Vacation Update

On vacation and having a blast...I love Michigan summers (and taking a break too).

Shooting Like Crazy!

I'm feeling pretty lucky to be so busy (really busy) over the last several months. In the last two weeks I've shot some cool projects for some pretty high profile clients.

Last week I took off with Trisha Spaulding of Integrated Architecture to document a wonderfully designed private school in Howell, Michigan. The shoot went great and I'll be shooting 4 more projects for them a little later in the summer. I've wanted to shoot for IA for a long time so this will be a LOT of fun.

And I'm currently knee deep in shooting for the Grand Rapids Community Foundation's annual report. This is a BIG project...they really go all out with their annual report photography and I was thrilled to be selected to shoot this year's report. We've already completed three shoots and have several more to go throughout July. We're taking some risks photographically (just ask my assistant Tina who was standing perilously close to edge of a tall building downtown holding a reflector...but that's why she makes the big bucks!). I'd love to post some samples here but you'll just have to wait until the AR comes out!

I'm also simultaneously working on a major project for Nucraft Furniture. Basically they've commissioned me to create large art pieces for their expanded corporate offices. I've been given free reign of their entire production area; so I get to wander around creating abstractions of all kinds of things I find. It's a major challenge but I think we're going to be able to create some very, very dynamic installations in their office...more FUN.

I'm out on vacation for a bit to recharge with my lovely family...I'll be back at it July 5. Happy America, everyone!

GR Press Review - Karma Generator at Waterfront Film Festival

On Saturday I attended the screening of our film Karma Generator at Waterfront Film Festival. The theater was packed and it was interesting to screen it before an audience that really had no idea what they were going to see (it was paired with an excellent film called The Linguists which was shown at Sundance a few months ago).

I noticed music/film critic John Serba of The Grand Rapids Press sitting just in front of us and had a chance to say hello before the film started.  He wrote about Karma Generator on his blog this morning. Here's a link to his very favorable review.

The audience really seemed to enjoy the film.  I relished the opportunity to grab some popcorn and be a fly on the wall and watch it with my wife Kathleen right along with everyone else.

And wouldn't you know it...you can now purchase Karma Generator!!!  The entire film is included as bonus material on Brian Vander Ark's new live concert DVD.  This is the now infamous concert that my brother Brad and I shot for BVA at Aquinas College in March of this year.  It was a 5 camera shoot and I must say it resulted in one heckuva fine concert DVD.  Brian and the band were truly inspired and the setting was incredible.  The shoot went smoothly and it's a beautiful concert film.

The best news is that the DVD is only $17...order it here...directly from Brian Vander Ark himself.  Feel free to pick up a few dozen copies!

Gordon Parks - Photographer

I was asked by On-the-Town Magazine to comment on the life and career of legendary photographer Gordon Parks.  An exhibit of his photographs is coming to the Grand Rapids Art Museum.

Parks has always been one of the top three photographers that have inspired me the most.  He was incredible man with an insatiable drive and zest for life.  Aside from shooting for LIFE Magazine and Vogue in the 1940's...an unthinkable achievement for a black man in a segregated society, he also directed (among others) the iconic film Shaft.

He created powerful images. And possessed equally powerful charisma.  That combination granted him access few photographers have ever enjoyed. 

Gordon Parks had a long affair with railroad heiress, socialite and fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt.  He also shared a great friendship with Malcolm X.  That speaks volumes about the man and the worlds he was able to inhabit so freely.

Night Photography Workshop is post-poned

Good news/bad news...the bad news is that due to the storms and freaky weather I've decided to reschedule our night photography workshop for tonight.

The good news is that there will be another one soon...most likely by mid-July.  I'll be in touch with more info soon here on the blog or email me at brian@photographyroom.com privately if you want to be put on the info list.

Photo Shoot - CWD

Last week I shot Grand Rapids real estate titans Sam Cummings, Scott Wierda and Dan DeVos for a new real estate investment company that they formed called CWD Real Estate Investments.

I picked a nice location at the Grand Rapids Art Museum, mostly for it's texture and color.  I thought it would allow for some outside-the-box portraiture.

More photos from this shoot are now up in the People section of my web site...so check them out!

A special thanks to Kate Washburn of Wondergem Consulting for helping to get this shoot off the ground and all the behind the scenes coordination.

Screening Times for Karma Generator

I just got the schedule.  Karma Generator will screen twice during the Waterfront Film Festival June 12-15.  It's playing each day at 11:30 am on June 14 (Sat) and June 15 (Sun).

You can find the entire film schedule here.

It's playing at Venue 3 on your maps (Saugatuck High School).  Karma Generator is paired with another fine film called The Linguists which is a documentary (feature length) that enjoys the distinction of being an official selection of the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.

Not too shabby company...

If you make it out and catch the film, please say hello.

web site update

If you haven't checked out my web site in a while it's probably worth a visit again.  I've added a brand new "Events" section with all new photos as well as sprinkled the other categories with images here and there.

...but if you've never visited before it will all seem incredibly fresh and new!

www.briankellyphoto.net

Waterfront Film Festival - Karma Generator is IN!

Holy cow...I received word today that our short film documentary called Karma Generator is an official selection of the prestigious Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck.  It will be screened twice at some point during the festival's June 12-15 run.

I wasn't sure what to expect when, on a whim, I submitted our entry a full day past the deadline (with permission).  But this feels pretty great!  My brother Brad and I worked extremely hard on it and being accepted to WFF validates our emphasis on creating more films together...because we make a pretty great team (if I say so myself).

Perhaps I'll post an entry soon about our next film project which starts shooting a little later this summer...but for now I'm tight as a drum!  All I'll say is that it's a feature length project and not a short.

So tonight I'm working on press kits for the festival and filling out a Director's questionnaire that asks me if I'm interested in boating, golfing, dune rides and jet ski's while I'm attending the festival.  Let's see...wait for it...OH YEAH!

Lux Land Concert was great

Lux Land performed at The Photography Room to a wonderful audience last Saturday.  It was a truly great show...quiet, moody, soulful and rich.  Lux was joined by slide guitarist extraordinaire Dan Matheny (of The Verve Pipe and Brian Vander Ark) and his contributions were fantastic.

We're currently in the process of booking some incredible national acts for the fall.  I can't wait to make some announcements in the next few weeks.

June 8 - Night Photography Workshop

The night photography workshop for Sunday, June 8 is starting to fill up nicely.  I do have several spots left but it looks like we're going to have a very nice group going out with me.

If you're interested in signing up, shoot me an email and I'll send you the registration form.  If you want to find out more about what my night photography workshops are like, please visit this previous post.

I'm always amazed to see how much fun we have on these workshops.  There's just something about a beautiful downtown and a common interest in photography that makes for great camaraderie and conversation.  Feel free to email me with any questions!

napoleon dynamite

Just had to post this.  I love the motion in the arm...pure poetry.  I must secretly love interpretive dance.

Designer Kathryn Chaplow

I had a great time shooting for Kathryn Chaplow in Cascade this week. Kathryn's one of the Midwest's top interior designers...based right here in good 'ol Grand Rapids. In the last year or so she's had several of her projects featured nationally in some of the country's top magazines...once you're inside a home that she's designed you can see what all the fuss is about.

I'm especially honored to be shooting for Kathryn's personal portfolio; meaning she's using the images we shoot for her web site and other marketing efforts. She really has the ability to work with anyone she pleases so it's been great to have access to such high quality homes. Thanks, Kathryn!

Japan and the mist

I found this photo yesterday from a 2004 Japan trip while moving files around different hard drives and thought I would share it here.

It was my first (and hopefully not last) trip to Japan.  I was often struck by the absolute calm and tranquility of the Japanese countryside that stands in direct contrast to the bustling energy of its larger metropolises.  This was shot at the Ise Shrine in the Mie Prefecture.

I had a very random and curious experience at this spiritual place with a young Japanese man.  He approached me quietly and after gaining my attention extended his had and gave me a sort of woven orange charm he purchased at the shrine as a spontaneous gift.  At first I thought he may have been a vendor or someone who wanted something from me.  But it was obvious he was just a pilgrim visiting the shrine.

When I asked him what the charm represented, he told me through an interpreter that the charm would bring health and spiritual protection to my unborn child. It struck me as odd since he was so specific about a baby and I'm a man and wasn't traveling with my wife. I bowed to thank him and he calmly smiled and meandered away down a graveled path into the misty rain.

Stranger still is that there was no way for him (or me) to know that my wife and I were about to become pregnant just a few weeks later.  Kathy was over 7000 miles away back home in Grand Rapids.

Could it have been just random luck that he sensed something and was inspired to give me a gift so specific to something that would come true just a short time later?  I was the only person this man approached...our interaction was so brief...it seems so surreal now.

Sparkle-ling out of obscurity

I started this blog on a whim last November not knowing if I would keep at it very long.  Or better yet if anyone would actually find it (much less read it).

That said, I've been amazed that people sometimes mention a specific entry when I bump into them in person. My stats page now says over 500 unique people stopped by in the last month and generated 1200+ page views. That's way more than I ever dreamed possible.

But my previous "Sparkle" post about a sign I saw in a Biggby Coffee shop illustrated how the web is both a vast wasteland AND a very, very small world at the same time.

"Sparkle" received a brief comment from the Co-founder and CEO of Biggby Coffee himself...can you imagine that? He's obviously a busy guy and focused on expanding his coffee empire (which I'm happy to help finance one cup 'o joe at a time).  He seems like a positive guy from his blog and for me it put a face to a fast growing Michigan-based franchise.

So just like that...we're connected in a small way.

I am very amused by all of this and the limitless connectivity of the web.  You never know who's out there paying attention (or stumbling upon) your site. Thanks for checking in now and then.  I'll strive to keep this little blog going.

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"