Broken Shadows, Chad Eby‘s latest CD is available now from Cellar Live Records.  (see the original post here.)

Check it out, peoples!

Duets, a new CD by Anders Svanoe and Jon Irabagon, has been released.

In addition to photography, I also do graphic design.  And like my photography, I like working with musicians best, so I tend to take on CD artwork jobs.  It was a pleasure to do the artwork for Duets.

For more info on Duets, see Anders’ website: anders.svanoe.com.

I had the pleasure of shooting Jon Irabagon and Anders Svanoe at Audio for the Arts last week.  Like Chad Eby’s CD, I will post more about this as the project unfolds.

Hey – now you can own your very own Doctor Sax t-shirt, featuring the left hand key cluster from a Conn 10M!

A few weeks ago, I did these promo shots for the shirt.

Doctor Sax is also known as Kim Slava.  He’s based here in Madison, but does business worldwide.  He just finished overhauling my tenor, and it’s fantastic.  He also carries the best selection of reeds in the state, and all sorts of other cool stuff.

If you’re local, drop in and see him.  If you’re not, check out his website: doctorsax.biz.

And buy a t-shirt!

Chad Eby teaches jazz at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, but more importantly, he’s a killin’ saxophonist.  He’s got a new CD coming out, so we did a shoot for it.

I’ll make another blog post when the disc actually comes out…

I met Bob Bowers on my first ACT Ride.  He was at every pit stop with a bullhorn, whipping up the crew and other riders to “make some NOISE!” as riders came in and left.  This was the first time I had ever spent four days on a bike, riding 300+ miles to raise funds and awareness for AIDS, and… well, I was draggin some serious butt.  Bob’s enthusiasm totally bouyed me and helped carry me through the ride.

Bob isn’t just inspirational during the four days of the ACT Ride – he does it full time.  He’s an AIDS activist, educator, and long-time survivor.  He’s also a badass pirate.

Check out his sites: onetoughpirate.com and hivictorious.org

I do actually work with non-musicians sometimes (*gasp!*). Those of you that know me personally know that I’ve participated in the Wisconsin ACT Ride the last few years as a rider. I chose not to ride this year in order to not ditch my wife for four days and three nights with a four year old and a newborn. (I love my wife, and would like to stay married to her…)

So this year, I did a portrait project of the participants—riders and crew—instead. I’ll have more on this project later, along with some how-to posts, but for now, here is a small preview:

Who knew keeping a blog up to date would be the easiest thing to let slide?  I’ve got a ton of stuff for you, going all the way back to spring: shots from the Prairie Music Academy Jazz Gala (featuring the Academy Quartet, students, and the Jackie Allen Quartet); shots from the Wisconsin AIDS Ride (ACT6); a how-to on shooting with a portable studio (using the ACT 6 photos—I set up a 9′ roll of white seamless every day on the ride); shots from a portrait session with Hanah Jon Taylor; and some surprises.

I suppose I could bring up the birth of my second daughter this summer to explain why I haven’t updated my blog, and maybe even mention that it was an unplanned home birth—I delivered her in our bathroom—but that’s just a cheap excuse.

Unless you’re willing to accept it…

I love grid spots. They allow you to really control your light in a way that nothing else can… I know, I hear you saying, “what about snoots?” I generally only use a snoot if I need to highlight a detail in a scene, and use a grid spot for larger light. Works for me… do what works for you.

Details on what I’m using, how I made it, and some other ways to use it after the jump.

 Read the rest of this entry »

I went to the Prairie Music Academy to shoot photos for their new promotional brochure and website redesign.

They’re also having a Jazz Gala at The Brink Lounge in Madison on April 19th. If you’re in the area, go check it out!