Ok here I am again! One month later.....
Hopefully one day I will be able to blog a lot more. I really do love to write but unfortunately there is only so much time in the day! So I do what I can... :)
This year I've slowly but surely been trying to catch up on photos & projects that were already in the works or from last year before I take on more work or shoots. I hate the feeling of being behind on work or things I want to do. And of course I hate putting people off too. So very soon I will have my slate clean and start shooting again. This time I will take on work a little more slowly so I don't bombard myself.
At the moment, my Canon 20D camera is at the Canon Factory Service Center getting cleaned and serviced. That camera has seen about 25000 photos so I figured it was about time to do that since I never have. I had heard through some other photographers that sending it to Canon is the best route. I was debating on upgrading to a newer model of camera but I just couldn't justify spending at least another $1000 on a new body. I weighed out the advantages I would have over the money I would spend. The 20D has served me well over the years since I took the plunge into the photography world especially with shooting portraits of people. So I thought at the moment spending $200 to get the 20D refreshed by Canon would be the best economic choice for me. I figured that on down the road if I'm going to spend thousands on a new camera then I might as well get a full frame camera anyway.

All the photos on my site were taken with the 20D and it's only a 8 megapixel camera. So it's not about having the latest & greatest. The tools is only one aspect of photography and it definitely does not state whether you are good or not at the art. It's not about what you have, it's how you use it! ;) And I've tried to do as much as possible with as little amount as possible too. Just think that years ago and some still to this day use film cameras. Some of the greatest photos can be taken with the most cheapest cameras. Hell I can take simulated Polaroid photos on my iPhone with ShakeItPhoto that I just love! It's about capturing the moment and the emotion. It's the simple things that means the most. The technical aspects of a photo is not what's going to make people continue to come back to look at the photo. It's the emotion & story that it conveys. How well a photo portrays someone means a lot.

For a while now I've been running on fumes and I really have to push myself a lot these days due to a sleeping disorder I've had for the past 8 years. I never feel fully rested or feel like I have as much energy as I should. It's been affecting many aspects of my life. But soon I will be seeing another sleep specialist so hopefully we will be able to find me a good solution to better sleep. The sleep disorder stemmed from a brain tumor I found out that I had 8 years ago. We beat the tumor by surgery, the side effect was the sleep issues. But I really can't complain too much. It definitely could have been much worse and I'm making the most of every moment with the little amount of energy I do have. No complaints here because I get to continue to do what I love. :)
I dived back into the photography world head first back in late 2006 with a little band called Lady Antebellum. This was way before they were the award winning touring artist they are today. But they believed in me and encouraged me to push ahead with what I do. I'm definitely grateful for that. Concert photography was just the beginning until late 2007 when an artist by the name of Megan Conner took a chance with me and I started into the world of promotional portrait photography for musicians. Since then I've had a chance to work with many musicians and I have acquired friends because of it. It's really been a great ride. The photography I did lead me to doing graphic design work in the form of posters, website banners, and album layouts. I've completed 3 album layouts this year alone along with a poster or two. Through out this blog I will insert some of the work I've done lately when it comes to this. Just recently I completed an album layout & photo shoot for Megan that I'm kind of proud of. It's been a long time coming for her and I definitely share the excitement with her. It's great when you can have long term working relationships with people.
Last year I ventured into the model world and thought out of the box a little bit. I had a chance to work with a handful of great models. It was a lot of fun because it was very freeing for me since I was working with other creative people who were only out to create something special too. So I definitely intend to continue working with models this year along with the musicians I have working relationships with. I think the mix in the different types of photography not only helps be in being a better photographer but it makes it a lot more exciting because of the differences too. In order to become a better photographer you've got to take the steps to do something you normally wouldn't do. Not only does it give you more nerve & confidence, it gives you experience as well. Time, experience, and having an open mind is what makes a great photographer. Not the equipment. Of course better equipment is nice and can help but only if you're already experienced in knowing how to use it to the best of it's ability. Otherwise it is wasted money.

By having the courage & confidence and getting out there in the scene back in 2006 has made me the photographer I am today. No one taught me and I never went to school for it. It was all up to me to decide on what I wanted to teach myself. And I'm still learning to this day. The best feeling to me is when I see an artist improve over the time I've known them. That means they are listening to themselves and the people around them. It's the ones who don't listen that never improve. You're only going to get out of something by what you put into it. As they old saying goes "The Proof is in the Pudding".
Well I have already written over 1200 words now so I guess I better bring this to a close. Forgive me if I rambled too much or I said things that I've already said in the past. Expect more from me very soon whether it be with website updates, photography, or design work. I'm still going as strong as ever and I'm very grateful for all the opportunities that come my way!
To be continued as always..... :)
All the best,
-Kevin