13 New Things: End Results

At the beginning of 2013, I came up with a list of goals for the year. You can read that post here. 2013 was not the best for me as far as achieving my goals, heck, I didn't even attempt most of them. I'm not upset about it, it just wasn't much of a priority for myself this year. I did accomplish a lot and I feel like I really grew as a photographer. I can only improve on my goals from last year as I look forward into 2014.

1. Photograph the Eels. Fail!
Although I tried my hardest on this one, I was not able to get a photo pass for either of the shows I went to. I wasn't upset because I ended up getting some great shots with my point and shoot from the crowd. There's always next tour!

2. Play basketball again. Fail!
I played a lot of softball last year, and plan on joining a league team this year, but still no basketball.

3. Learn more about the computer programs I use. Pass.
I didn't exactly watch tutorials online about the programs I use, but I've gotten much more proficient and faster at them, so I'm going to give myself credit here. I've learned to cull a concert where I shoot anywhere from 900-1500 photos in a couple of days. It used to take me a few weeks to sort through a wedding of that size.

4. Photo Challenge. Fail!
I just wasn't that interested in the photo challenge I'd selected. I was supposed to photograph something that started with a different letter of the alphabet. I made it through G. I think this year's photo challenge will be more fun and keep me engaged.

5. Do a flexed arm hang for 30 seconds. Fail!
Man, I feel like this goal will forever be on my lists.

6. Buy and learn Totally Rad. Fail!
I once again found better ways to spend my money instead of getting this program. I have no issues with my photographic purchases and would do it again in a heartbeat.

7. Shoot a concert for another publication. CHECK!
I shot for the newspapers several times last year and I also found a new home shooting for Surviving the Golden Age. I covered so many more concerts as a result of this and I'm more than thrilled. Even though I only accomplished a few of my goals, this was a big one.

8. Give blood. Fail!
Man, I missed the ball on this one. I'm going to sign up for a blood drive ASAP.

9. Contact other concert photographers. CHECK!
I reached out to one photographer in particular, Chris from Boston Through My Eyes. He was really helpful and gracious to me and for that I'm truly touched. I also made it a point to talk to other concert photographers, especially the ones at Gathering of the Vibes. I tend to be very introverted, so reaching out to others is hard for me. I was pleasantly surprised to bond with others that share the same passion for what I do.

10. Set up album templates in InDesign. Fail!
Eh, wedding albums just aren't my thing, and that's ok. I did end up shooting for another studio and will be shooting with them a lot this year. I don't have to process the pictures or set up albums, which is great for me. I've gotten much more proficient at setting up collages on my blog, so I know I can do this if need be. I just don't need to right now.

11. Go to the gym five days a week. Fail!
I remember my brother commenting on this when I first posted it. He said I was being very ambitious. Nick, you were totally right. I got to the gym five times a week a total of nine times last year. There were a lot of weeks where I was there three or four times a week. It gives me a starting point and now I can say I'm going to get to the gym five times a week at least ten times this year and take it from there.

12. Learn basic web design. Fail!
Hehehehehe. Sometimes, I feel like I'm so lazy. Although I didn't get around to learning any web design, I do have full control over my website now and great people helping me with that. I've also learned a little bit about wordpress from my work with StGA, so it wasn't a total loss.

13. Write an article. Pass.
While I didn't stick to the original goal, I feel like I did a lot of work in this department. I wrote five concert reviews for StGA last year, and three of them I'm really quite proud of. It's difficult for me to shoot and write, so any development in this area is a bonus for me.

So there you have it. Two definites, two halfsies and ten straight up fails. I feel like it's just as important to share my failures with you as it is to celebrate the victories. Be sure to check back in next week, where I'll post my 14 New Things.

Best of 2013: Concerts

Last year, I attended 20 shows which covered 23 bands. I was an official concert photographer for 12 of those. This year, I attended 25 shows which covered 60 bands. I only attended three of those as a fan. That is a huge jump and one that I am quite proud of. I like to include a shot of every band that I've shot in my year end review, but that meant I couldn't fit them all into one giant collage. Instead, I give you three. They are in no particular order, other than they worked best in my layout. I am honored and touched to have captured so many moments of musicians I admire. It's what I love to do and I hope I can continue to do it in the future.

Best of 2013: Polaroids

10. Clearing a Camera Jam

I really fell in love with Polaroids this year, so I decided to do a top ten list of them. I remember when I first walked into the NYC Impossible Project space after shooting a pack of PX Silver Shade with tons of questions as to the results I was getting. The employee told me to stick with it, that even though it can be frustrating as you learn how your camera will react, the results are worth it. Every time I bust out my SX-70, I receive smiles from those around me. People want to know about the camera, where I'm getting the film and they are always excited to see the results. I'm thrilled to be a part of the Impossible community online.

9. Whacamole

I was at an assignment for the newspaper in Monroe and brought along my SX-70 to take some long exposure shots. When I saw all the colors in this sign, I stopped and I was thrilled that they translated onto film.

8. Michael Bolton

I covered Bolton's book signing in Woodbridge this year and waited in line to get an autograph with my Polaroid camera. Even Michael Bolton was impressed with the camera. We had a short conversation about analogue and how some artists still like to record that way over digitial.

7. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at Gathering of the Vibes

I've been trying to get a decent concert Polaroid for over a year now. The best result came when I covered something in the day time. In the middle of 30 photographers in the pit, people stopped when they heard the sound of a Polaroid ejecting. This was my first festival as a concert photographer and I really had a great time meeting other photographers and talking about shooting on a medium I love.

6. Velociraptor

I created my own filter for National Velociraptor Week and took shots of my friends posing with nothing. Many thanks to my friends that put up with me. This shot of Moe is my favorite of the 8 shots I took. Her line of sight is absolutely perfect!

5. Puddles Pity Party

As soon as I took this shot, I knew it was going to be one of the creepiest Polaroids I've ever taken. Puddles was the opening act for the Eels at Webster Hall. I don't normally use a flash at a concert, but when I saw this seven foot tall, creepy clown on stage, I knew I had to have a Polaroid of him. As the year has progressed, Puddles has been getting a lot of media coverage, so I'm really proud to have captured this shot before he became popular.

4. Carnival Wall

I took this picture on National Polaroid Day at the North Haven Fair. This was the outside decoration of a fun house. Again, the colors really pop and I had a blast taking pictures of the fair.

3. Ornament Self Portrait

I was taking a cover shot for the newspaper's holiday supplement and brought along my Polaroid to see what I could get. When I noticed my reflection in one of the ornaments, I set up my SX-70 on the tripod and did my best to hold a pose.

2. Pumpkins Carving Contest

This is actually about a 30 second exposure. It was taken at dusk, again with the camera on a tripod. I didn't expect it to take that long, but the depth of the colors absolutely amazes me. I definitely plan on doing some more photos at this time of day because I love the result.

1. Ferris Wheel

I love night photography, so why not combine that with film? I knew I had to trick my camera into getting the result I wanted. I placed my finger over the sensor, set the wheel to full dark and counted to 12 before moving my finger. What developed made me absolutely giddy; it's even better than I expected.

Best of 2013: Pictures

In the past, I've kept this Best Of post at 12 pictures, but this year I couldn't seem to narrow it down. I shot a lot; my current count is well over 19,000 pictures for the year. My Best Of Pictures is an attempt to put together the highlights of my year. Is it just me, or did this year seem like it went on and on forever? There was a big increase on what I shot for the newspapers and I really shot a lot more nature stuff than I normally do. I did my best to refrain from concert photography in this post; those pictures get their own collage later in the week. 2013 had its share of adventures and I can't wait for what 2014 has in store.

From Left to Right, Top to Bottom:

1. Ben Thornwell of Jukebox the Ghost: This was a big moment for me as far as my concert photography goes. I attended the show as a fan with my DSLR. I'd gotten advice from another concert photographer that I admire; he told me to start bringing my camera with me to shows where the venue allowed it. I was at the front of the stage when another blogger showed up. We alternated spots during the show so we could both get usable shots. This turned out to be Adam from Surviving the Golden Age and I've been shooting with his blog ever since. Until this point, I felt like a concert photographer without a home. Thanks for giving me a place to call my own!

2. We got another addition to the family this year: Hannah. She's absolutely perfect and really completes that family. Welcome, Hannah, and you've got tons of pictures in your future!

3. Green Ride: This was an assignment for the newspaper. Thousands of bikers rode through multiple towns to raise funds for the families of Newtown. I'm from Connecticut and I've seen how it effected so many of the surrounding communities. I wanted to capture something special from this event, so I decided ahead of time to get a panning shot as the bikers passed by. I took probably close to 200 photos panning and this one came out perfect. The pop of color on the motorcyclists bandana and the flashing of the peace sign made it that much better. It is, by far, my favorite picture I've taken this year.

4. Stratford Answerbook Cover: I took over as the main cover photographer for the Eastern papers this year. This was my first Answerbook cover, and my favorite of the five towns I shot.

5. Carnival Ride: Night photography is one of my first passions. I was asked to cover a carnival in Monroe and I brought along my tripod to get some long exposure shots. They were a lot of fun on digital AND film.

6. Addy and her first Christmas Tree: My cat has never seen a Christmas tree before! I've always been afraid of her climbing it or attacking the ornaments, but she's been a perfect angel.

7. Danny Kavadlo: My trainer asked me to come take pictures of a workshop. The end result is my first publication in a book. Danny loved this shot so much, he used it in his book. Such an honor, thanks, Danny!

8. Christopher Walken: This happened the day after Hannah was born, so I was in a bit of a daze. I'd driven to New York and back, then ended up being the main still photographer while Walken spoke about his career in the town of Stratford. I was so nervous, I could barely speak to him.

9. Anna and Sara meet Robert Sledge: There is nothing better than meeting your internet friends! I was fortunate enough to meet a few of my friends for the first time this year and made more while out at shows. Sara, Anna and I met up to see the Last Summer on Earth tour in Philly, which would have been enough fun for me, but we got to meet Robert Sledge of Ben Folds Five after the show. I can't wait to do it again, ladies!

10. Michael Bolton: FINALLY! For those of you that know me, I've been trying to photograph Mr. Bolton for a long time. The best explanation I can give you is that Michael Bolton has been my El Guapo and I've finally faced that.

11. Grace 12. Hannah 13. Aria 14. James These are my nieces and nephew and I love how they each have their own strong personalities. I'm so lucky to be able to capture that as they grow.

15. Meagher Family Portraits: I've been doing these for about five years now and I finally convinced the gang to head outside! We were lucky with the warm weather and man, do the pictures rock this year!

16. Ladybug: I was out searching for a cover shot for the Trumbull Answerbook and stumbled across this. I was trying to frame up a picture of the town hall with wildflowers and just happened to look down. Although this wouldn't work for the cover, it's a great picture and really taught me to notice the little things.

17. Fall Foliage: I didn't get out and get the wide shots I wanted to this year, but I found a couple of lovely details along the way.

18. Botanical Garden, NY: My brother and sister in law asked me to take pictures at the Botanical Garden to use as a wedding gift for their friends. Please! Me and flower details? Sign me up!

19. Spanish Moss, Jekyll Island: I took another vacation this year and headed back to Jekyll Island. I brought along minimal equipment, which forced me to use a lens that really hadn't been a part of my arsenal before, my 35-350mm 5.6 lens. It's a beast and weighs a ton, but it was pretty sweet to be able to travel with one lens and get all the shots I wanted.

20. Luke: I dog sat for friends a couple of times this year. Although I'm a cat person now, I grew up with dogs. Sometimes it's fun to just run around in the yard, playing ball with a dog. Luke has such a personality to him and this wide angle shot cracks me up. Big huge nose and tiny little feet!

21. Millionaires Village, Jekyll Island: I spent more time photographing the architecture on the island this year. My eye has definitely changed as a result of all the Answerbook photography I've done. That's a straight up post card shot.

22.  Me and Ray Cycle: How often do you get the chance to photograph a super hero from your childhood? Chris Rowlands, AKA Ray Cycle, used to tour the grammar schools in Connecticut when I was growing up, teaching kids about recycling. I found out Chris was playing at the Nature Center in Ansonia this year, so I went to photograph it, of course! I rarely take pictures with people; I prefer to be the one behind the camera, but I absolutely had to have a picture with Ray Cycle.

23. Stratford Fireworks: I haven't taken serious fireworks pictures in about seven or eight years. I don't always want to lug my tripod and big lenses down to the beach, where they can get damaged with the sand and passersby. I got some great long exposure shots with a ton of color. These are always fun and I really need to do them every year.

24. My Triumphant Return to Graduation Photography: Another huge milestone for me. Back in 2006, I was accosted at the end of the Foran High School graduation that I was covering for the paper. The assistant to the principal was none too pleased with me doing my job even though I checked with security and they allowed me onto the field. She said some ridiculous things to me and emailed my editor, referring to me as the "Photographer in the Green Shirt". It was a bizarre experience that's stuck with me for many years. My personal facebook icon has always been and always will be a bright green box because I joined shortly after this happened. It still makes me chuckle to this day. I agreed to cover Monroe High School's graduation this year after making sure there would not be another incident. I dressed in khakis and a black shirt, but I threw in my bright green shoes as a throwback to the last graduation. As I waited for the graduates to come down to the field, I snapped this picture with my cell phone to mark the occasion. I came this close to changing my facebook profile picture, but why mess with a good thing?

Although there have been several growths in my photography, I lost someone that influenced me a great deal this year. Wayne Ratzenberger was a photographer whose work was seen by just about everybody that lived in Connecticut over the years. I was incredibly fortunate to have worked with Wayne at Hometown Publications and then with Hersam Acorn and I learned so much from him. He had an amazing ability to capture a person's personality and it is something I aspire to. Wayne was always willing to give advice and go over techniques. He always made sure to tell me when he was impressed with my work, which was the highest form of praise I could every ask for. I've included one of my favorite shots of Wayne's. It's bold and striking and something I never would have thought to capture at a press conference. I'd like to think that my work has become better as a result of Wayne's influence, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Best of 2013: fr EYE day

Welcome to fr EYE day, which also happens to kick off the beginning of my best of week! Take a moment to cycle through all the beautiful eyes I've captured this year. Can you find yours? No? Maybe you will next year!

The posts will be coming every day until the end of the year, so check back often!

13 New Things*

P  A  S  S  A  G  E by Dennis Chunga

It's that time of year again, folks: time for me to list out the things I'm hoping to accomplish this year. Every year, I add one more thing to the list, which seems to work just fine now, but I think I'm going to regret this decision in a decade or so. I call it 13 New Things*, but that name is totally misleading. If there's anything that I failed to do last year, it gets carried over, hence the asterisk. 13 Mostly New Things with Some Failed Goals Repeated just doesn't have the same ring to it. What I have learned is that often times my failed goals are too general, so I'm going to try to rework those as best I can.

Before I get into that, make sure you click on the link to see more work by one of my photographer friends, Dennis. He takes AMAZING landscapes; seriously, they are out of this world. His work is breathtaking and inspirational, which is why I chose it for this post.

1. Photograph The Eels.
They are my favorite band, and I definitely want to get my DSLR in with me this tour. Whether I'm covering them for their website or for another publication, I'm determined to make it happen.

2. Play basketball again.
This might seem like a silly goal to have, so let me explain. May will be my four year anniversary of completely tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in my left knee. I did it, quite undramatically, rebounding the basketball. I haven't been on the court since then. I hopped right back into softball, not even 9 months after surgery, but I've got this mental barrier about basketball. Time to get back in the saddle.

3. Learn more about the computer programs I use.
There is a wealth of tutorials out there and I'm a little ashamed to say that I haven't done this before now. My hope is to sit down and learn at least once a month. Maybe I can do a book report or something on what I've learned.

4. Photo Challenge.
I decided to switch things up and do what I'm calling the Alphabet Photo Challenge. I'm going to photograph something that starts with a different letter of the alphabet. It'll get me thinking more product photography/stock images, plus fooling around with lighting set ups is always a good thing. This challenge is only 26 weeks, so I'm going to have to come up with something for the rest of the year. I was thinking Polaroid portraits.

5. Do a flexed arm hang for 30 seconds.
Ok, so I've failed the pull up challenge two years in a row! Yey! I'm slightly altering it this year to come closer to achieving it. Currently, I'm at a 10 second flexed arm hang, so I still have a long way to go.

6. Buy and learn Totally Rad.
I've seen how this program works and I'm definitely getting it this year.

7. Shoot a concert for another publication.
Don't get me wrong, I love being able to cover for the newspapers I work for, but concert photography isn't really their thing. I also love being able to shoot for the artist because I know that they want me there and respect my work. I just really want to find a good fit with another publication so I can cover more shows.

8. Give blood.
I have a pretty big fear of needles, but it's no excuse. I know that I have one of the rarest blood types, so I feel even more guilty for not donating. Let's hope I don't pass out.

9. Contact other concert photographers.
This was on my list last year, and although I didn't fail, I wasn't satisfied with my effort. I contacted one. This year, I'm going to contact more. Thanks to my work for Gotye, I have a connection to one of my greatest concert photography influences: Dana Yavin. Her pictures from Radio City are online with mine, so I can use that to strike up a conversation.

10. Set up album templates in InDesign while work is slow.
I tried out a couple other album design programs and I've decided to just go with what I know. I use InDesign every day at the newspaper and I've set up countless libraries for coworkers. I just need to lock myself in my room and get it done.

11. Go to the gym five days a week.
Last year my fitness goal was way too vague, so I'm hoping this will help. I probably averaged three days a week last year. I know there'll be weeks where I won't be able to go five days, but I'm shooting for a general average.

12. Learn basic web design.
I've been incredibly fortunate to have wonderful, talented friends who have helped me set up and maintain my website. While I don't think I will be able to pick up all the coding and whatnot, I want to be able to do simple things like update my bio or change my head shot.

13. Write an article.
Wasn't I just complaining about vague goals? I honestly didn't know how to word this one. Last year, I wrote some short, strongly opinionated posts on my frustrations with StubHub. I never followed through with what I wanted to say about it, but I've kept my eye on artists and live acts that have raised their voices; Louis C.K. and Amanda Palmer in particular. I've also become interested in how musicians are making a living. In particular, how little money they make from services like Spotify and Pandora and album sales. I want to take a look at self funded projects, like Ben Folds Five's latest album that came out through PledgeMusic. Basically, what I want to explore is how we as fans can best support the artists we love. I think that's a pretty big deal that most of us don't even think about.

So there you have it, my 13 New Things*. I always avoid the word resolutions; I feel like that word implies something we need to change about ourselves. I want to expand and push myself past my comfort level. But since I can never pass up a good pun...

Remember, I'll be giving you all the details of my successes and failures at the end of the year!

2013 Playlist

Click Here for my 2013 Playlist

Music is a huge part of my life, so every year I like to put together a set of songs to set the tone of the year. The music player off to the right of my blog has been refreshed for the moment with my 2013 Mix. As the year progresses, more songs will be added to go along with blog posts, hence the separate link above.

I've been making mix tapes as long as I can remember and feel that there should be a definite flow to them. I was slightly concerned with a couple of oddball tracks on here, thinking they would disrupt that flow, but I think it works. There is a whole lot of brass this year, last year I had a lot of banjo, which wasn't planned, but is definitely welcome. You'll probably be able to pick up on the theme I had in mind. Also, Phil Collins in a mix? That's my 2013 gift to you!