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!

I’m proud to say that I was hired by one of my favorite local Portland string bands SugarCane to do a series of publicity and promotional photographs to go along with their new album “Soulgrass Review“.  Since their band consists of 6 members, some who live out of town, it was a challenge getting everyone together with enough time to do the shoot.  Having scheduling conflicts is never an easy challenge to overcome, but thankfully SugarCane plays plenty of shows in town, so it was just a matter of finding one that worked out the best.

Fortunately, we were able to get everyone together before a gig of theirs at East Burn.  We headed across the street where I had gotten all set up to shoot them within a fantastic community garden.  We took some group photos and each band member got a few individual shots as well.  I highly recommend checking these guys out live.  They put on a hell of a performance and their music is fantastic.  Take a look at SugarCane’s upcoming show dates so you don’t miss this band!

If your band needs promotional material, feel free to contact me for a quote.   Enjoy the full gallery!

I got to know my friends Michelle and Mark last summer through music festivals.  When I was developing my technique shooting fire spinning and LED spinning photos, Michelle always seemed willing to lend her talents with poi and hooping.  When they trusted me to shoot wedding photos, I knew I had to step up my game.  For such a loving and bright couple, I had to make sure I provided them with the best images of their wedding I could create. Anyone who knows this couple knows that they deserve nothing short of a life of love, warmth, and happiness.

They planned their wedding around an outdoor ceremony at McMenamins Edgefield, a drop-dead gorgeous location to hold a wedding.  But even before the wedding day arrived, the weather became a problem.  The day before, it was like the rain would not stop.  Not a good sign when the wedding is planned to be outdoors.  They made the decision to move the wedding inside, to a quaint little attic ballroom that just dripped with character.  All of us behind-the-scenes at the wedding had to improvise to adapt to the new location and lighting challenges.  But wouldn’t you know it, the wedding day arrived, and there wasn’t a drop of rain.  Oh well, sometimes you have to roll with it.

Their location being Edgefield, we had an infinite number of possible locations to hold our photo shoots.  I am always thankful when working with such a rich palette on which to create images of someone’s special day.  Between the ceremony and reception. Michelle and Mark allowed me to steal them away to try and lock in the magic of their day in photographs. We found balconies, gardens, vineyards, and other beautiful locations we did our best to really use in the photos. The evening came with incredibly warm light, and we did our best to capture it for them.

Michelle and Mark are a musical couple.  Both figuratively and literally.  Their lives, much like my own, revolve around music.  So, of course, once the music started up, the party really started going.  There wasn’t a person in that room without a smile on their face as people danced, danced, danced!  I was thrilled to be there to both witness it and capture the memories of their special day forever.

Please browse through the full gallery, or view below for a short selection of photos.  Thank you Michelle and Mark!