I remember being a kid and reading these scary stories, the stories were quite lame as what I remember, but it was a children’s book. Some of the images are still printed in my brain, I just ran by an image and had flash backs of the entire book. Here are some images that really stuck with me throughout my life.
The Black Keys are a band I play at many, if not all of my photo shoots. I knew I loved them before, but after KROQs almost acoustic christmas I realized they what was missing in music for me. As far as I know, there is no comparison, if there is, I would love to know about them, because anything close to the style and passion this duo project, I’d be happy to know them.
If you have seen the new Levis Campaign “Go Forth” and were struck by the images as much as I was, you’re gonna like this. I had to do some research on Americana photography, and since I think most Americana photography is cheesy I started with the Levis campaign, which for the record I think is incredible. The photographer that shoots this is Chadwick Tyler, and I am no photography guru who knows names or even remember names. But after seeing his personal work I finally got the inspiration to write one of these stupid blogs that I clearly love so much. Check out his website and allow his work to speak for itself, especially his Wounded Warriors series.
Enjoy!
I’ve stopped drinking alcohol for a few weeks. It started out as a bet against the idea that it may be hard for me to live my normal life without alcohol. I wouldn’t say that this was something that was hard for me to do, I didn’t lick my lips every time someone sipped on a cognac, nor did I hide a bottle in my toilet for a now and again swig. Without those cliche alcoholic behaviors I can confidently say that I am able to control myself when it comes to influences. BUT I’ve realized my mind craves the idea of it. Being able to step away from my serious self and have an excuse to why I am acting like a jackass is a great way to fill my life with conflict that not olny am I lacking, but avoiding, in a normal work week. And conflict, lets face it, is the basis of entertainment. It changes my perspective and I can differentiate the week from the weekend. Otherwise the weekend feels like an extension of the week to me. Hookah has surprisingly been the tame, less fun buddy of alcohol and has on occasion made me forget I don’t drink. It subtly makes me forget I may have to suffer consequences for my actions, which is nice every once in a while. My liver maybe winning but my lungs are pissed. Does this constant and necessary abuse to my body make me an addict? Addiction is a strong word, especially when I see most of America that’s addicted to Facebook, MTV or Jersey Shore telling me how I might have a problem. At least I don’t spend my tuesday nights dribbling on myself watching television until the next day reminds me that my life is no more spontaneous than the Jersey shore episode that’s playing. Unless I’ve had too much to drink. 
When does ones succeed. And once that happens where do you go from there? We spread out our lives in chapters of what we call goals, and once we reach them, they become yesterdays news. Relationships, jobs, Education, unless you learned something from the experience, the goal is so temporary. But what happens when we spend a lifetime trying to reach a goal we never attain, when do we give up, when do we listen to the rest of the world that is ready to fail. Never. In the struggle, you become you. The failures and the successes are all part of it. So until yesterday’s success, becomes tomorrow’s failure, find a higher goal before you bore yourself to death. I’ve been there and am my hardest critic most of the time, but am never satisfied with where I am. I’ve been told that it’s a good thing. Sometimes I wonder and become envious of Hank Hill’s life.
I went to XIV this Sunday, which is a drunkfest but it seems that everyone there is on a happy parade. Which brings me to my next point, one of the things I love about alcohol is that it puts people on a level where things like shame, vanity, and self-loathe are banished even for an instant, and you can take up-close and personal pics of what people really are and what they feel. I hope that makes sense, I still got the post drinks shakes.. 
Jesus judges in Venice? I would like to know what these people think they are accomplishing by putting fear in locals hearts as they eat their hot dogs and corned beef. What if a vegan came and yelled a them? This is a place where people go to escape, look at Elvis, maybe smoke some weed, and eat some funnel cake. And these people come here and market their fear, as if anyone is on the cusp of religion anymore. Religion is a great tool to ground you if it isn’t your life already. It’s for the lost, it’s for the found, but it’s not for the weekends. Don’t force your beliefs on people, its a turnoff. Leave it in church, I know where it is. Or take it to skid row where some hope will do some good. Don’t take hope and turn it into a threat. Let me stroll down the street without a reminder that I will burn in hell as I pay for my sins and the only door to savior is through Jesus. Because even though Elvis may stand for a culture that have unintentionally spurred the rebirth of casual sex and illegal drugs, he’s definitely got better music.
I just met Autumn De Wilde, and on top of being one of the most creative people I have ever met, she just happens to be one of the coolest as well. She walked in the studio with grey converse chucks which she converted to sandals, drawing the toes on the tip (only one side manicured) and showed her book. White Stripes, Miranda July, Spoon, The Sun, Beck, Raconteurs, anybody in the music business that you can think of she has an iconic image of. She directs her own music videos too! She was all smiles and a confident modesty that made me jealous. Just needed to post, if you haven’t heard of her, consider yourself warned. 
So I complimented this girl on her shoes at the lakers game. She went on to say that she actually got the shoes from the movie Sex in the City because she was the vice president of Bebe. I really wish I had time to get more information, but this is when the bathrooms doors became vacant and went our seperate ways. After a pitcher of heff, you just don’t have the patience for chit chat.
Just so everyone is clear, the only time I walk into a shoot unprepared is when I have a death wish. Preparation is the single most important aspect of every shoot. It’s shooting in your mind 100 times before you are actually put in the mix and you not wasting money, time, or energy on thinking of things that should’ve been thought of days earlier. Don’t get me wrong, every once in a while there is a nice bonus, spur of the moment shot that might out live the original idea, but still it helps to be prepared with sketches, notes, and lots and lots of adderall.
