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Tag Archives: Roller Derby
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.
I really have been shooting…
Why haven’t I posted anything?? Photographically the last 2 months have been fulfilling, but I haven’t said anything about any of my shoots here. I should have been, because there is much to post about!
I spent 3 days photographing roller derby action at the Southern Fried Smackdown in Atlanta. I shot over 2000 frames of action, met some really nice folks, and made some great connections for future events.
I did another shoot with my beautiful friend Heather, then a weekend road trip to the Great Smoky Mountains with two other photographers, Brian Garret and Stu Haluski. None of us are usually nature/landscape photographers, so the trip was very helpful to break us out of our comfort zones and try something different. We met nature photographer Richard Mack who gave us tips for shooting sunsets
on Clingman’s Dome. Richard even gave us a mention on his blog. (pssst…check out the video of me and the boys driving the Tail Of the Dragon)
I wrapped up October with my last unpaid “portfolio shoot” for the year with the oh-so-lovely Amy Frena who
contacted me to do a shoot. I was recommended by a friend of hers who I shot more than five years ago. Keep an eye on my YouTube page for a video from the shoot.
The rest of the year will be used for personal projects and family time. I am also FINALLY putting the final touches on my new website design and getting involved in “social media” – including Facebook and Twitter.
That pretty much covers it for now.
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 Atlanta Roller Girls, pay
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Roller Derby Starts Again!
Another season with the Atlanta Roller Girls has begun!
Four years ago, I read an article in Prick magazine about one of the Atlanta Roller Girls, Demi Gore. I had to see this roller derby thing for myself. I grabbed my camera and headed to the very next bout.
I was hooked. Since that fateful day four years ago, I have been a dedicated and devoted fan of the Atlanta Roller Girls, and have become an official event photographer for them.
The Atlanta Roller Girls are a very interesting mix of women
– aged 21 to 40ish – straight, gay, and in between – black, white, asian – short and stout to tall and lean – and everyone of them, without fail, friendly, outgoing, and fans of their fans. They have provided me with some great photo opportunities and unique subjects. I am grateful to them for helping me with my creativity.
Shooting roller derby has been difficult at best, and downright brain hurting from time to time. “Spray and pray” is appropriate! The action is unpredictable, and the lighting situation, at least for the Atlanta Roller Girls is difficult. Atlanta Roller Girls skate in the Shriner’s Auditorium, lit with tungsten, a few overhead fluorescent at one end of the track, and a few halogen work lights at the other end. Needless to say, ambient light is questionable.
I shoot with a Nikon D300 equipped with a variety of lenses and an SB800. I use the high speed ISO trick set to 3200 max and set the camera to shutter priority – usually around 125; however, I am a fan of shutter dragging, so I will frequently shoot at a slower shutter, sometimes as low as 1/30. Combine the SB800 set to TTL – and I tend to get some interesting action shots.
My lens choices range from a Tamron 17-35 (great for reportage shots between bouts), a Nikon 85 1.8 (when I really, really want to use existing light), and my go-to lens for 95% of my shooting, a Tamron 28-75 2.8. That lens is just about perfect for me.
For the March bout, I am going to try rigging my Alien Bees (safely out of the way) equipped with ebay triggers and see how that works out for me.
Posted in Atlanta Roller Girls, News & Updates
Also tagged Atlanta Roller Girls, Demi Gore
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