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Tag Archives: Atlanta Roller Girls
Atlanta Roller Girls 2011 Season
One of the coolest things my photography has lead me to is my involvement with the Atlanta Roller Girls.
A few years ago, I saw a cover article in Prick magazine about one of the Atlanta Roller Girls – a tattooed beauty named Andrea Smith (a.k.a. Demi Gore) – and I was immediately enthralled. I attended the very next bout, and was hooked. I was taken in by the camp, the fun, the athleticism, and yes I admit it, the sight of good looking tattooed (and un-marked!) women in mini-skirts and fishnets beating the crap out of each other on skates.
I started taking pictures as a fan, and as my “fame” with the Atlanta Roller Girls grew, I was asked to be the official photographer for them. The relationship, while not profitable, has been mutually beneficial. I have been a part of the resurgence of roller derby, made some good friends, had a lot of fun, and gotten some really cool portraits out of it.
The 2011 Atlanta Roller Girls season schedule is out, and one of my shots is the feature photograph for the season’s flyer.
Every season the girls get better and better, and this season will be no different! Come out a few time and watch what happens!
Here’s a HUGE collection of pictures of Atlanta roller derby!
Posted in Atlanta Roller Girls, News & Updates, Roller Derby, Roller Derby Photos
Also tagged 2011 Season, Demi Gore
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Mid-March Update
Regretta Garbo and Hurtie Gurtie
The first home bout of the 2010 Atlanta Roller Girls roller derby season got underway on Saturday March 13. As the official photographer for the Atlanta Roller Girls it is my duty to photograph and document the bouts. It is harder than one would think. The lighting is difficult. The action is fast, and being a “bit” over weight and out of shape doesn’t make it much easier for me, but it truly is fun. Plus, the girls are just great people to be around.
I have been asked a number of times by a number of people about the way I light such a difficult venue as the Yaarab Shrine Center Auditorium. This is a lighting diagram, but next month I’m going to do a video to show how I do it.
On another note, I added a new camera to my growing collection of light catching boxes.
I have long wanted a point and shoot camera that could process and deliver photos of comparable quality with my Nikon D300. DSLRs have their place, but there are times when a compact camera is easier and less of a hassle, so now I have Canon G11 I can carry around without people freaking out that I’m bringing a “professional” camera out to take pictures.
So far I really like the G11. For one, it feels like a camera. Unlike most compact cameras, it has a bit of weight and a solid feel. I am also fond of being able to either look through a viewfinder or a preview screen – and man, that preview screen is great! It pivots and swivels giving me ability to point and shoot without looking like I’m pointing and shooting, and the screen is big and bright.
From a control point of view, yes it is a point and shoot in full automatic mode, but I can also switch over to shutter priority, aperture priority, or full manual. This little compact camera gives me the same controls as my full size DSLR. As for image quality, the Canon G11 rivals, and is probably better than, most mid-range DSLRs. The 10 megapixel sensor may sound small to most, but the way those pixels are processed certainly makes this camera a worthy addition to the camera bag.
I only have experimental shots with it so far, but I will be using it this weekend when I do a shoot with Ashley Blalock.
2009 In Retrospect
As I started writing this entry, I was thinking that 2009 was a “meh” year for me photographically. But as I wrote it, I realized that 2009 was a pretty good year for me. I did not accomplish the goals I set for myself this time last year, but it was a good year all the same.
The bulk of the year was spent finishing the basement which included my beautiful wife’s art studio, our still in disarray tiki/beach bar, and my photography studio. All of the destruction, construction, and cleaning meant not much of a chance to do as much photography as I would have liked. I did get some good shoots in, however, and I really shouldn’t complain to much. After all, I now have my own mostly finished studio space (I say “mostly finished” because no studio is ever truly finished) with plenty of room for shooting everything from family portraits to artistic figure work to product photography.
I did some travel (which I love), and went to San Diego, Albuquerque, vacation in Florida where I worked with two swimsuit models on the beach (you can’t do much of that in North Georgia), a paid trip to Myrtle Beach to photograph a hotel for the day job, and a weekend nature photography trip to the Smoky Mountains with good friends.
On very short notice, I organized the very successful model shoot out for the annual Rock and Roll Monster Bash at the Starlight Drive In in Atlanta – a feat that also put me in touch with a number of people I only knew from the internet as well as helped to get my name out to the alt model world (I loves me some tattooed models!). I also continued and strengthened my relationship with the Atlanta Roller Girls and became their official official photographer for the latter part of the 2009 season and the upcoming 2010 season. My relationship with the Atlanta Roller Girls directly led to me doing a piece on the Austin, TX band And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead for Prick Magazine – on line and in print – in 2009, too.
I ended 2009 working with the first Help Portrait project, a few shoots for my personal projects, a big group and individual portrait shoot for an international company, and some great shots of my family at Christmas. All in all, 2009 was a pretty good year for my camera and me.
As I look into 2010, I already have five shoots booked for January, including a repeat shoot with the beautiful Amy Frena before she heads off to sunny southern California to pursue her modeling career, two personal project shoots, a client product shoot, and the first shoot as the official official photographer for the Atlanta Roller Girls.
2009 did not suck, and 2010 will only get better!
***The pretty girl at the top is Amy Frena. She was one of my last pretty girl shoots of 2009, and will be my first pretty girl shoot of 2010.
Has my work finally started to pay off?
After years of practicing, shooting, printing, processing, “photoshopping”, and working on a “style”, my work has finally been recognized. I was recently put on the official list of Atlanta freelance photographers for Prick Magazine. The appropriateness of this doesn’t escape me.
A few years ago I picked up an issue of Prick to read the cover story about Andrea Smith of the Atlanta Roller Girls and learned that roller derby was alive and well in the 21st century. I went to my first derby bout after reading that article, and, after a few seasons of photographing the bouts, have become the official photographer for the Atlanta Roller Girls (taking the spot left by the much loved and respected Frank Mullen). It is because of that association with the Atlanta Roller Girls, and my work with some tattooed folks, that I got the “in” with Prick.
Last night was my first assignment for Prick Magazine. I was asked to photograph the band Trail Of Dead during their visit to The Masquerade. It was an easy assignment for me. The guys in the band were friendly and appropriately playful, and I have shot live bands a few times in the past. I hope the shots are what the magazine was looking for. If so, I’ll have my second magazine tear sheet very soon (my first tear sheet was Diva, a UK-based lesbian magazine – really).
My fingers are crossed for the hope that this becomes a regular thing for me, and after a few successes with Prick, I’ll have to work on marketing myself to the local tattoo/piercing/music scene as one of the go-to guys for publicity and marketing photos.
Get Out Your Checkbook
I love roller derby girls. Every damn one of them! I want the Atlanta Roller Girls to be successful and roller derby to be recognized as a real sport and not just a fad. For the past 5 seasons I have given a day or two every month to document and record the action, the people, the faces, and the fun of roller derby. In fact, it can be argued that I spend more hours taking pictures of derby than pretty girls in bikinis or less. I don’t mind. I love doing it. Already I’m wondering what I’m going to photograph during the off-season.
You, Big Shot Corporate Marketing person or Book Author – you have seen my roller derby photos. You have seen the girls in the photos. If you come to me asking to use a photo of my friends to promote your product or sell your book, please be prepared to offer compensation. And I mean real dollars here. If the face in my photo is going to help with your product sales, then it is worth paying us for it.
Roller Derby does not need “exposure” anymore. The sport has been featured on a reality TV show, countless TV news features, magazine and newspaper articles. The Atlanta Roller Girls do not need “exposure”. They sell out every bout. I do not need “exposure”. I have been published in international magazines, book covers, and on award winning DVDs.
Exposure doesn’t pay for the team’s travel expenses or venue rental. Exposure doesn’t pay for a skater’s out of pocket expenses to be a derby girl. It doesn’t pay for her skates, her uniforms, her league fees. Exposure doesn’t pay for my equipment insurance or credit card bills.
Derby is no longer a curiosity. It is is a commodity. If you want to profit from the athletic skills of our skaters and the artistic skills of our poster creators and bout photographers, be prepared to cut us in on the deal – fairly.
Posted in Atlanta Roller Girls, Photography Business, Roller Derby, Roller Derby Photos
Also tagged pay, Roller Derby
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