Oh Land at Bowery Ballroom

More photos at House List.

Dirty Beaches at Mercury Lounge

Check out some photos of Dirty Beaches on the House List. I also snapped some pics of opener Frankie Rose... more photos of both bands might be on Brooklyn Vegan sometime soon.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart at Bowery Ballroom

Not gonna lie - I was a bit more excited to check out Twin Sister than TPOBPAH last Monday. I've been entranced by Twin Sister's dreamy soundscapes for a while now and they were every bit as weird and lovely in person. (And unexpectedly dance-able.) TPOBPAH are always fun to catch live! Check out photos of TPOBPAH on House List, and even more photos (of Twin Sister and the first opener, Wyldlife) at Brooklyn Vegan.

VICE.COM Launch Party

It was one heck of a party.

Erasure at Terminal 5

Everything about this show was magnificent. More photos at House List.

New York Fashion Week SS12

Check out some of my exclusive preview photos of Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. Spring/Summer 2012 presentation on Thread Count on RollingStone.com. Words by the wonderful Colleen Nika.

Here is one backstage photo:

More Music and Tennis at the US Open

I always jump at the opportunity to shoot events that combine my love of concerts with another major passion (Fashion's Night Out, anyone?). I didn't expect that other passion to be tennis. I applaud the folks at USTA Entertainment and Go! Productions for putting on the show within the show. Check out the mega post on Brooklyn Vegan.

Wye Oak at the US Open

So it looks like I'll be at the US Open a couple of days this tournament, photographing the (indie) musical acts performing at the "Baseline Stage" right outside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Wye Oak launched the concert series yesterday evening (cutesy portrait outtake above). Afterwards, I stumbled upon a mixed doubles match between Bob Bryan / Liezel Huber (1) and Christopher Kas / Anastasia Rodionova. The volley action at the net was nerve-wracking at times, but it was also really fun. At one point, Bryan returned a volley and I think he hit Kas who charging for the net; in response, Kas was playfully angry, to the delight of the audience. See the rest of the photos of Wye Oak (and some tennis) from yesterday at Brooklyn Vegan.

Infographics

Hello there! I just received a 1TB external WD hard drive from the lovely BF (I had dropped heavy hints that I wanted to re-back up my photos). As I started copying my photo archives, I realized it will take quite a bit of time to back up my files because my archives total 600+ GB. Then I made some graphs!

I was curious how many photos I've taken per year. The spike in 2010 can be attributed to post-college free time and a camera upgrade. Simply not shooting as much can explain the drop in 2011; I've seen a lot of bands already, I like shooting new ones, and I've developed an uncharacteristic penchant for sleeping early.
Then I was curious about how many bands I've seen or photographed. I first discovered photos and concerts at the end of high school. Back then, I had a Canon Rebel and a clunker of a point and shoot back, and I was shooting mostly for fun (it wasn't that great). Then I got my trusty Canon 30D in March 2007 and I started shooting a bit more (this was also when I started neglecting my academics a bit, going out so late at night!). The next year, I reeled back my nighttime romps and focused on coursework rather than gigs. After I got my Canon 5D Mark II at the beginning of 2010, and especially after I graduated that May, I started to go to a bit more concerts. I guess this year, I've just been more selective about bands I want to see.

Anyway, I have a number of September shows lined up (you can check that out on the right margin). I'm especially excited about Moog Fest in Asheville, NC a bit further down the line. The line up looks stellar and I get to go back South!

Girl Talk and Matt and Kim at US Open's Rock the Set

This was a last minute photo gig, and I had no idea the private event was a launch party for the US Open until I got to the venue. I used to go to the Open every summer as a kid (I had one of those oversize tennis balls for players to autograph!), stopped during HS and college, but now I'm getting back into it. Last year, I scored last minute seats to the women's final and this year, I'm going to the men's quarter finals... unless I cave in and decide to get day session tickets early on in the tournament as well? I can't decide!

Anyway, Matt and Kim and Girl Talk are always high energy and fun to shoot. It was comfortable shooting the bands at a barely-filled venue (it was a private event with caterers walking around...), since I'm sure the bands have played Terminal 5 before, when the venue was full to the brim. See a few more photos here.


Matt and Kim