shawna VanBeek for not only hiring me, but allowing me to be a part of the entire process. Excellent people with big hearts. Justis Photography definitely has a place for you in its own Ring Of Honor.

Music For All My Friends,

Lance
Justis Photography
www.justisphoto.com

The Bird has Landed

Comrades,


Don’t you just hate it when people you rely on give you a bunch of excuses for not doing something? Well, I am going to allow myself to fall on the sword for levying a ton of excuses for being tardy on this blog. To save us both the grief, I am just going to list them accordingly and you can decide my fate.

1. Massive Home Repairs
2. Photo Shoots
3. Editing (LOTS OF THIS)
4. Slipping off to New Orleans for work related reasons (I admit, some of it was leisure)
5. Long Boarding
6. And many other things not blog related

When you live 50% of your life in front of a screen it is difficult to justify those extra few minutes writing away while hoping to God somebody reads the goods thus making you feel bigger than you really are. Even more, I have now joined the zillions who make up the attention deficit generation of Facebookers. That thing can keep you on for hours and this doesn't include the usage you dive into when you own an IPhone. Nonetheless, sometimes it is nice to have your own space designed the way you want it without the character restrictions thus, the blog is the island I should visit more often.

Did my photo thing for Nathan & Morgan’s wedding which started at the Depot, stopped off at Capital City Church just to say "I do", and then finished things up at The Stonehouse. Hot and muggy day no doubt but was a surefire process of shoot & move. Sometimes wedding schedules just go that way so it pays to be Johnny on the Spot. The “Wedding Gods” were gracious enough to ensure two of my former clients who were in attendance which brings me to my next point. It is truly awesome when surrounded by guests for whom you do not know, a familiar and kind pair of faces greet you while you work. Thanks Ty & Chel for the visit and the help loading my gear at the end of the night. Drinks on me.......



Jon & Melissa made the trek from the confines of Arizona and celebrated their day with perhaps the largest wedding party I have had to tackle to date. Earlier in the year I shot a wedding in Seattle with what I thought were the craziest groomsmen ever only to have that standard toppled by John’s crew. Always a good thing when people can simply cut loose and enjoy a fleeting moment and even better when there are pictures to freeze those moments in time. This wedding also marked the first time I gained access to the bell tower at the Boise Train Depot. If you are a shooter and haven’t shot up there, it is quite the treat if your creative gumption is in high gear. Many thanks to my crew from the “Cactus” state and may the comic relief shared with me that day, be shared with many more in the years that follow.

For those of you who have emailed me and asked for a particular image you have seen say, on Facebook, I am about to make your lives much easier. Here soon I will have a gallery built just for you so that you can get that image, pay for it, and have it shipped right to your door. In times past this was not as much of an issue for me but due to the increase in requests, I am going to make the whole process easy. Even better, the cost doesn’t change but you will still have to email me if you want a canvass or other “specialty" items. Stay tuned, I plan to get this thing up in October. Lastly, I have incorporated canvass prints into 2011 wedding packages along with some other options that may change just a touch more before the end of the year so bear with me, the goal is to maximize the offering to the soul on the other side of my lens :)

Satellite T.V. For All My Friends,

Lance

Jeff & keri all the way from L.A.

Comrades,

Had the pleasure of shooting my first wedding of 2010 on March 7th and as always, I had a blast. Just to be "Anti-Establishment" I will refrain from telling you the days events in chronological order that somehow get the words "Emotion", "Love", & "Feelings" jumbled into the paragraph so that you think I was in this zen state of being with my subjects. That would be fake and one way to placate the memory of my subjects to the point of sounding like a Hallmark card that you always forget to take off the fridge. I digress, Jeff & Kari flew up from L.A. to have a ceremony right here in good ole Idaho. With a glaring sun ready to do battle with me I found myself spending the first 2 hours getting a feel for my subjects. Sometimes it is just like that in photography, you spend a bit of time earning trust for it is not everyday somebody takes 400 plus pictures of one set of people. I almost love the challenge that it presents because being the competitive guy I am, when I have conquered that obstacle whether real or perceived, I get a sense of satisfaction not found in anything else I do.

Given that no two weddings are alike, I am always pleased when a couple isn't as worried about the status quo and I can say that Jeff & Keri were all over that. Even better, I am always blown away when two people are making this huge commitment to one another and yet they come off without a worry in the world. Without a doubt, these two fit that description. The funny thing is, I was probably more the worried than them it was my first gig for 2010. Funny how you have to get your "Sea Legs" after not shooting a wedding for 6 months and yet, I have always found my first wedding of a given year to be the one I remember the most. Of course all that matters are that 1. I am satisfied with the pictures 2. The subjects are satisfied with the pictures. Ok maybe not satisfied but ecstatic! The whole experience was yet one more gateway to another time created by the 3 of us that I can only hope they reflect on down the road. Wedding photography is that one thing where we are allowed to cross the lines of business and friends and with that said I am very happy to have been a small part of a new friendship if only seen through the memories of what we created .

Flying Over Your Mother's House,

Lance

No Rest For The Weary

Comrades,

Finished up two more weddings last week and am glad to report that I have no more back to back weddings this year. Good thing cause it beat the you know what out of me! Nonetheless, they turned out awesome and were a hoot to cover. I really enjoy it when I am hired to cover a wedding in McCall, Idaho. The scenery is phenomenal and always make me look better than I really am! Mucho congrats to Mike & Lindsey and a special thank you to the both of them for their patience and flexibility. Other than getting pulled over by the McCall Police for doing 28 in a 25, the trip was awesome.

The next morning I had the pleasure of doing Bryon and Andrea’s wedding here in Boise at the Powerhouse. Laid back event and even had the chance to meet some fine folks who hail from Bama. Don’t think I made them too happy when I told them my dad went to LSU (Auburn fans hate LSU fans) but what can one do? If I were an Auburn fan, I would be tired of LSU whooping up on my team as well. I realized after I got home I needed to have my feet replaced! Freaking amazes me how at 33, I feel 63 after 7 or 8 hours of covering a wedding. In fact, I am almost embarrassed to admit this but it is how it is folks. So on that note when I hear people say we have the easiest job in the world, I will remember to invite them for a 2 day wedding turn around and then see how they feel. Thank you Bryon and Andrea for the opportunity to shoot your day (not in the foot mind you) it was super fun and I hope to see your mugs again. Ok gotta run I have a convention I am shooting in downtown Boise I need to prep for.

Cushioned Soles for All My Friends,

Lance

Valid Warnings & A Wedding

Friends,

The nest is full already! I have been swamped with some weddings of late (not that I am complaining) and each one has been different in terms of logistics, style, and the type of bride. Needless to say I am having fun and doing what I love to do. Ok enough of the sappy crappy and on to Stuart & Lindsay. Pretty low stress day for all except the dampness on the grounds at the park had me a tad concerned for Lindsay’s dress. Like most weddings, we were on a pretty tight timeline so we had to boogie quite a bit. Once it began the ceremony was pretty fast and no sooner had Stuart placed a big one on Lindsay for the first time as hubby & wife we were off the Crystal Ballroom for the reception. Here are a few shots from the day I hope you like them as much as I do. I wish both my bride and groom well, they were super fun and easy to work with.

More weddings on the way for sure. FYI, if you drive through McCall, Idaho be sure and keep both hands on the wheel and don’t even think about going one mile an hour over the speed limit. Yep, got nailed last Sat. after a wedding and of to my surprise one the first questions I got asked from this officer was “Are you carrying any weapons”? I politely told her that I am carrying a weapon, the Nikon D300 and it has been known to shoot a bride or two. Needless to say she wasn’t impressed but let me go with a warning. Couldn’t help but wonder why I got asked that question I mean really, if I had a firearm do you really think I am going to tell you? Dumbasses…..

Traffic Tickets For All My Friends,

Lance

Push Me, Pull Me, Or Hold Me In

Ok maybe I have just been on one lately but geez. I troll the Internet sometimes looking at Boise based photographer profiles and upon seeing their sites I cringe. I sometimes think people just run out and buy a camera and create themselves a "Photo Biz". Mind you, they seldom ever try new things and leave that trusty camera on "Auto" mode. C'mon already, don't let the camera think for you take some time and learn to understand those other little dials thus doing something that is way out there for a change. Maybe I am an ass but it seems as though nobody is willing to push the envelope at all around here. Their colors, poses, concepts are ALLLLLLL the same. In a perfect world we would all be different and thus feed off of each other like cannibals (Not Literally) but I guess not. At least the Sam Marvin's, Greg Simms, Russ MacDonald's and Julia Baileys are still alive and well. I would bet anyone who reads this that 50% of these sites I have visited belong to "photographers" who have no idea what split formals are. Don't start revving your engines yet, nobody crowned me Ansel Adams I realize. Just itching to see some new stuff and I figure 50% of photography is the mental aspect one brings to the table. The rest? Bullshit, Light, and a Name Brand that you cling to like it was your best friend. Did I say light makes up 49% ?

Bitches and Moans for All My Friends,

Lance

Kooskia, Idaho

Was up in Northern, Idaho last week for a wedding on the Clearwater River. Other than the DJ totally screwing up the brides 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. dance (more on this later), all went without a hitch. J.R. and Nicole were a total blast to hang out with. For those of of you who don't know, Kooskia is up in the northern part of Idaho damn near the Montana state line. Talk about wilderness......Enjoy the pics and thank you JR & Nicole for your kindness and flexibility....Can't wait for Nikon to release it's new line of DSLR's & for Saints football to get started!

Drinks for all my friends,

Lance