Feelin' the Sparkle!

I was at a Biggby Coffee this morning and there was a sign asking if you could "feel the sparkle".

So I took that as an invitation for some serious introspection.

Verdict: I'm feeling a little sparkly today!

Night Photography Workshops - Dates Announced

Here we go!  After a long two-year absence, I'm very pleased to announce two special night photography workshops this summer.  We'll be shooting two different stretches of the river downtown in case anyone is interested in attending both workshops.  

If you know someone who might enjoy shooting with me, please pass this link along to them. My workshops are open to all skill levels (beginners to advanced amateur).  Here are the dates:

Sunday, June 8

7:30-11:30 PM

Location: Museum Row, Lighted Bridges and Hotels along the Grand

or

Sunday, August 3

7:30 - 11:30 PM

Location: 6th Street Bridge and Fish Ladder

Group sizes are small; only 15 participants in each class.  The cost is $75 for each workshop and includes some refreshments.  A tripod is necessary and the workshop is open to both digital and film cameras.  After you sign-up I'll email you a detailed itinerary and further instructions.

Our workshops go like this, we meet at the gallery for the first hour to discuss technique, exposure and composition.  Then we head out as a group to the pre-determined location to shoot the sunset and then full blown night images as it gets progressively darker.

It's a ton of fun!  I'm your guide and personal instructor, bouncing from student to student chatting and helping you make some really cool images at night!

Give it a try!   Send me an email to reserve your space soon.

Equest Center - Therapeutic Riding

On a very muggy day last September I had the privilege of spending a couple of hours shooting for The Equest Center in Rockford. EC is a therapeutic riding center.

But you won't find therapists in white lab coats...gentle horses and ponies are the therapists here, thank you very much. The patients are children; great kids with any number of severe physical and mental challenges. To say I was moved wouldn't begin to describe what I saw there.

The horses are magical. They seem to know they carry especially fragile cargo as well as the weight of dreams on their shoulders...dreams of escaping gravity for a while. I watched kids who were contorted, twisted and confined to their wheelchairs begin to grow wings once placed up in the saddle. 

A few other kids appeared locked inside their own mental world; seemingly not connecting with humans. But they would begin to smile, laugh or shriek with joy as they rode their horse.

I haven't shaken the experience yet. It's been 7 months since I visited The Equest Center and I still feel inspired, grateful and heartbroken every time I see these photos.

Consider a small donation...they go through a lot of hay.

Back to Photography - Workshops!

Whew...I've definitely felt more like a music promoter than a photographer recently. I'm certainly not complaining but...HOLY COW...the last couple months of concerts, film premieres and shooting a concert DVD had me wondering where my fantastic day job had gone!

Actually, photography didn't really slow down at all, I just added concerts to my plate of fun things to do. Crazy? Yes...but FUN!

But it did get me thinking about other FUN things...I still get a pretty steady stream of emails this time each year inquiring about whether I'll be doing more of our popular summer photography workshops. But my busy schedule the last 2 summers had put these fun gatherings to talk and take photographs on hiatus.

So I'm excited to make a pre-announcement (is there such a thing?) about some very limited night photography workshops I'll be organizing in June and August. Basically our workshops go like this:

1. We meet at the gallery for an hour to look at some night photographs I've taken as well as go over some technical tips for shooting in the dark
2. And then, Viola! We head out into the night for 3 hours of shooting the lighted bridges, museums and hotels along the Grand River.
3. I'm your personal guide and instructor...and I bounce around from participant to participant chatting and helping you make great night images.

Sound FUN? If so, just shoot me an email at info@photographyroom.com and I'll make sure you get first dibs on the information and scheduled dates...no obligation. I'll probably only do a total of 4 workshops this whole summer so we should have a good turnout for each.  Oh, and even if you're not interested, pass along this page link to a friend who's a shutterbug!

I should be able to roll out the official dates next week sometime...so stay tuned!

Ryan Montbleau Band perform "This"

Ryan Montbleau Band stopped by The Photography Room on Thursday...incredible show.  If you missed it, let's just say you missed an amazing band.  Here's a clip of Ryan performing "This":

Ryan Montbleau Band - "This"

Glen Phillips at The Photography Room - Video 2

Glen Phillips at The Photography Room - I Still Love You


I only made one song request when Glen Phillips performed at the gallery...he was gracious enough to accomodate me even though he said he hadn't played it in a very long time.

The video's a little shakey at the start (people passing by) but from the sound of the song, it's seems to me like Glen pulled it off without a hitch!

The song is called "I Still Love You" and is off of his "Mr. Lemons" album released a couple years ago...it's a great record.

Video of Glen Phillips

I finally had some time to get at least one video up of Glen Phillips performing at The Photography Room.

I'll post a couple of additional songs over the weekend at www.myspace.com/thephotographyroom

Enjoy...just click the player below...this song is called "Finally Fading".

Glen Phillips at The Photography Room

Review of Glen's Show in The Grand Rapids Press

John Sinkevic is an excellent music critic for The Grand Rapids press. Check out his blog for a review of Glen's show last night as well as The Photography Room as a music venue:

http://blog.mlive.com/soundcheck/2008/04/glen_phillips_takes_a_walk_on.html

Glen commented to me last night that he thought the audience was really great and the whole night was special for him and his opener Jonathan Kingham. My email has been burning up today with nice compliments from people who came to the show..so thank you to everyone who came out and supported the show!

Glen Phillips Show - Incredible!

Man...it's very late (or early) and I'm still buzzing from a truly stunning show at The Photography Room with Glen Phillips and his amazing opener Jonathan Kingham.

The show was sold out and people were very happy to see Glen in Grand Rapids playing in such a small room. After the show I was approached by so many people telling me how much they loved our listening room. One person said, "These concerts at The Photography Room are the equivalent of watching your favorite artist play in your home...only with with a few extra friends you don't really know yet!"

Well said...that's the idea entirely. And with that I'm off to bed!

PS - I'll post some video of Glen performing tomorrow at www.myspace.com/thephotographyroom

Next week - all music at The Photography Room

Well, next week is huge for The Photography Room as a (very) small concert venue.  We prefer to call it a "listening room"...a place for great performers to play in an intimate and unique environment.

We start off with a huge bang on Tuesday, April 8.  I can't believe this guy is dropping into downtown Grand Rapids to play our gallery.  I'm talking about Glen Phillips, a very established performer with three critically acclaimed solo albums to his credit. 

Glen is formerly the lead singer of Toad the Wet Sprocket.  Unless you were living under a rock or on an extended Peace Corp assignment in the 90's, you know (and probably loved) Toad. If you don't have tickets already, better hurry and order tickets on this link.  There's only about a dozen left!

Then on Thursday, April 10, I'm very pleased to welcome a great band out of my brother's neck of the woods (Cambridge, MA)...The Ryan Montbleau Band. Unfamiliar with them you say??  Just check out their music here.  

They are a band that is emerging very, very quickly due in part to their tireless road schedule. They are going to be appearing in studio on WYCE (88.1) with host Pete Bruinsma on Thursday, April 10 at 4:20 PM to promote the show at The Photography Room.  Thanks, Pete!

Even if you are unfamiliar with their music I'd encourage you to come see a band that could break out big...and soon!  Tickets are only $12 via this link (yep, you read that right...only $12!)

So off with a bang we go...hope you can be there to join us.

Lux Land Concert - Saturday, May 17

I'm very pleased to announce that Lux Land will be returning to The Photography Room for her third performance in our gallery. Her last show with us was about a year ago and that, quite frankly, is way too long to wait to see Lux. Her last concert was a smash success.

Tickets for the show on Saturday, May 17 are just $12 and available via this link. Better order soon, Lux has a wonderful fan base that grows exponentially with every gig she plays. Only 120 seats available!

For the record, I did not take the photograph above (I'm still working on forgiving her). But I do love the image...just beautiful. I can't help but wonder what she's writing about (perhaps a journal entry on how happy she was with how the shoot was going?)

But I digress...see you all on May 17!!

Waterfront Film Festival - We've Entered!!

Since last Saturday's concert and film screening, I must have had at least 20 people tell me that we should submit the film into festivals. The thought had crossed my mind as we were putting the final touches on the film, but I was too close to the project to really take it seriously. But after so much positive feedback I took the next step.

Today I officially entered Karma Generator for consideration into my favorite festival; the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan. This film festival has been gaining more and more notoriety every single year. Now in it's 10th year, it was recently voted in the Top 5 favorite film festivals in the WORLD by Screen Actors Guild Magazine. Waterfront is in good company, among the other 4 festivals listed is a little festival in France called Cannes as well as another up and coming festival called Sundance in Utah...wow!

It was a bit surreal dropping off the submission. For now I'm keeping my expectations low but I couldn't help but think how cool it would be if our little film project actually got into the festival!

Karma Generator - Concert Wrap-up

Well, it's been a very interesting 5 month journey we've had with Brian Vander Ark and making the film Karma Generator. That journey concluded last night with a sold-out screening of the film and a blistering performance by BVA in front of a warm and appreciative audience of 400+ at Aquinas College's Performing Arts Theater. What a great venue!

Last November, my brother Brad and I loaded in some gear and headed down to North Carolina where BVA was recording in the home studio of producer Bill Szymczyk. Brad and I both didn't have much time...busy work commitments back home wouldn't allow us to stay very long. Our plans were humble, simply to grab enough footage to produce a 2-3 minute video to help promote BVA's album when it came out.

But we managed to get some great interview content...and my brother is the king of killer b-roll. So last night we screened our (now considerbly more ambitious) 25 minute Karma Generator on an amazing 16' x 9' wide screen...that's FEET people!

Somebody pinch me...

My email has been burning up today with well-wishes, wonderful comments about the film as well as the concert that Brian and his band put on. It's hard to describe what a passionate and polished performer Brian Vander Ark is...if you've seen him live you'll know exactly what I mean.

Oh...Brad and I also shot the whole concert performance for a future DVD release...

A new journey begins...

Tickets nearly gone - Brian Vander Ark concert

Just a quick post to give you a head's up. The Brian Vander Ark concert and film screening of Karma Generator is nearly sold out. There are only 48 tickets left as of now...

I don't expect them to last too much longer. BVA and I are appearing on The Kevin Matthews Show on WLAV this Thursday morning plus the WYCE interview for Local Resonance is airing on Friday morning.

Follow this link to order tickets online...

This concert is a major production and BVA is pulling out all the stops. We're filming the concert for a future concert DVD release so it's going to be a GREAT show!

...oh and I shot a 5 million dollar Warhol too!

Just adding to my post below about my unusual week...I forgot to add this detail:

I was also fortunate to shoot a very special project for the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM). They needed a high resolution file to produce a replica of an extremely valuable Andy Warhol print that is part of the new Warhol exhibit that opened last night.

This truly amazing Warhol print was donated to the museum by a generous local art philanthopist. GRAM wanted to replace the original print with a replica so the owner could still enjoy their beloved Warhol in their home...a great idea and a win/win for everyone.

Unfortunately I won't post the photo here. I'll err on the side of confidentiality and not reveal the piece. I was quite impressed when told that the print is so rare that at a recent auction the same print commanded in the neighborhood of $5,000,000.

Now that's a nice neighborhood....don't you think?

And please go check out the Warhol exhibit and support GRAM. It's a major coup for the organization and an amazing exhibit!

The Fonz, Radio Interviews and Chaplow

It's been an extremely busy week and a bit unusual. I taped two in depth radio interviews this week with Brian Vander Ark to promote our film Karma Generator that is screening before the BVA concert on March 22 at Aquinas College...plus I had a busy week of shooting for various clients.

The first show we taped was for a fantastic program on WCYE (88.1) called Local Resonance with host Kevin Murphy. It will air Friday, March 21 at 11 am (you can stream it online if you're not in GR...so tune in!) . BVA played two songs from the new album and we all chatted about the film and what went into it. We taped the interview at Michael Crittenden's Mackinaw Harvest Studios right here in GR...that's an amazing studio complete with fireplaces and a lodge-like interior. It was good to meet Michael as I've been a fan of his band Troll for Trout...not often does it take a decade to bump into another artist right here in good ol' GR but in Michael's case it did.

The second interview was with Shelley Irwin on WGVU radio (88.5). Shelley hosts a great morning program that airs weekdays at 9 am (I'll find out exactly what day we're on). Shelley just won her 5th consecutive Gracie Award which is a national award for broadcasting excellence in public radio (I believe). She's a pro...very insightful and smooth. It seemed like we chatted for 20 minutes or so and BVA played two acoustic songs.

Rounding out the week for me was hanging out with Henry Winkler (The Fonz, baby!). He was an inspiring and very genuine guy. Mr. Winkler was helping to raise money for teaching scholarships at Aquinas College and I was documenting his visit for the college. And no...I didn't give him a thumbs up or ask him to jump a shark tank with his motorcycle...although that would have been frickin' sweet.

I also shot an absolutely beautiful home on Reeds Lake with uber-hot interior designer Kathryn Chaplow. Her work is gaining national recognition and she's had her homes featured in national magazines (even a cover spread in Home!)

Quite a week...I wonder what's in store for next week?

New photos...good stuff!

Hey...just a quick post to mention to check out my main photography site:

http://www.briankellyphoto.net/

I added new photos in a couple of sections from a very cool shoot I did for the Downtown Alliance last week (I'll post an entry on this shoot when I get caught up!)...as well as a quick photo I did of Henry Winkler at Aquinas College. Yep...I'm talkin' The Fonz!!!

So check out the Architecture, Fashion, People and Lifestyle sections....see if you can tell what's new!

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!