One of the biggest issues I find myself facing is when to take the opportunity to stop and take a shot. A lot of the time I'll be driving somewhere (as I tend to travel often for work) and I'll see something and say to myself " Oh wow, that would make for a cool photo!", or "wow the light is perfect right now" and then I continue to drive. I think about the possible photo that could have been, but I never stop and take the photo. I am making a conscious effort to change that. This shot was taken on a roadside in Long Island. Originally I drove past and thought "wow the clouds and light are on point for a photo with this subject" but as I saw no parking lot near I drove on. A few seconds later I pulled a quick U-turn and pulled over as far as I could on the side of the road. Careful to not get hit by the passing cars, I got out and snapped the shot. I am very happy how it turned out, and even happier that I took the time to stop, slow down and actually take the shot I saw happening in my head. We as photographers sometimes strive to take the perfect shot in the perfect setting, and sometimes we shelve ideas or shots when things aren't perfect. Take the shot. Nothing will ever be perfect and more often than not you will be pleasantly surprised of the outcome of a shot that isn't "perfect"
Trophy Wives East Coast Tour pt 2
Hey guys,
So tour for me and the guys in Trophy Wives is over and it was such an amazing and eye opening experience. I think I speak for them as well as myself when I say this tour showed us that this life is a very real possibility. It's a wonderful feeling to travel and see new places, make new friends and strengthen the bonds with old ones (and see some stuff that is only expected in a crowded van of smelly dudes). I thank them for giving me the chance to be a part of this journey.
When we got to southern Florida, it was the first real time we experienced warm weather the whole trip and instantly you could tell spirits were lifted. Walking around in shorts and a t-shirt felt very reminiscent of our time in LA. With the good vibes flowing, we decided to explore around the area of the venue and I found some spots that instantly shouted "PORTRAITS!!!" to me, so I stopped the guys and after accidentally putting my foot through what I can only assume was a giant ant hill filled with angry floridian ants, I got to work.
That night the boys played a venue which was actually a guitar shop called Anonymous Guitars. It was one of the most unique venues I've seen thus far, with a high rise stage and a loading gate door behind the band which would open and close between sets to allow the bands to unload/set up. This method worked great as we didn't have to set up all the gear in the pitch black, and lifting the amps and road cases up to the stage was a great workout!
"Sam......more clif bars??"
On this particular day, I felt my creative process drying up a bit for the live set. I was very happy with the performance shots from Charleston a few nights before, and wanted to switch things up a bit and try something a little more creative. I decided to put my flash on remote trigger and I hid it onstage closer to Tyler. The room was super dark and for all the creativity put into the venue, the lighting was some of the worst of the whole trip. As soon as I took the first test shot I knew what I was going to end up with, very contrasty, "artsy" shots I like to call them. These are images that will only work in B/W and are super contrasty. In retrospect I wish I had brought a second flash with me on tour and I could have done a two light setup and really played with backlight and light ratios, but for this show I made due with what I had, and I actually got some shots that I like.
"How to tie your shoe like a boss"-Travis Danforth
The next day we were in Orlando, FL and had a very special treat lined up for us. DISNEY WORLD! Two very special people by the name of Ben and Sarah were nice enough to invite us into their homes for our duration of our stay in Orlando. It just so happens that Ben was the previous bass player in Trophy Wives and has since moved down to sunny Florida with his girlfriend Sarah, where they both work at Disney World. Thanks to them we were able to enjoy a big portion of the day in Disney's Hollywood Studios, and it just so happened that it was both Sam and Mike's first time at Disney!!
From left to right; Sarah, Travis, Tyler, Dillon, Sam, Mike, Chris, myself, and Ben
not my photo, just proof that we got Mike to go on the Tower of Terror!
Later that night, the venue Backbooth in central Orlando was the place of our show. It just so happened that there was a rather large country show also happening that night in Orlando, so needless to say the parking was a hassle and the amount of flannel I saw was off the charts. This show was one of my favorites of the whole tour as there was a great crowd, very engaging, willing to dance and jump around, and even some stage diving. Oh and there was moonshine. A+.
Our final day in Florida was spent in lovely Odessa at a place called the Goathouse. I didn't understand why the venue would be called that until I walked in and saw the giant american flag painted on the wall with goat heads in place of the traditional stars. Now it all makes sense! We arrived at the venue with a decent amount of time to spare, and I took the time to take some candids and portraits of the guys once again.
So whats there to do after an impromptu portrait session you ask? The answer is obviously to turn your Black Market Custom cabs on their side and host some races!
Ready for that goat american flag I mentioned?
Last but certainly not least, Georgia was the last stop on our tour, and just like that we were back to the cold weather. I spent most of this show collecting footage for the super secret music video I may be putting together for these guys, but I was also able to snag a few half decent photos!
Now seeing as how this tour was plagued by snow and cold from the very beginning, it seemed only fitting that tour ended just the way it started; in a giant snowstorm that seemed to follow us all the way out of Georgia. After driving on what may have been the most desolate highway I've ever seen, we saw the big rigs start to pull over and take shelter from the snow. It was at this time we decided it was probably in our best interest to follow suit and take a break from driving until the snow had subsided and the roads finally got plowed. Mario Kart 64 and THPS2 sessions ensued till sunup and we finally finished our 18 hour trek home to the lovely (and still icy) North East!!
Probably wasnt the smartest idea to stand on the side of a snowy icy highway but hey, gotta get the shot!
Chris has the best playing positions.
Trophy Wives East Coast Tour pt 1
Hey guys,
I know its been a while since I have updated this, but being on tour is a new experience for me and I am still ironing out the kinks of scheduling my posts! Decent Wi-Fi is few and far between! This past week I have had the great pleasure of traveling with my good friends in Trophy Wives once again as we take on the bitter cold of the Eastern United States. After a few rough days of weather and a few cancelled shows, we ended up in Charleston SC and had an amazing time seeing the beautiful city.
Enjoy!
Impromptu photo session outside of Waffle House in South Carolina
A snow day in Virginia resulted in a Carolina Hurricanes game on our day off. Not even mad.
Hanging with the guys at the Canes game.
Trophy Wives LA pt.2
After getting home and releasing the video I shot in Texas I was able to really go back and edit some of the photos that I didn't get a chance to look at while traveling out in LA. Found some real gems that I'm proud to post, and there will be a vidlog coming soon detailing their travels and performance.
Hope you enjoy the photos!
-DF
When everybody faces the camera but Sam.....
This past week was a big travel week for me. I started off my travels with my good friends in Trophy Wives, a RI native band who placed into the Ernie Ball Musicman Battle of The Bands finals. We flew out to LA after dodging some bad weather in Chicago and spent the weekend enjoying the reprieve from the bitter cold of the North East.
