Last month saw the greatest number of unique visitors to the site ever (2x more!) and almost 1G of data was transmitted from Flying Magnet Studios to the brains of people all across the country. I congratulate Russia for appearing to have the greatest number of spammers operating currently.

This month I’m focusing on re-organizing the hi-res site to better serve the needs of my clients, potential clients and my visitors. Look for the galleries to become more divided based upon their audience and as my editing eye continues to improve, look for smaller galleries. That includes removing some pictures from existing galleries.

I’m also going to be updating the site to provide more specific information about how to work with me and how to get in touch with as well, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

I really want more comments though, so I’m considering offering a personalized 8×10 print of any picture (not for sale elsewhere) on the site. So post comments and if I really like yours I’ll contact you about how to get a print to you.

I’ll be moving downtown in a month in a half so I doubt I’ll post many non-work related galleries this month as (hopefully) I’m going to be out shooting lots and preparing a collection of the best pictures of the Eno River years.

Thanks to everyone who visited the site last month (pre-thanks for this month!) and to all the people who have reached out to me, especially the guys at Market Restaurant!

Also I’m gonna end each month with some monthly favorites . . .

Album:  Harlem “Hippies” (Was going to link a review, but I disagreed with Pitchfork about it being a singles parade and not an album, it is a great album!)

Show:  Brotherhood

Record Store: Bull City Records

Just think about what I could do with 2 hours of your time . . .

–>Hi-Res Promo Galleries<–

Here’s an early taste of my work with a new client yesterday, most of the other shots are in still in post but I really like this one so I wanted to go ahead and post it.

If I don’t get the set polished to my liking before JD gets down, the update will be done on Sunday instead of tonight.

I laughed a little making this post because I realized that both of these bands need (band) to make them search engine friendly.

So these pictures are about a month old, but if you’ve been keeping with the site you know I’ve been busy . . . I actually had the pictures edited and ready to upload but since I waited so long I decided to re-edit and picked mostly different pictures than the first cut.

This was my second time to see Real Estate and even though they seem to have been touring non-stop since I saw them last October with Japandroids, they were in high spirits and put on a great show for us at the normally reserved (at least in my experience) Duke Coffeehouse.

Woods is one of my favorite new bands and seeing them live was awesome, they did not disappoint in anyway. I got to talk to Lucas (pictured above and I hope I got that right) after the show about his awesome tape manipulation device which he explained to me was a way for him to create and alter sounds in an analog way. The only other band I’ve seen use tape in a similar fashion is the Olivia Tremor Control, but they were using reel to reel instead of cassette if I remember correctly.

I was very impressed by this contraption, the performance and their fight to save the world from the ever growing army of musicians whose sole instrument is a Mac.

Also, I really wish I lived in California so I could go to the Woodsist festival they are having in Big Sur.

So without further ado follow the links to the hi-res galleries below:

–> REAL ESTATE PHOTOS <–

–> WOODS PHOTOS <–

–> OLDER REAL ESTATE PHOTOS <–

Great news everyone, I’ve been given a fantastic opportunity to display some of my photographs and have them up for sale at the very soon to be open Market Restaurant in Raleigh, NC. So please go by the restaurant, see my photos and have some great food!

The three pieces are: Eno’s Treasures, Wooden Cracks, and Smeared Trees 3 (also pictured above). Prices are still TBD because I’m considering a couple of different sizing options.

I’m so grateful for this opportunity and am proud to be working with these guys. I also can’t wait to go try their food because it sounds awesome and I love the local aspect, I think it is going to be great. The inside of this restaurant is beautiful with a great bar and all around atmosphere. I’ll also be updating the site with a new page with information for potential buyers on how they can secure either my freelance photography services or purchase a print.

Now I have to take a good head shot of myself and come up with a bio! So exciting!

Alright! I hope everyone enjoyed the panel I made of Swagger (not to be confused with the Irish pub rock group of the same name although WRAL made that mistake) photos, now it’s on to the whole lot of pictures from my on-location shoot in beautiful Smithfield, NC.

The bonfire provided a great backdrop for photos, as did the nearby electric substation. The two elements came rather close together during the peak of the fire and it was only after a considerable amount of hosing down that the fire smoldered.

There are some great photos in this series, I think I got nice portraits of everyone in Swagger and hopefully some promo shots they will be proud to use on their websites or in other media. It was a pleasure to work with these guys and I look forward to seeing them again in the future.

Check out the Swagger hi-res galleries:

–> HERE! <–

More on my shoot with Swagger after I get some sleep.

Here’s my favorite picture from my shoot Tuesday with up and coming local group Star.FM, they rocked us well at the Cafe Beyond that night and everyone had a great time. I must also say that Cafe Beyond has some of the friendliest beer prices around and I recommend anyone who can to stop by. I also got good photos of the “mystery guest” so if someone knows her, let her know . . . I think they turned out well!

I would also encourage everyone to check out Star.FM online and also come out to support them live, they will be more shows in the future so come and out and support these guys.

Hopefully I’ll see you there.

Hi-Res Galleries:

Star.FM practice –> HERE <–

Star.FM show –> HERE <–

mystery guest –> HERE <–

Behold, FM Studios first promo photo!

I am very proud of this set of photos because it represents a small step forward for me as a photographer since this was my first real freelance shoot. I put out an ad on craigslist looking to work with local bands and got a tremendous response and Josh gets special props for being #1 (and awesome in general).

I met him in Carrboro as the sun was setting and took photos as we talked and he played guitar for me, he wasn’t quite sure what his signature style was yet so we took a variety of photos that I think could be used to convey a wide range of emotions. Personally I think the above photo really suits him and his style well, to me it has the same hazy and dreamy quality his music does.

We shot for roughly an hour before his (and mine now) friends from the band Star.FM showed up, we finished our food and even though I wasn’t necessarily sure I would shoot Star.FM that night I ended up shooting both a practice and a show for them. They are all good people and a great band that played with enthusiasm and skill to a crowded and warm Cafe Beyond in Chapel Hill. Look for the photos from this show and the practice along with more details about the experience in a future post.

As always follow the link to the hi-res galleries:

–> HERE <–

This has gotten to a point where I wanted to post it, still working but wanted to freeze this moment in it’s progress.

Let me know what you think!