I’ve been photographing Jessie Farrell and her band for almost 2 years now. Taking pictures of Jessie was how I first got into photography. I started taking pictures at gigs, her first music video (in which I made a brief cameo as a pink hatted fiddler), her big CD release, and all the moments in between & that time we went to Jamaica (that was weird that we went there).
I was so tentative and unsure of my ability at first because I didn’t know anything about photography or dSLRs in general, let alone the technical skills required to take that money shot. When I look at my old shots, I’m so embarrassed at the settings I used. But that’s how I learnt, by experimenting with settings, taking thousands of shots, and basically falling in love with the process of taking photographs. That’s what I love. Just hanging back behind the scenes and capturing subtle candid moments of people, animals, even nature. I rarely, if ever, leave my apartment without my camera. It’s basically a part of me. Gosh, this is beginning to sound sappy. Uh. Brief pause… and resume…
I almost never get to see Jessie Farrell et al. perform live, because they are on the road so much in far off Canadian places, so I was really excited to catch their performance at Festival 150 in Victoria, BC. This might be the reason I took 1000 or so photos. Eek, I know. My Air is gasping for… well.. air.
Kylee Epp.
I also blame the Canon 70-200mm IS f/2.8 lens I rented again. It has such a delicious sweet spot that makes me swoon when I hit it. Wait. That sounded bad. I’m not sexualizing photography… Ever. Stop. I’m blushing. Actually, I’m just super sunburnt because I literally have the skin tone of a sickly vampire who spends all day & night on a computer like IMing and pirating shizz.
Anyway, I supposed to be taking a little break from my blog and the computer this week, as I’ve totally done in my neck. My computer over-use injury is back with a vengence.
Ok. Ok. I’m getting off the computer now… Don’t be mad.
Jessie was recently nominated for 7 Canadian Country Music Awards, including Best Female Artist, Album, Song, Songwriter of the Year & Best Selling Album. She is also nominated for Fan’s Choice award so if you are a fan, Vote for Jessie here. Additionally, 3 of her band members were nominated for the best performers in their categories: Ryland Haggis for Bass Player of the Year; Jesse Tucker for guitar player of the year; and Jesse Godin for drummer of the year.
Ryland Haggis.
Jessie Godin.
L-R: Jesse Tucker, Kylee Epp, Jessie Farrell, Jesse Godin, Ryland Haggis.
I’m currently in negotiations with them to start my throw-back 80s, futurist/emo/punk/rock/folk/singer/songwriter band. It’s a real mix of genres, but I’m covering them all to please that fickle, yet predictable the Gen “i”.
1-2-3-4, I’m seeing Feist tomorrow! Who’s coming?
And my question to photographers and blossoming photogs:
range
August 4, 2008 at 1:41 AMNight photography. I loved the dreamlike quality of blurry images taken at night.
Saf
August 4, 2008 at 1:47 AMI got in photography thanks to my friends. They started it and I found it was cool so I tried. I have just done my first “shooting” last Saturday (I put the photos on FlickR). I will be pleased if you can give advices to beginner like me.
August
August 4, 2008 at 2:04 AMGreat photography of a cool band
Dan
August 4, 2008 at 2:09 AMWell, truth be told, I’m still getting into it. I suppose I got the bug when I started playing with my housemate’s EOS 350D and then found my girlfriend has that same camera so got to do a lot of shooting with it.
I’m still trying to find my niche in photography, I like shooting landscapes, things like waterfalls and streams and, if I can be quiet enough (I don’t have a long lens) wildlife.
Bobby
August 4, 2008 at 2:43 AMI always liked taking pics since I was little, unfortunately there wasn’t digital cams back then so I was limited by the amount of 110 & 35 mm film my parents would get me. But now it’s easy to just mess around & shoot everything & kind of train yourself & learn from others like you’ve said. I like taking pics of anything but capturing moods is the best!
Brad Ruggles
August 4, 2008 at 3:40 AMBeautiful pics as always. I’m envious of your camera and lens and even more jealous you get to photograph such cool events.
Ah, to live the life of a Canadian photo-blogger. Wait, did I just say that???
kristarella
August 4, 2008 at 3:50 AMI have no idea how or why I got into it really. I think a part of me just knew I loved it.
I took a class, year 11 of high school. Mum bought me an SLR at that point, but I didn’t use it as much when I left high school ’cause it wasn’t as fun having someone else develop my shots. Then I got a dSLR and it was all a whole lot more accessible.
Hope I get a chance to process and post some of my more recent shots and take some more.
Bill
August 4, 2008 at 4:19 AMHi Lisa,
I got into photography because of my grandfather’s interest in it. He had a darkroom in his basement, and he let me use his old 35mm Olympus for my high school trip to Germany. Since then, I have shot with 35mm, medium format, and now digital. I am really loving the digital, though most shots never emerge from my computer.
Max
August 4, 2008 at 5:03 AMIt was very simple for me. All my life my father took thousands of photos, still on analogue of course. And then when I felt I reached a certain level I said in 2005 that I will now continue in my father’s footsteps. So, as a photographer, I started directly with digital. However, when I take photos I employ my other passion for storytelling. Each photo I tell is for me story or a visual display of my secret dream.
John Hays
August 4, 2008 at 5:11 AMI got into photography by volunteering for the AFI Dallas Film Festival. I expected to do more post-processing stuff, but ended up on the photography team and learned quite a bit about the process, and now I really enjoy it! (Getting some good shots of celebrities and having them published isn’t so bad, either!)
Ed Lau
August 4, 2008 at 6:03 AM1000 in how long of a period of time? That’s not unusual, really…I was out in Yoyogi Park hanging with all the bands playing outdoors on Sunday and I took upward of 3,000 in just under 8 hours. During the Whistler Ski and Snowboard Fest, I did about 3,500 in about half that time.
Dana
August 4, 2008 at 7:40 AMn which I made a brief cameo as a pink hatted fiddler
Do you fiddle too, Lisa? So talented!
Lyndon
August 4, 2008 at 8:37 AMI’m currently getting into photography. I see all these beautiful images on the internet and I want to go out shoot my own photos too.
So when you start your band, if your looking for someone who plays recorder? Give me a call ;)
Have fun at the Feist concert (I’m not at all jealous, ok maybe a little)
Jonic
August 4, 2008 at 8:53 AMI saw the Lomo Super Sampler, bought one, got into the Lomography.com community, and before I know it I’m in love with photography..
I gave it up after a few years, because I was working in 35mm and I couldn’t afford to get the volume of films I was going through processed.. I still have around 25 rolls yet to be developed..
I haven’t gotten round to getting a digital camera, but I know the one that I’m getting once I’ve some cashmoney..
Hope your neck gets better and that Lisa! Yeah! :)
P.S. You listened to 9 yet? I downloaded it, but still haven’t listened!
Pallian
August 4, 2008 at 9:23 AMMy dad was my inspiration – he literally took thousands of photos of us as kids using his old nikon.. i later inherited that camera and most of his skills.. check out http://www.pallian.com/2008/08/03/a-pallian-gallery-in-the-works/ – more photos coming up later this week!
And look out for me with my nikon 70-300mm at the Feist concert tomm… excite!
Denis
August 4, 2008 at 10:45 AMVery nice shot and good light, well done !
Lawrence Riddick
August 4, 2008 at 10:55 AMI am kinda like Bill, my grandfather was a good photographer and I use to look at all his work and antique equipment growing up. I thought shooting was far fetched for me, until I bought my Nikon D40x. I have been shooting every since. I love it! Great pics of the band. My flickr is http://www.flickr.com/pausephoto
chris
August 4, 2008 at 2:56 PMI think I had been wandering around flickr for a few months when I decided to buy my first digital camera. As for my muse, there are so many!
Sarah Austin
August 4, 2008 at 4:58 PMI love the first one. you are so good at photography! I’m deciding to buy my first digital camera this year.
Patrick
August 5, 2008 at 6:54 AMIs it cliche to say that my kids are my muse? Because they totally are. I upgraded to a DSLR before my second child (daughter!) was born in June because I had so much fun photographing my son. I wanted more flexibility.
I’d love to take awesome photographs of other stuff, but with 2 kids, a job, and a lovely wife who deserves at least SOME attention, I barely have time to take and process pictures of them.
What I find really difficult is balancing my growing love of photography and my hesitancy to publish pictures of my kids on the internet. I do it occasionally, but it feels a little weird.
Melvin
August 6, 2008 at 12:15 AMJust thought Jessie is very beautiful… ;-)
Arran Photography
August 6, 2008 at 2:39 PMArran Photography…
Great post I really enjoyed reading it, great blog aswell….
Monkwhy
August 6, 2008 at 11:39 PMI first got into Photography when in 1987 with a dodgy plastic camera. then moved onto a Pentax manual SLR which i then started experimenting with night images making friends run through the park with sparklers, and 40 second exposures. But now im more of a wildlife / insect kinda guy. I still currently use a Canon EOS300 with Fuji Velvia pro slide film, 20 – 50iso. Great colour and resolution but expensive to develop. Only now am i investigating the world of Digital SLR’s although my expensive taste in the EOS1D Mk III is causing me grief!
Daynah
August 7, 2008 at 5:16 PMGosh Lisa, that Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS zoom lens is something!! It’s just so… beautiful. *drool* The photos came out so nicely!!
I got into photography because I wanted to capture memories. Got my first digital camera in 1997. And every two years after, I would upgrade the camera. :)
I’m also into scrapbooking! Capturing nice photos really helps with that hobby also. :)
Roshan
August 17, 2008 at 7:14 PMGreat pics Lisa. I found out about you & ur website while searching the net for Jessie’s music. Keep the great pics coming.
Mel
August 18, 2008 at 3:24 PMGreat post, Lisa! I’m also embarrassed by how much of my photography is trial, error, and pray that the preview on my LCD screen is what it will really look like on my computer. After a year of shooting skating with a DSLR, I finally feel pretty confident with skating action, but I still do a big whoops from time to time.
As for any photography that’s not skating…ahhhhh. But I’m learning. I finally bought my first flash last month, and I did a few photoshoots a few weeks ago that turned out pretty well.
What got me started? Well, I’ve always loved taking pictures. With skating specifically, it was a desire to save the moments that I adored watching. I started with a pretty bad point & shoot, then upgraded to a pretty decent P&S, and then last year, I used some pro equipment for the first time, and I just couldn’t bear to go back. So I bought my 20D and 200/2.8 lens a week later. And I’m not usually an impulse buyer.
Kali
August 22, 2008 at 9:04 PMYou are a very talented photographer…keep doing whatever it is that you are doing. And thanks for the photography tips. I am about to make my first dSLR camera. Great blog!
Mostly Lisa: Photography, Videos, & Geeky Stuff. » Entry » My Photographic Journey
August 14, 2009 at 2:37 AM[…] candid shots when they weren't looking. At the time, I was also spending a lot of time shooting Jessie Farrell (Canadian Singer/Songwriter) and her band on their first year […]
Jeana
October 2, 2014 at 7:55 PMHowdy! Would you mind if I share your blog with myy facebook group?
There’s a lot of folks that I think would really appreciate your content.
Please let me know. Cheers