Topic: The Chit Chat Thread

@StitchJones Thanks, I started with film and cinematography but film wasn't for me and while I was headed out the door a friend mentioned a music video gig. It was a band I really liked, they weren't English speakers either so I decided to try. Some how we bridged some kind of language barrier, everyone was lovely. I found that they were in it for the love of music, in film it was the love of money. I applied cinematography to my shots and it worked for certain material but not for others. I've had work featured on tour posters, magazines like MetalHammer, certain CD inlays, and more that I've probably forgotten. It's kind of cheating because press credentials usually mean the first three songs and since it's me giving myself the access I often go over the first three. That's Jesse he joked that I made him look like a gremlin then used it as his avatar for a few days and we published it over on Roadrunner for a time too. I prefer shooting more obscure European bands like Children of Bodom. It's a mix of keeping memories, the challenge of the stage, and a hobby that I really like but rarely ever share. People get the wrong idea, it was my 'in' for that music scene and I'm starting to feel like I need to pursue something else. I'm just not sure what, I think I'm photographed one hundred and seven bands but that's counting festivals like Download/HellFest and there are so many bands on stage and so many stages.

@GirlVersusGame its nice to have a career/job whatever, where the tasks are not like jobs, its like hobbies. You want to go into work every day. No starring at the clock waiting to be done. Few jobs are like that

@StitchJones I'll be honest I hardly know what any job is really like because it's all too curated. I never got to do much in film but visit sets like Pinewood in the UK, and people naturally said good job when I technically did nothing. It's different with music I understand that particular genre and know what I'm trying to capture. It's always easier having a lens if that makes sense. I think part of it too is what they say about never meeting your heroes. Most guys in Metal aren't as tough as their exterior but some bands that I really liked or rather some lead singers, just weren't that nice to be around. One particular band that I grew up with the music of put me off their music for life and I'd already assigned so much meaning to their work. I'm sure it happens in every industry, it's just not always expected. Then there's the actual travel, I'm naturally suited to travel but with music you can do one gig in one city one night, another the next, another country three days later and they do it for six months. That's the part people don't see, all of the insomnia, broken sleep schedules, that's why I only did it for the summer. I'd never do it during the winter.

@GirlVersusGame On the flip side of what you are talking about, I've always been a blue collar worker, now turned full time loser lol. I would never know what your lifestyle would be like. Getting close to musicians and such. I've only been to 3 concerts in my life due to a health issue that makes that environment dangerous for me, so. As a music fanatic, if i was a reg person in that regard, I'd be the type that went to every band I love whenever they were in town. it is what it is, we are all dealt a different hand of cards in life.

@StitchJones I think if I shared some more of my old social media you'd get a better idea. It bounced around as I did, that helmet is an EoD helmet that military use in movies like Hurt Locker. I was on a military base at the time. The top right is the arrival of a president, I took it standing beside security because I was already past that barrier. The plane I took with a 600mm lens, the wolf is just a wolf but I quickly started to notice that my social media wasn't exactly 'normal' so I just stopped really updating things. That and obviously privacy etc. I've been around musicians but never really known them, I've never even picked up a guitar. A lens is a kind of natural divide, I don't think we'd have a lot in common. They started much like you said blue collar workers, working hard to grind shows until they became better known but even now some drummers work two jobs. Most bands now tour because they have to, CDs/etc aren't bringing in the money they once did and Metal as a genre can often get over-taken by whatever it is people listen to on TikTok. It's the kind of genre that has die hard fans that keep it going, without them and without concert goers a lot of those labels would struggle.

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@GirlVersusGame they look cool to me. Admittedly, I got distracted by dogs in coats 😄 but the use of light is definitely a stand out feature of the shots. The first two and a third to the middle really stand out to me. There's 5 or 6 in total like that, actually. Very good. If you ever feel like you don't want to hide away your hobby/talents for a moment, then i'm notoriously nosey and will happily take interest.

I won't pry in to the people getting the wrong idea bit, but... f*** people, remember. People can think whatever they like! What use are people? What good have people ever done?People, bah!

@Ravix That dogs in coat I met one day out for a walk and their Owner let me take a picture. That's how I actually met Anonymous too. There were some folks protesting Scientology (which I knew nothing about) I took some pictures, we got talking, I agreed with their ethics, found ways to friend people online and then helped fund one of the very first offline Anonymous gatherings. We had authors, survivors etc. There was an odd moment where one of the members showed me his mask, it was kevlar. The police in Paris were that physical, I thought of my own kevlar and we just clicked. I still to this day never saw the German members without masks, even afterwards for drinks. They are that serious about their beliefs, work, it's really admirable.

I know fudge people but I understand that kind of divide and it's wrong to post things like that when you know people don't have them. Then there are the people who judge you for what you have not who you are. It's just easier to remove it all and not really think about it. Also I don't want to be part of the problem, people put so much meaning on things and it's worrying. That's why I won't post in the gaming tats' thread. I always saw hobbies as something you did for yourself, I know it mentions photography on Youtube but I pulled those videos too. I've probably removed every hobby off of the internet since then. And now that I think of it the last non forum comment to me was 'you are part of the problem', the world is a very different place at the moment. Or maybe it always was.

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Another perfect example of what I mean. Top right is No Man's Sky, one of my all time favorite games, beside it a custom book from someone I tried to promote (her work was so good) some art (I covered most I don't share that part of me anymore to anyone) the wolf is an exception I love wolves and he came out really well. But then there's the car, which to me was normal until I saw Bruce Wayne driving the same one. It was 'normal', but it's not, if I scrolled ever higher there would be other cars. It's just not compatible and once you finally realize that you can't mix and match because it's all 'normal' to you (as in me) but to everyone else it paints an automatic picture. Also the black and white image is Papa Roach, I grew up listening to them too.