artist in residence - Forest Hills Fine Art Center

Lots of cool things coming out lately...but I want to drop a quick post about an exhibition of my fine art photography at the unbelievable Forest Hills Fine Arts Center in Grand Rapids.

The artist reception (for me!) is this coming Thursday, March 6 from 6:00 - 7:30 pm. All are invited and it will be good to bump into some of you I haven't seen in a while.

I put together a nice little retrospective of my work over the last 5 years or so...and we hung it yesterday. The exhibition venue couldn't be nicer and the good folks at FHFAC are so cool to work with.

Hope to see you there! Here's a shot of the exhibition space from their web site:

On-the-Town article - Karma Generator

Hey...things seem to be really taking off for the March 22 Brian Vander Ark concert at Aquinas College Performing Arts Theatre. We're screening our film Karma Generator before the concert and we're also filming the entire show for Brian for a future DVD release...he's pulled out all the stops for this one!

The latest buzz is in the March issue of On-the-Town Magazine...OTT gives the film a very, very nice write-up. There's also a great review of Vander Ark's new self-titled album on the same page.

If you haven't ordered tickets yet for this concert and film screening on March 22...ummm....what the heck are you waiting for? Ticket sales have been strong so far. Here's the link to order and see you at the show!

Here's a shot from North Carolina and the making of the Karma Generator (thanks for the photo Lisi Szymczyk!). This shows me interviewing Bill Szymczyk and my brother Brad giving directions to the ice cream buffet (our rider specifies that a full spread of ice cream be chilling at all times):

new photos and Knape's Corner plug

If you haven't been to my photography web site in a while I've recently updated the site with a few new images you might want to check out...enjoy.

And many thanks to top business writer Chris Knape of The Grand Rapids Press for giving me a huge plug on his Knape's Corner blog. It was a nice suprise. Chris talks about finding out about my film Karma Generator and Brian Vander Ark's March 22 concert right here in my little corner of the blogging world. We'll see you at the show, Chris!

It's the Mouse's world, you're just living in it!

I've recently emerged from my own kind of "No Country for Old Men"...the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. We took the kids there for a day. The experience left my head spinning.

My impressions of the Magic Kingdom varied from one of awe at the Disney metropolis (the trams, buses, trains, boats and road systems are something to behold) to further amazement at how EVERYTHING is designed to efficiently make it easy for you to spend money...and lots of it.

But I was truly taken aback when I felt the real power of the Mouse....I had to have my index finger scanned before being allowed entry.

I didn't recall having my finger scanned prior to boarding my flight at the Grand Rapids airport (I barely had to show my driver's license to the retiree security guard at the gate). Why has the Department of Homeland Security allowed Disney to finger print people? Why not at airports too? Where was the last place you were finger printed to gain access anywhere...jail?

But back at the index finger documentation line at Disney World, the scan occurred so fast and subtitely that it didn't occur to me to scream "Right to Privacy!" until I was back in Grand Rapids days later pouring over a pile of credit card receipts.

If it had occurred to me to make a fuss about it at the time I probably wouldn't have...I generally avoid situations where I might appear to be the "crazy dad" hollering about governmental conspiracies, my constitutional rights and the exorbitant price of the cheese pizzas at Pinocchio Village.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not necessarily being negative about Disney. We obviously live in a pretty great country where places like this are not only possible and profitable, but extremely safe as well. Disney World is for kids and we'll have memories that will last a lifetime.

But by the end of your day at Magic Kingdom, just be prepared to feel a lot like Tommy Lee Jones' dazed sheriff character at the end of "No Country for Old Men"...conclusions may be very hard to reach. And I have more questions than answers.

"Across The Grand" - photography commission

In September of last year, I got a call from Joe Tomaselli who is the top executive at Amway Hotel Corporation (Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, the new JW Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott downtown, etc).

Joe asked me if I would consider creating a special photograph to commemorate the opening of the new JW Marriott hotel. The commissioned photograph would be given to 1000 guests at a special gala fundraising event at the JW. The gala benefitted the Grand Rapids Public Museum (across the river from the JW Marriott in the Van Andel Museum Center).

Needless to say I was flattered and accepted. Joe had two requests:

1. The photograph should depict both the museum and the hotel (no easy task since there is a substantial body of water separating the two properties)
2. Each building should be given equal weight compositionally and not allow one building to dominate the other in the photograph

I also worked closely with Rebecca Westphal who is the head of marketing and PR at the museum (who is GREAT to work with btw). She helped coordinate everything I needed at the museum (lights, carousel operator, etc).

I shot the buildings from a variety of angles (even aerials!). But in the end we kept coming back to this image as the final choice. The photograph is called "Across the Grand." Let me know what you think:

Horses on the Carousel

Yesterday I was shooting for the Grand Rapids Public Museum at The Van Andel Museum Center...I'm still spinning from shooting while riding on the historic carousel! Above is an early favorite from the shoot.

Last fall I was commissioned to create a special photograph for a very high profile project for the museum's capital campaign...so I am very happy to continue working with the good folks there. When time permits I'll post an entry showing the results of that project...it was a great honor to be asked to commemorate such a special event.

"Karma Generator" - Short Film Documentary - Trailer Released

What the heck is a Karma Generator you ask?

It's a killer short film documentary that my brother Brad and I made. Last November we shot Brian Vander Ark recording his new album in the mountains of North Carolina with legendary producer Bill Szymczyk.

Here's a three minute trailer for the short film that we've titled "Karma Generator". The final film takes you behind the scenes as Brian Vander Ark poors his soul into a new record. It's an amazing document of a great singer/songwriter working.


karma generator trailer from Brad Kelly on Vimeo.
We'll officially screen the entire film before Brian Vander Ark's concert at Aquinas College Performing Art Theater on Saturday, March 22....BE THERE!

Glen Phillips Tickets Now On Sale!

Acclaimed singer/songwriter Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket) is playing The Photography Room...OH YEAH!

Glen Phillips - Tuesday, April 8 at 7:00 PM

Follow this link to ORDER YOUR TICKETS ONLINE. I suspect they will go quickly!

Our venue is one of the best places to take in a concert...take a look at our MySpace Page and check out the videos of artists playing in our space!

new MySpace page - The Photography Room

To help the gallery book additional concerts as well as private parties, I've created a new MySpace page for The Photography Room. So if you are a MySpace member, please add us as a friend and feel free to leave a comment.

If you're not a MySpace member you can still check out the page and add it to your favorites. I hope the new page will keep people updated as to what shows we're booking there as well as posting photos and videos of performers in the space. Here's the link:

www.myspace.com/thephotographyroom

Glen Phillips at The Photography Room

Wow...big news and still a bit of a secret. I'll let it leak here and see if any cool viral web stuff happens (if anything).

I got word today from his agent that singer/songwriter Glen Phillips is going to play a concert at The Photography Room in April. I'll announce the actual date and how to order tickets as soon as I can...but for now I just couldn't keep my mouth shut!

Glen is widely known as the lead singer of Toad the Wet Sprocket and has several amazing solo records to his credit. It's going to be a fantastic show...only 140 people will have the opportunity to see Glen play a great acoustic show. Tickets should be gone in a heartbeat!

Glen Phillips is certainly a perfect fit in regard to the type of concerts we want to put on at the gallery. We want small crowds and a very intimate setting for the artists to play in. It's also an opportunity for Grand Rapids to see some of the most talented performers in the country!

My thanks to Brian Vander Ark for recognizing what a great music venue the gallery is and encouraging Kathleen and I to continue to book shows at The Photography Room.

It's going to be an interesting year...there should be more great shows coming to the gallery!

PS - I didn't take this photo of Glen (it's from Glen's myspace page)

Album Cover - Brian Vander Ark

If you follow this blog you know I've been working a lot lately with singer/songwriter Brian Vander Ark. I've documented some of his studio sessions in North Carolina, dodged hunters with shot guns in the woods, and also shot a film documentary (much more on that later).

The new songs were wrapped up a couple weeks ago but we still needed to create a killer cover shot for the record. So BVA came to my studio on a Sunday night just before the New Year. We worked a few different looks and actually got more than what we needed. The session resulted in 2 other images that made the back cover and a large interior spread as well....a pretty productive evening if I say so myself!

I'd highly recommend that you pick up Brian's new album on his myspace page. It's available now! He's produced the finest album of his illustrious career. He always does West Michigan proud so here's your chance to support a national artist who calls Grand Rapids his home base!

Sledding - Merry Christmas

Nothing says winter in Grand Rapids quite like true fear on the sledding hill near our house...

My daughter Maddie and nephew Owen white-knuckle it on a Red Torpedo.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Living in West Michigan Video

I much prefer to be behind the camera than in front of it. But a few months ago my friends at The Right Place were shooting a promotional video geared toward attracting professionals to live and work in West Michigan (ahem...Grand Rapids!).

So when they called and said "Hey, will you be part of a video talking about how great it is to live here?" I had to say yes...plus they were licensing a TON of still photographs from me to appear in the video!

Check out the results...as well as my photographs of the region in the video. I think the production value is really good (despite my mug being in it). Don't blink or you'll miss me...I appear a couple of times in the last third of the video. Here's two links:

www.therightplace.org/live

Or on YouTube

Aerial Photography

I shot a lot of aerial photographs this summer for a variety of clients...it's one of my favorite things to do on a nice day. I have to admit that there are times on every flight where I have to ask myself, "I'm getting PAID to do this?"

As fun as it might sound, aerial photography certainly has a myriad of challenges to achieve great images. The high cost of flying is one and you won't get any "mulligans" on your client's dime. You have to have the right gear and pick the right weather in which to spend your client's money.

An experienced pilot (preferably flying a very shiny, clean plane with no visible dents or scratches) is a must. You can't be afraid to ask the pilot to fly over the target at various altitudes or ask him to bank sharply to get just the right angle. The photo above of the new soccer field at Aquinas College is a result of good communication between myself and the pilot in fleeting light...it took a couple of passes before I felt I had "the shot."

Conscientious

I've followed Jorg Colberg's weblog Conscientious for the last few years...Jorg has a keen eye for interesting contemporary photography from all over the world.

It's a fascinating site and one I check out every couple of weeks to see what's peaked Jorg's interest on the web.

Wonder Woman

I'm not sure how often I'll be posting personal photos on my blog, but as I was backing up one of my hard drives tonight I came across this little gem from Halloween this fall.

My daughter Maddie is in 1st grade and her class had a parade through Clark Retirement Home on Halloween...she was dressed up like Wonder Woman. I grabbed this quick shot of her running down the school sidewalk as her class was walking to the retirement home.

Maddie is an incredible little girl and has a great sense of humor. She's our (very) free spirit. This photo has me chuckling every time I look at it. It sums up how she approaches her life...full speed!

Rick DeVos Exhibition at The Photography Room

Our current show at The Photography is called Hover and features incredible aerial photographs of Grand Rapids by Rick DeVos.

This is our second major exhibition of Rick's work and it's been very well received...sales have been brisk!

Rick has manipulated the photographs to some degree...some of the aerial views make the cityscape look miniaturized or like architectural models.

Stop in to see the exhibition and say hello...it's a great show!

Brian Vander Ark plays The Photography Room

If you were at our gallery (The Photography Room) this past Saturday, I don't need to tell you what an inspiring performance Brian Vander Ark put on for all of us. I've been getting email and calls all day from people saying it was one of the best shows they've ever seen!

A curious side note; this show quickly sold out by mid-November! The gallery is arguably the BEST venue in Grand Rapids to listen to music in an intimate setting. Capacity is only 140 people. I spent a good amount of time last week deflecting calls asking for tickets (people were begging and there was nothing I could do!).

Enjoy the hand-held video below...it doesn't really do BVA justice. Let's hope he plays the gallery again soon...if so get your tickets FAST!

New Web Site is LIVE!

Ahhhhhh....can you feel it? My new photography web site is now live!

I turned to my good friends at Plenty Creative to come up with a new site design that highlights my commercial photography. I couldn't be more pleased with the results...check it out!

http://www.briankellyphoto.net/

Brian Vander Ark - short film

Just got back from NC late last night...a mind-numbing 14 hour drive. Over the next day or two I'll be posting some quick photos of Brian Vander Ark as he put the finishing vocal touches on a new record with legendary producer Bill Szymczyk. Bill's worked with The Eagles, The Who, Bob Seger...Brian Vander Ark...you get the drift.

My brother Brad (that's him with the camera) also shot hours and hours of film footage to be cut into a redBrick short film documentary that will debut before the album is released (target of February). Brad drove back to Boston to start cutting the film together. We've got really interesting interviews with Bill, Brian and tons of North Carolina scenery to hype the new record...

My first impressions of Brian's new album...his best yet...both lyrically and sonically. It's fantastic.

It's exhausting work. Here BVA takes a combat nap next to James Brown (who apparently still isn't buried and is staying at Bill's home).