I’ve been a fan of Sound Tribe Sector 9 for about eight years now.  Their incredible mix of electronic grooves and live jams has always touched on my most favorite aspects of live music.  Combine that sound with the fantastic eye candy that is their light show,  and suddenly they become an incredible band to photograph.  Unfortunately, in all the years I’ve been a fan and a photographer, I haven’t had a chance to shoot one of their shows.  That is, until their last run through Portland’s Crystal Ballroom.

I was offered a photo pass for the show, and I enthusiastically accepted of course.  I was able to get up-close and personal while the band spun their unique take on the jam band sound.  I had a grin on my face from ear to ear the entire time.  Rather than go into too much detail about how I got the photos themselves, I’ll just share them!

The photos are also featured on STS9’s own website.  Enjoy the full gallery!

This year’s Northwest String Summit was nothing short of incredible.  It’s an annual bluegrass music festival during which I shot photos last year, but in order to fully enjoy the weekend, I only had my camera in hand for one of the days… the last day.  All year I felt a slight regret for that fact.  This year, my goal was to shoot as much as possible, but still find the balance with seeing the fun through my own eyes instead of the lens.

String Summit is held at one of my favorite places to shoot, Horning’s Hideout in North Plains, Oregon.  To me personally, it’s one of those places that holds a lot of history and magic.  As a photographer, it is one of those places that looks beautiful in even the harshest of mid-day light.  The only problem is that it is also a notoriously dusty place.   This meant that if I wanted to shoot all weekend, I would have to keep it protected.  So I decided to do a test run of Think Tank Photo’s Digital Holster 50.  It’s features also let me keep my camera ready to fire, even with my longest lens, the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8, even with the lens hood attached.  This new bag allowed me to conveniently carry my camera around the festival, with total confidence that it would be protected, but still instantly ready for shooting.  All I had to do was pull it out of the bag and fire away.

So.. camera in hand, I decided my focus would be on the people and scene of String Summit, not necessarily the music. The first of which was the annual String Summit Tutu Mafia, which had grown in size significantly since last year.  I was impressed with the turnout and the abundance of pure style shown within this year’s Mafia.  We managed to get in a photo shoot in at camp before heading to the venue.  The glamor was in full effect as the tutus waved and fluttered in the sun. This year we were treated with tutus of orange, blue, pink, red, yellow, and many other different colors worn by a wide range of people. Which Tutu Mafia member is your favorite?

The always adorable kids’ parade was Saturday afternooon.  The young ones worked so hard creating their costumes and decorations to show off in their parade, and their efforts did not go unnoticed.  Led by Tyler Fuqua in his incredible custom-made dragon costume, they proudly wandered through the crowd.  Some were more nervous than others, but it was my friend Amelia who was shining the brightest, towering above all others on her stilts! How can you not love the kids’ parade?

A couple of tiny lost creatures found their way into our camp at one point during the festival, and I couldn’t resist taking out the macro lens to get some good close-up shots.  One was a small but beautiful butterfly who seemed very interested in our camp flowers.  She fluttered around each blossom, not minding that myself and fellow photographer Carlton Ward fussed about trying to get the right shot. The other was a tiny little inchworm crawling across a friend’s finger.  That little guy didn’t have a care in the world as he slowly explored the ins and outs of his new friend’s hand. We were careful not to drop him as I snapped frame after frame, trying to keep him in sharp focus.  I guess String Summit isn’t always just about the people and music!

Horning’s was as magical as ever through that weekend.  I saw everything from a didgeridoo playing rooster to a team of fun loving people calling themselves Gang Green.  I was honored to receive a green star on my belly by a real-life Sneetch, and I stunningly read our manaquin’s jail release papers. Who knew he was such a criminal?  I left the weekend thankful I live so close to a wonderful scene, fulfilled musically by all the incredibly talented artists, and so very grateful I got to share it with my amazing group of friends.   Until next year, Strummit!

Here are a few more sample photos, but feel free to skip straight to the full gallery!

To most of us from Portland, Earth Day is every day.  But when the holiday actually arrives, we really know how to celebrate it.  A local organization called City Repair organized a fantastic gathering in Wallace Park in Northwest Portland.  As a group, City Repair’s primary purpose is to inspire people to get involved and stay active in their communities.  This inspirations comes from their many projects, activities, and in this case their events.

Inspiration was most definitely in abundance on this Earth Day.   For those wanting to learn about Earth Day is all about, there were plenty of booths to explore based on a variety of subjects. There were also plenty of activities for the kids, and different kinds of food to enjoy.  But the real action was around the stage.  Apparently, in Portland, Earth Day means celebrating through music. The artists played music throughout the day, and I was lucky enough to catch several of the bands.

When I arrived, the band Alpaca! was just beginning their set, and the people were ready. As soon as the first flowing, funky bass line dropped the grass was covered with enthusiastic dancing feet.  It was easy to see the enjoyment on everyone’s faces, and I was trying to capture every smile I saw through my lens.

As the sun dropped in the sky and the light softened and warmed to a glow, I went exploring  the park for more photo opportunities.  What did I find, but one of my favorite subjects to shoot:  hoopers!  In fact, Lauren Rose, a very talented fire spinner I’ve shot several times in the past, was there displaying her many talents with the hula hoop and poi.

After Alpaca! finished their set, Tapwater was set to do a drum performance in front of the stage.  They began with a funky march towards the stage, keeping the rhythm alive for those dancing feet.  They chanted and drummed and kept the people moving.  It was the second time they played during the celebrations, so it was unfortunate that it was so short.  But even so, we all had a great time getting down to their drums.

I managed to collect many photos of the day, and below are a few samples.  As always, view the full gallery through the link below.  And remember, the full gallery is separated into smaller photo albums based on subject, so feel free to explore them all!